For employers, the agreement could mean that coverage from the Blues will be cheaper but more complicated.

By educating plan members about self-funding, their self-funded status, and how it impacts them, health care costs are better controlled. 

Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling wrote in a LinkedIn post that the U.S. Department of Labor has released a report that “outlines how America will build the skilled workforce to drive a new era of economic prosperity.”

The good news? More than half of employers plan to expand caregiver benefits within the next three years.