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Viewpoints from Craig Hasday There are different types of gamblers in Las Vegas. The first type sits at the slot machines and watches their money vanish with each handle pull. Sure, some win, but it’s rare and they usually give it back to the house with continued play. Then there are those that understand the game and know the odds. Since the odds are in favor of the house, these gamblers lose, but not as much and not as often. And then there are the card counters – the ones that have the data to beat the odds and mitigate …

Viewpoints from Craig Hasday In 2019, about 61% of workers with employer-sponsored insurance were enrolled in a self-insured or partially self-insured plan.* As healthcare costs rise, employers – guided by advisors like EPIC – seek cost savings by negotiating the components of health insurance premiums rather than leaving this to the opaque, and highly profitable, health insurance carriers. Plan elements, such as pharmacy costs, are routinely “carved out” and put under a microscope by sophisticated employers and their advisors. Self-insurance, however, entails assuming more risk of adverse claims. And the terms of this type of coverage are about …

… even for astute consultants, as the sleight of hand of providers increases in stealth factor. All of the constituents are seeking to maximize their share of the profits. So, new federal transparency regulations have come into play, which seek to make it clearer for payers to understand and negotiate costs. Viewpoints from Craig Hasday Transparency surrounding hospital costs went into effect on January 1, 2021, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that regulates these laws, has already started sending out warning letters of non-compliance. These show just how important the providers believe it is to …

… 15.6% in 2018 and those gross drug costs escalated at a faster pace than overall healthcare spending. Factoring in rebates, the report indicates, would reduce the four-year average trend to 3.8% – and I would think this would drive costs for even 2018 below the general inflation rate. Viewpoints from Craig Hasday It wasn’t long ago that double-digit trends were the norm for healthcare, and there seemed to be no end in sight. Employers are getting used to lower increases and with the political pressure being exerted on price increases – particularly with respect to prescription drugs …

Viewpoints by Craig Hasday Healthcare got little campaign attention primarily because both parties agree: healthcare is too expensive. Since there are no clear answers, two main themes emerged on both sides. First, there was unanimous agreement that pharmaceutical costs are too high and, second, there is not enough transparency in our current system. Healthcare remains an important topic for Americans and one that all candidates would include as a top priority. As with every change in administration, we expect there to be impact to the employee benefits landscape. Unique to this administration, however, we can take a back look at …