The Briefing
How self-funded renewals, stop-loss, dashboards, and actuarial value actually work. Written by the people who build the engine, for the people who have to explain it in the meeting.
The 2027 Numbers Are Out: What Changes for Employer Health Plans
Every 2027 figure a broker needs before renewal season: HSA and HDHP limits, the ACA out-of-pocket ceiling, affordability, employer mandate penalties, Part D creditable coverage, and the rules that moved this summer.
September 15, 20266 min read
2027 Medical Trend: What the Surveys Say, and What the Stop-Loss Market Is Doing About It
Seven 2027 trend surveys in one table, the drivers they agree on, the GLP-1 numbers worth quoting, and a stop-loss market renewing in the mid-teens. What it means for 2027 renewals.
September 10, 20265 min read
HRA vs HSA vs FSA (and Where ICHRA Fits): An Employer's Guide
Three accounts, three very different sets of rules. Who owns each, who funds each, what the 2026 and 2027 limits are, and where ICHRA fits in the lineup.
September 3, 20267 min read
Designing an Employee Contribution Strategy: Defined Contribution, Surcharges, and Tiers
How to choose between defined contribution and percentage of premium, set the employer share, structure tiers and surcharges, and model the employee cost impact before you propose it.
August 20, 20267 min read
Self-Funded, Fully Insured, or Level-Funded: The Cost Comparison, With Numbers
Where each funding model breaks even, what a bad claims year actually costs, and when level-funding is the right on-ramp rather than the final answer.
July 30, 20269 min read
Reading a Self-Funded Dashboard: PEPM, Budget Performance, and Paid vs. Incurred
The monthly experience report is the pulse of a self-funded plan. What PEPM, performance to budget, and the gap between paid and incurred actually tell you, and the misreads that cost real money.
July 9, 20268 min read
How a Self-Funded Renewal Projection Is Built: Experience, Pooling, Credibility, Trend, and Fixed Costs
A step-by-step walkthrough of the self-funded renewal projection: experience, pooling, credibility blending, trend, and fixed costs.
June 18, 20268 min read
Specific vs. Aggregate Stop-Loss (and Lasers), Explained
How specific and aggregate stop-loss actually work, what attachment points and corridors cost, and what a laser means for next year's renewal.
June 4, 20268 min read
From Spreadsheets to Software: The Modern Benefits Consultant's Tech Stack
The Excel-and-PowerPoint stack still works, but it's getting expensive. A look at the modern benefits consultant's toolkit.
May 7, 20263 min read
Renewal Season Playbook: Building a Defensible Plan Migration Strategy
How experienced benefits consultants structure renewal season, from data intake to final presentation, to produce recommendations that hold up.
April 23, 20263 min read
HDHP + HSA Strategy: Why High-Deductible Plans Still Win at Renewal
The HDHP/HSA combo has been declared dead for a decade and keeps winning the renewal math. Here's why, and where it actually fails.
March 26, 20263 min read
Reading an SBC: 10 Misunderstood Fields on a Summary of Benefits and Coverage
The Summary of Benefits and Coverage is the most-cited and least-understood document in employee benefits. Here's what each field actually means.
February 19, 20263 min read
PEPM, PMPM, and PEPY: The Three Metrics Every Benefits Consultant Should Track
A clear reference for the per-employee and per-member metrics that drive every benefits conversation, and the traps that come with each.
November 6, 20252 min read
How AI Is Changing Benefits Consulting
A grounded look at where AI is actually helping benefits consultants, and where the hype outpaces the value.
October 2, 20253 min read
Deductible Buy-Downs: How Plan Sponsors Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs Without Raising Premiums
A practical guide to deductible buy-down strategies, when they work, and how benefits consultants price the trade-offs against premium increases.
July 24, 20253 min read
What Is Actuarial Value in Health Insurance?
How actuarial value works: ACA metal levels, minimum value vs actuarial value, the 2027 AV Calculator update, and what a plan design change is worth.
June 19, 20258 min read