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The Employer Who Stopped Renewing and Started Designing

After nearly two decades in this business, I have seen a lot of client relationships. Most of them follow the same rhythm. Rates come in, options get presented, a decision gets made, and everyone moves on until next year. That model works. It keeps the lights on and the book intact.

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The Ghost Network Problem Hiding in Self-Funded Dental Plans

Funding strategy and plan design dominate the renewal conversation. That makes sense, they are what move the number on a proposal. Dental usually just gets a GeoAccess report and a nod: enough providers within a reasonable radius, treated as good enough.

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Medicaid Work Rules + Employer Health Plans: What to Watch

Medicaid work rules may not sound like an employer-sponsored benefits issue at first. Medicaid is a public program. Employer health plans are private workplace benefits. They operate under different rules, different eligibility standards, and different funding structures. But changes in public coverage can still show up in employer plan conversations.

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Large Group Strategy Is Not Just About Plan Design

Renewal season has a way of narrowing the conversation. Rates come in, deductibles get reviewed, contribution strategy gets debated, and the meeting ends. For many large group clients, that cycle repeats itself year after year without anyone stepping back to ask a more useful question: is the plan actually working?

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There Is a Deadline Coming. Do Your QSEHRA and ICHRA Clients Know?

October 2 is the notice deadline for QSEHRA and ICHRA plans starting January 1, a date most employers miss. The gap risks penalties up to $2,500 per employee and cuts off the special enrollment period the notice triggers, sometimes leaving employees stuck for a full year. There's still time to get it right, but not for long.

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Identifying Bad Actors in the Employee Benefits Market

Wellness plans marketed as instant payroll tax savings, charity care arrangements that shift high-cost employees off a group plan before renewal, and cash-in-lieu payments dressed up as tax-free pay keep surfacing, often backed by persuasive sales materials. Regulators treat most as improper attempts to convert taxable wages into tax-free income, and the exposure lands on the employer.

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The Real Decision Behind Turning 65

More than half of Medicare beneficiaries are on Medicare Advantage, and most people approaching 65 have no idea what they're actually choosing between. Fewer zero-premium plans and shrinking supplemental benefits in 2026 raise the stakes, and the Medigap guaranteed-issue window closes earlier than most people expect.

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The Open Enrollment Story Matters More Than Ever

Most employees are confused about their benefits, and many spend less than 30 minutes deciding on coverage that affects them all year. Better communication closes that gap, and the work starts weeks before enrollment opens. Framing what changed, what stayed the same, and where to get help turns confusion into confidence.

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Your Best Clients Are About to Outgrow You

New data is flipping the PEO pitch on its head. Businesses that partner with a PEO grow twice as fast, fail 50% less often, and see lower turnover, and 87% of businesses without one say they're already interested. The smallest, fastest-growing clients in your book may be the ones most ready for this conversation, if it's framed around where they're headed instead of what's broken.

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Form 5500: Don't Get Caught Off Guard

Some advisors still think Form 5500 is a retirement plan filing, until a client gets a penalty notice for their health and welfare plan. Group health plans with 100+ participants have to file, the deadline (or October 15 with an extension) is closer than it looks, and the DOL's civil penalties climb with no cap. For clients who already missed it, there's still a path forward.

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When Traditional Group Health Stops Making Sense

More clients are showing up to renewal, not asking for a better rate, but questioning the model itself. With family premiums past $27,000 and ACA penalty exposure climbing, MEC and MVP plans paired with worksite benefits are giving brokers a compliant, affordable structure to offer instead, one that often opens the door to employers who never had a viable path to coverage before.

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State PFML Is Expanding. Here’s What to Watch

Paid family and medical leave is becoming a bigger benefits planning issue, especially for multi-state employers. New programs can affect payroll deductions, employer contributions, notices, reporting, private plan decisions, leave administration, and how PFML coordinates with disability, PTO, and other paid leave. Reviewing the details early can help clients prepare before deadlines reach payroll

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Your Book of Business Is Already Telling You Where to Grow

The best growth signals may already be inside the current book. Missed reviews, prior cost concerns, household changes, aging-in opportunities, and plan-fit issues can show where outreach should happen before enrollment season picks up. A stronger book review helps prioritize the right conversations, protect relationships, and find coverage opportunities already connected to clients you serve.

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The Hidden MEWA Risk Employers Need to Understand

When a client asks whether 1099 contractors can join the group health plan, it may sound like a simple eligibility question. It is not. Contractor classification, plan document language, carrier rules, tax treatment, and federal and state requirements all matter. A small exception can create MEWA concerns, reporting obligations, state regulatory exposure, and fiduciary risk

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A Midyear Compliance Check Can Protect the Plan and the Client Relationship

Midyear is the right time to catch compliance gaps before they become bigger plan problems. Required notices, compensation disclosures, leave policies, and Section 125 testing all deserve a closer look. Clear documentation and consistent administration help protect the plan, support the client relationship, and keep employers from relying on memory or exceptions .

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Blog listing

The Employer Who Stopped Renewing and Started Designing

The Ghost Network Problem Hiding in Self-Funded Dental Plans

Medicaid Work Rules + Employer Health Plans: What to Watch

Large Group Strategy Is Not Just About Plan Design

There Is a Deadline Coming. Do Your QSEHRA and ICHRA Clients Know?

Identifying Bad Actors in the Employee Benefits Market

The Real Decision Behind Turning 65

The Open Enrollment Story Matters More Than Ever

Your Best Clients Are About to Outgrow You

Form 5500: Don't Get Caught Off Guard

When Traditional Group Health Stops Making Sense

State PFML Is Expanding. Here’s What to Watch

Your Book of Business Is Already Telling You Where to Grow

The Hidden MEWA Risk Employers Need to Understand

A Midyear Compliance Check Can Protect the Plan and the Client Relationship