HR Benecast

Pharmacy benefits are evolving rapidly, and employers need solutions that align with their unique goals and priorities. In the latest episode of Benefits Bites, Mike and Madison discuss how Employers Health is working to meet those needs and expanding its solutions and vendor options, giving plan sponsors more choice and flexibility.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/

Host Mike Stull is joined by Employers Health client solutions team members Travis Johns and Mary Kender to discuss pharmacy benefit strategies plan sponsors should consider heading into 2027. From identifying opportunities for savings to evaluating plan design changes and minimizing disruption for members, they share insights on navigating the options and finding the right approach for each plan.

Have an idea for an upcoming podcast episode? Submit your topic here.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Healthcare Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

In this episode, Mike sits down with Judi Health's senior vice president of national business development, Nick Van Hook, to discuss StarkRx. Together, they cover Judi Rx's role in StarkRx and how this new model solves many employers' greatest pharmacy benefit challenges.

Learn more about StarkRx here.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Healthcare Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

In this episode of Benefits Bites, Mike and Madison unpack the pricing tactics that can make one PBM bid appear more competitive than another, from rebate credits and claim exclusions to specialty drug rebucketing and list management.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/

Mike sits down with CVS Health's Josh Fredell, senior vice president, PBM payor and life science solution, to discuss how one of the most well-known names in the pharmacy industry approaches biosimilars, formulary strategy and clinical management.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Healthcare Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

In this episode of Healthcare Headlines, Mike and Madison cover the FTC's settlement with CVS Caremark. They'll share the good and the bad, how it impacts insulin pricing, what it means for plan sponsors and more.

Check out other podcast episodes at Employee Benefits Podcast | Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health

Host Mike Stull is joined by Lizzi Corll, AVP, benefits at Bath & Body Works, to discuss how her team handles open enrollment for a large, diverse workforce, including strategies for keeping employees engaged, planning and measuring success.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Healthcare Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

Claim adjudication and claim reconciliation are critical — but often misunderstood — components of pharmacy benefit management. In this episode of Benefits Bites, Mike and Madison break down how these processes work, why they matter for plan sponsors and how recent legislative and regulatory changes are reshaping rebate and price guarantee requirements.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/

Mike sits down with Zerigo Health's chief platform officer, Tim Raducha-Grace, to discuss how Zerigo is helping patients achieve clearer skin, improve adherence and reduce reliance on high-cost therapies. Tim shares how one year of Zerigo's treatment can cost less than a single month of many advanced dermatology medications and what that could mean for employers looking to improve outcomes while managing specialty drug spend.

Learn more about Zerigo Health at https://zerigohealth.com/

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Healthcare Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

Mike and Madison discuss TrumpRx's expansion to include more than 600 generic drugs, Optum Rx's latest pharmacy transparency announcement and what potential Federal Trade Commission action against PBMs could mean for plan sponsors.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/

Host Mike Stull sits down with this year's Excellence in Benefits Award winner, Doreen Hull, to discuss her impactful work in employee benefits. After more than a decade as Midwest Public Risk's benefits services director, Hull reflects on the importance of risk pools, evolving benefits strategies and what's ahead in pharmacy care.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Healthcare Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

Drawing from Employers Health's book of business, Jack Sullivan and Hannah Whitesel sit down with host Mike Stull to examine today's key drivers of pharmacy spend, including GLP-1s, biosimilars and autoimmune conditions.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Health Care Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

Cost-plus pricing is gaining traction in pharmacy benefits, but how does it really compare to traditional PBM pricing? Madison and Mike cover drug pricing transparency, cost benchmarks, spread pricing and legislative changes impacting plan sponsors.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/

Recorded live at the 2026 Annual Benefits Forum, hosts Mike and Madison unpack the latest developments in health care legislation, PBM regulation and market trends in this extended episode.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/

Ryan Siemers, founder of Aegis Risk, returns to HR Benecast to discuss the latest trends in medical stop loss insurance and what they mean for employers navigating today's self-funded health plan landscape. In this episode, Ryan breaks down current stop loss market cycles, the high-cost claim drivers impacting employer health plans and the legislative and regulatory developments influencing stop loss coverage.

Access Aegis Risk's Medical Stop Loss Premium Survey at Stop Loss Premium Survey | Aegis Risk.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Health Care Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

In this episode of HR Benecast, host Mike Stull welcomes back Kevin Wenceslao, director of clinical solutions at Employers Health, to discuss how a clinical-first approach strengthens pharmacy plan performance. Kevin explains how the Employers Health clinical team works with clients and PBMs to deliver meaningful clinical insights and strategies.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Health Care Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

Host Mike Stull is joined by ComPsych's manager of clinical programs, Erin Dubba, to tackle seasonal depression and workplace loneliness. Drawing on more than a decade of experience, Erin shares quick, practical insights on spotting warning signs at work and explains why seasonal affective disorder is more than just the winter blues.

Learn more from ComPsych and workplace loneliness in our webinars, Women's Well-Being: Nourish Your Brain, Body and Mind and Loneliness at Work: Urgency and Opportunity.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Health Care Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

Mike and Madison break down the recent dismissal of the Johnson & Johnson ERISA case. They dive into the allegations of prescription drug plan mismanagement, what the ruling means for plan sponsors and how similar lawsuits are shaping the benefits landscape.

Read Madison's recent blog post on the case: ERISA Fiduciary Litigation Update – A Second Johnson & Johnson Dismissal

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/

In the last episode of 2025, host Mike Stull sits down with Employers Health's Madison Connor to discuss the year's biggest pharmacy benefit legislative headlines, cases and court rulings and what they mean for plan sponsors.

Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Health Care Headlines.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.

Join hosts Mike Stull and Madison Connor as they break down the differences between price improvements, cost savings and cost avoidance. They explain how to identify real savings and understand the implications of different pricing models.

Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/

Sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://www.employershealthco.com/#subscribe_cta

Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/articles/