Benefits Sales Strategies

The transition to self-funded health plans represents a strategic opportunity for employers to empower their workforce with tailored, high-quality benefits.

Fewer than 3 in 10 employers have an AI governance policy, even as AI becomes embedded in hiring, development and performance analytics.

2026 will reward employers, brokers, and vendors that embrace flexibility, transparency, and consumer-driven benefits design — and those that help employees make smarter financial decisions in an increasingly complex health care landscape.

"If health insurance premiums rise faster than wages and general inflation, small employers are likely to face intensified financial strain, which could accelerate the erosion of health plan sponsorship among firms with fewer than 100 workers," said Paul Fronstin, Ph.D., director of health benefits research for the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

The lawsuits will keep making headlines. Premiums will keep rising. Leadership will continue asking harder questions. But, the organizations best prepared for that future aren’t the ones that check the box.

CenterWell Pharmacy, a specialty and home delivery pharmacy, will dispense obesity management medications from Eli Lilly & Co. as part of a new employer-focused program overseen by independent third-party administrators.