For a startup to last beyond a few years, all the stars have to align. The business has to have a great product and a way to reach its customers. There has to be a place for that product in the market. Investors have to be willing to fund the business until it starts earning profits, which may take years. A successful startup also needs a team of skilled employees who are engaged in the work and committed to building something that lasts. Providing high-quality health insurance is one way a growing startup can attain and retain top talent. Self funding and stop loss coverage are two tools that can make that goal achievable. Continue Reading >

Collecting patient data is essential to the future of medicine. Here are some of the innovations already affecting the industry. Continue Reading >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >

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 >