Commentary

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

To maximize the benefits of each class of drugs, this requires thoughtful plan design and careful monitoring to turn potential savings into actual benefits.

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.

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.

To counter potential misinformation, financial services firms need to meet people where they are, Storyful's Tara Naughton says.

Because open enrollment that “works” at the expense of HR capacity comes with a cost. And recognizing that cost is the first step toward building a benefits administration approach that’s not only effective, but sustainable.