Collecting patient data is essential to the future of medicine. Here are some of the innovations already affecting the industry. Continue Reading >
Patient Data and Healthcare Innovations
Aegis Survey 2020
After more than 25 years in stop-loss, I can say with experience that the stop-loss landscape is constantly evolving. Staying on top of the trends is the key to maximizing your coverage and taking advantage of your best options. One resource I rely on to understand the field is the Aegis Survey. Continue Reading >
Why Would An Employer Choose Self-Funded Insurance?
When it comes to health insurance, choice is a good thing. American employers are spoiled for choice these days, with a variety of insurance arrangements available to even small businesses. But all that choice necessitates making some tough decisions. Before you can get into the nitty-gritty about benefits and co-pays, first you have to make a big decision. Should your company be fully insured and pay premiums to an insurance company, or should you choose self-funded insurance, sidestepping the insurer and paying employees’ claims yourself? Continue Reading >
Preventive Medicine is the Best Medicine
It’s preferable to stop a fire from starting than it is to stop the flames from spreading, or to undo the damage that they cause. Prevention is naturally a primary goal for healthcare providers, who strive to keep patients from becoming sick and/or getting sicker. But self-insured employers benefit from this branch of healthcare too. Though it’s hard to say definitely if preventive medicine will help you dramatically slash costs, embracing prevention has lasting benefits for all involved. Continue Reading >
Setting the Record Straight on Self Funding: Forget These Five Myths
How much do you know about self-funding? For many people, the answer is probably “nothing,” but self-funding should be a familiar concept to anyone involved in their company’s decision-making process around health benefits. Unfortunately, this insurance arrangement isn’t well understood by everyone—and that misunderstanding keeps companies from saving money. Continue Reading >
Understanding Aggregate Stop Loss vs. Specific Stop Loss
Aggregate stop loss and specific stop loss are kind of like rain boots and umbrellas. They work in slightly different ways to address the same problem. You can choose to use both types or just one depending on what kind of protection you need, both using both is the best way to limit your exposure in a storm. Continue Reading >
What Employers with Self-Funded Plans Should Know About High-Value Claims
In a largely unpredictable world, some things are constants. Housing prices and college tuition will rise every year. So will healthcare costs. Each year, more and more Americans incur high-value medical claims in excess of $500,000. For self-insured employers to accurately plan ahead, it’s important to have some idea just how much and how quickly those major claims will rise. Stop Loss Insurance, Inc. has been tracking self-funding trends for our clients for many years. Back in 2014, we broke down data from Highmark, Inc. on high-value claims to help our clients understand the current landscape. Six years later, the numbers have changed but the trends remain the same. Here’s what you need to know. Continue Reading >
COVID-19’s Impact on Self-Insured Employers
Every American business has been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re feeling anxious and uncertain about how this unprecedented experience will affect your business’s healthcare spending, you’re in good company. This is an issue that all self-insured employers are grappling with right now. While there’s still plenty that none of us know about the road ahead, we do already know so much more than we did just last month about how COVID-19 will affect self-insured employers. Continue Reading >
COVID-19 Q&A for Self-Funded Employers
While none of us could have exactly predicted the COVID-19 pandemic, the stop-loss industry is nothing if not prepared for emergencies. We know that a lot of self-funded employers are scrambling right now to figure out what happens next. Stop-loss carriers have mobilized to increase flexibility that allows policyholders to maintain coverage, and to make sure that policyholders have all the resources they need to weather this storm. Here are answers to some of the most common questions we’re hearing right now. Continue Reading >
Health Apps: They’re Everywhere, And They Could Help Self-Funded Employers Control Healthcare Spending
When was the last time you scrolled through the health and fitness apps available on your favorite device? Maybe you’ll check them all out the next time you have, oh, five or six free days in a row. That’s probably about how long it would take you to review the full range of health apps available in your device’s app store. Continue Reading >
