If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my decades covering the insurance and health care industries, it’s that it never pays to get comfortable. Every day, new challenges and opportunities arise, requiring constant reevaluation and flexibility. But while this ever-shifting landscape is good news for those of us who work to report and analyze the latest key news stories and trends in these spaces, it certainly makes for a tough environment for those of you who work in them every day.
Over the years, frequent and dramatic upheavals have become increasingly common in our industry, and have taken a severe toll on those who aren’t able (or willing) to adapt quickly and constantly. But for those who strive to remain on the cutting edge, turmoil and disruption often provide the perfect opportunity to create true change and set yourself apart.
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In this new column, I plan to focus on some of the trends and movements that are reshaping American health care and the employee benefits landscape, while also highlighting the people who are in the trenches every day, working to make a very flawed system a little better.
In recent years, health care and employee benefits have become regular features in national headlines due, in part, to ever-rising costs and ever-declining care. Meanwhile, innovators and pot-stirrers within the industry — along with a growing number of outside disruptors — are taking aim at the broken system and trying to eliminate many of the very issues that were recently dragged into the spotlight in the aftermath of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder. These are the trouble areas and pain points that will be my key focus as the ripples (tidal waves?) continue to spread.
Like the rest of the world, I’ll also be closely watching the ongoing impacts of the new administration in 2025 and beyond. Industry experts expect major policy shifts that will likely result in an outbreak of legal battles and regulatory upheaval impacting advisors, employers, HR professionals, PBMs and many others in the benefits industry. Meanwhile, President Trump’s spate of controversial health appointments are expected to create a “sea change” in the health care field — for better or worse is yet to be determined.
While the long-term impacts of all of this upheaval remain to be seen, benefits advisors and others in the industry have long embraced change and turmoil, using it as a catalyst and motivation for fixing what many view as a broken — or rigged — environment that is ripe for change. I look forward to delving into the innovation, disruption and boundary-pushing that is taking place in our industry in 2025 and beyond.
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Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson is the editor-in-chief of BenefitsPRO Magazine and BenefitsPRO.com. He has covered the insurance industry for more than a decade, including stints at Retirement Advisor Magazine and ProducersWeb.
