The Broker Innovation Lab celebrates brokers and other benefits stakeholders who have embraced the changing marketplace to position themselves and their business for future success
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
Out-of-pocket spending is rising faster than wages and inflation, driven in large part by a 65% increase in high-deductible health plan enrollment over the past decade.
Kristine Scheer is a transformational force in benefits, replacing the industry's 'status quo' with a fiduciary-first approach that balances sophisticated data transparency with a deeply human-centered mission.
"Health care has reclaimed its position as Americans' foremost domestic concern, returning to the top tier after several years when economic matters commanded more attention," according to Gallup.
The in-network denial rate ranged from 3% to 36%, with significant variation by insurer and state. Three percent of reporting insurers had in-network denial rates of 30% or higher in 2024, a decrease from 17% in 2023.
"Consolidation may allow providers to operate more efficiently and help struggling providers keep their doors open in underserved areas, but it often reduces competition," a new KFF report said.
New York-Presbyterian Hospital uses anticompetitive contract restrictions that deny New Yorkers the choice of lower-cost health care options, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice Department alleged in a lawsuit filed on Thursday.
"People report using AI for health information in various ways but most commonly to look for general information about health conditions or symptoms," according to the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust.