"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 MoreWhen BCBSNC tells us they prefer brand name drugs to low-cost generics, we did some fact checking.
Read MoreI’m not a huge fan of SciFi as a genre. Mainly because I don’t identify with the future state that’s controlled by robots and I don’t want to admit that our futures are a grim reality of the outcomes of our current day choices. When I read, “2060” by Dr. Richard Young, it made me realize that I need to grow up, grow a spine, grow a pair…whatever your cliche for “pull up your big girl pants and fix this thing” is. Our healthcare system is going to eat up every possible dollar there is to spend on infrastructure, education, quality of life and more if we don’t do something. Listen to Cristy Gupton and Dr. Young talk about his latest book and pick up a copy right away. You won’t regret this eye-opening glimpse into our futures if we stay still.
Read MoreHospitals in America have become major corporate entities with the power to bankrupt you and your employees. But yet, they claim to be “not-for-profit”. What gives? Well, the devil is in the details and many hospitals have become masters at hiding the details. There’s an ace in your hand though. It’s section 501R of the Internal Revenue Code. Never heard of that? Well, you’re in luck if you’re a subscriber to Healthcare Solutions Podcast. Listen here and learn.
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 MoreWhile there is no law that prohibits employers from mandating flu shots, you should carefully determine if the benefits to your business outweigh the risks. Read the article to determine the best course of action, from incentives to suggestions about policy wording.
Read MoreOpioid addiction is a growing epidemic in the United States, with opioid overdoses killing 91 Americans every day. In 2015 alone, more than 33,000 people died from an opioid overdose. Read on to learn more about opioids and to learn how to recognize the signs of opioid addiction.
Read MoreWith the desperate need to control healthcare costs, employers are eager to have a solution that allows them the advantage of large numbers but the autonomy to create their own destiny. The current constraints and opaque pricing models of the provider-payer relationship as well as “secret” PPO contracts have yielded a healthcare system that is confusing, hard to navigate and, in some situations, bankrupting to healthcare consumers. These days it takes an employee benefits consultant who understands how to think around problems before they ever really become problems.
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