Employer-Paid

It's key to focus on carriers through the same lens as your clients to ensure you create the best match.

Insure.com surveyed more than 1,500 consumers about their health insurance, asking them to grade their providers on customer satisfaction, ease of service and policy offerings.

"ICHRAs allow employers to offer a spendable allowance to employees to shop for individual health insurance from the entire marketplace of options," says Annie Bushey, client executive at Holmes Murphy & Associates.

Starting in 2026, a proposed CMS rule would require plans to respond to a standard request within seven days, typically, instead of the current 14, and within 72 hours for urgent requests.

Also, level funding is a midway approach for employers ready to move away from a fully insured plan while keeping the consistency and predictability that came with it.

Eli Lilly's announcement that it is capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month also casts light on pharmacy benefit managers at a time when Congress has shifted its focus on them.