"A couple of acronyms like DEI and SDOH in work culture get tossed around thoughtlessly. I've said for a while that we're all equally getting mistreated by the healthcare industrial complex. But, I think I'm wrong about that. I think the most vulnerable in the workforce are worse off than we think." -- Cristy Gupton
Read MoreA simple cup of hot tea. What can it do for you? It could compete with a soon to be trillion-dollar industry. GLP-1s or “semaglutide” as some call it, has taken the US by storm and will make its way across first-world countries soon enough. Its makers are already making billions per year in the US. It won’t be long before billions become trillions. Read on for more.
Read MoreSpoiler alert. Intermittent fasting and consistent exercise will give you the same results but with better health as an ultimate outcome...not worse health because of a drug your body didn't really need. This week’s article in BenefitsPro about the 10K patients who are suing the makers of the GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy was inevitable.
Read MoreHealthcare is consistently the #2 or #3 highest expense on an employer’s balance sheet. There’s no denying that you’re in the healthcare business even if you don’t think you are. That’s why it’s important to view your organization’s healthcare spend as every other high-cost expenditure you have and manage it accordingly. After all, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) require you to pay close attention to it. Step one? Listen to this podcast with Cristy Gupton and Kari Niblack as they give you food for thought regarding your employee health plan.
Read MoreMoose Pharmacy, a local, independent, community pharmacy in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC recently won a national award for having one of the 50 best health plans in America. After a competitive vetting process, the pharmacy’s employee health plan stood tall up against employers who were hundreds of times larger than them. Moose Pharmacy and Cristy Gupton of Custom Benefits Solutions started working together 3 years ago to improve healthcare and lower costs for employees and their families.
Read MoreRecently, the NC General Assembly voted to approve a bill that would allow the state’s largest healthcare services organization (notice I didn’t say “health insurance company”) to continue its vertical integration scheme while using policyholder contributions and taxpayer dollars to fund their expansion. What employers should be upset about with that is the favoritism those lawmakers are showing to BCBSNC. Did those same legislators pass a bill in your favor that would help your company grow? Nope. The message here is that there’s more than one health insurance option in this country and it doesn’t have to bear the logos of Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna or Aetna. Give another option a close look. You’ll probably find a partner more aligned with your interests than you realize.
Read MoreCustom Benefits Solutions hosts free webinar aimed at helping employers a they bring employees back to work after quarantine.
Read MoreGupton’s work on the opioid crisis continues to get attention. October 9th, Employee Benefit Advisor Magazine published an article on Gupton’s motivators, statistics, current pushes, and ideas on how an employee benefit consultant can impact the opioid crisis.
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