Benefits Breakdown

Vanessa, Jared, and Adam are joined by Katie Wendorff, Brown & Brown Advanced Contracting Strategies Practice Leader, to break down one of the fastest growing areas in employer healthcare strategy. The discussion focuses on how advanced contracting models are helping employers improve access, elevate outcomes, and reduce total cost of care.  The team explores key shifts in the market, includin...

In this episode of The   Benefits Breakdown, the team is joined by Jessie Campbell, National Practice Leader for Brown & Brown’s Regulatory and Legislative Strategy Group, to break down the growing fiduciary and compliance challenges facing employers. Jessie explains how standards once focused on retirement plans are now being applied to health and welfare benefits, increasing expectations aro...

In this episode of the Benefits Breakdown podcast, the team explores women’s health across the full lifespan, moving beyond family building to address heart health, mental health, menopause, chronic conditions, and health disparities. Ashley Diaz shares data‑driven insights showing why women’s heart health, access to preventive care, and navigation support are critical issues for employers, partic...

Benefits Breakdown is joined by Brown & Brown teammates Gina Julian, Amy Suss, and Lindsey Ladell for a candid conversation on women’s health with a focus on menopause and perimenopause in the workplace. Together, they explore why menopause is a guaranteed life stage employers can no longer ignore, how symptoms impact health, productivity and retention, and why updated science has reshaped the...

In this episode, the team welcomes Matt Johnson, leader of Brown & Brown’s Stop Loss practice, for a practical conversation on stop loss fundamentals and the realities of managing catastrophic claim risk in today’s market. Matt breaks down specific versus aggregate stop loss, explains leverage trend, and shares why seven-figure claims are becoming more common, driven by specialty pharmacy, onc...

Benefits Breakdown is joined by Mike Reardon who leads the data and analytics team at Brown & Brown. Together, we explore why every employer needs a data strategy, how modern analytics move us from looking backward to predicting what is next, and how smarter use of data directly improves the employee experience while controlling cost. From trend management to point solution ROI to real world e...

In this episode, Vanessa Longnecker, Jared Bowcutt, and Adam Compton welcome Powell Brown, CEO of Brown & Brown for a candid conversation about the evolving landscape of employee benefits, the impact of rapid growth and the role of AI in shaping the future. Powell shares insights on maintaining culture through expansion, the importance of trust and respect, and how technology can empower teams...

The team welcomes Mark Abate and John Greenbaum from Brown & Brown’s retail leadership team. Together, they dive into the realities of rising healthcare costs, the challenges of affordability for employees and the evolving landscape of benefit strategies. The conversation explores how prescription drug trends, legislative changes, and rate pressures are shaping employer decisions, and why inno...

The team is joined by Ellen Kelsay, President & CEO of the Business Group on Health.  The discussion highlights how leading employers are responding to rising healthcare costs, global pressures, and evolving employee needs. The team explores trends in physical health, mental health and financial health . They also dive into social connectedness, community involvement, and the growing use of da...

In this episode of Benefits Breakdown, the team is joined by Josh Halperin, Senior Vice President of Pharmacy Consulting Services at Brown & Brown. Together, they explore the rapidly changing pharmacy landscape—how the surge in specialty drug approvals, the rise of GLP-1 medications, and shifting oncology treatments are reshaping employer health plans. The conversation unpacks the financial im...

In this episode of The Benefits Breakdown , Sean Clem and Steve Piccolino from the Brown & Brown Benefits Technology team join us to explore the rapidly evolving world of benefits technology. From the integration of AI in administration to the critical role of employee engagement, they unpack how strategic tech investments are reshaping the employee experience.   The conversation dives into em...

In this episode of Benefits Breakdown, the team is joined by Rachel Jensen from the Population Health and Well-Being team at Brown & Brown. Together, they explore the concept of "friends as medicine" and how social connection, belonging and workplace culture directly impact employee health, retention and productivity. The conversation explores the latest trends in lifestyle medicine, including...

Vanessa, Jared and Adam discuss the challenges and innovations shaping employee benefits during open enrollment season. With healthcare costs rising at record rates—often 10% or more—employers are exploring new funding models, direct-to-consumer pharmacy options and Centers of Excellence (COEs) to improve outcomes and control spend.   The team highlights the importance of ongoing communication, da...

Today on the Benefits Breakdown, Vanessa Longnecker, Jared Bowcutt and Adam Compton are joined by Meghan Pistritto and Dr. Wendy Coduti from Prudential to unpack the findings of the “2025 Benefits and Beyond” study. The conversation explores the growing intersection of financial stress, mental health, and employee well-being—and how employers can better support their teams.  The episode highlights...

In this episode of Benefits Breakdown , Adam Compton, Jared Bowcutt, and guests Leyla Bilge, Casey Cullinan, and Paul Berryman explore the evolving landscape of digital wellness and its critical role in employee well-being and organizational resilience.  From the rise of AI-driven scams to the emotional toll of identity theft, the panel discusses how employers can proactively support their workfor...

In this insightful follow-up episode, Adam and Jared are joined by Chelsea Hamilton and Sam Thomeier from herronpalmer to explore the evolving landscape of total rewards, pay transparency and the role of AI in enhancing employee experience. From digital delivery to hyper-personalization, the team discusses how employers can build trust through thoughtful communication, empathy and transparency.  ...

Vanessa and Adam are joined by compensation specialists Sam Thomeier and Chelsea Hamilton to explore the evolution of pay transparency and its growing impact on workplace culture and business strategy. Together, they unpack how regulations across 20+ states reflect a broader cultural shift toward openness and fairness in compensation. The conversation highlights key strategies such as the importan...

Vanessa, Adam & the team are joined by Tricia Laursen, President & Executive Director, and Sandy Danault, Senior Director of Programs & Partnerships at DetectTogether, for a powerful conversation on the critical role of early cancer detection and the evolving healthcare landscape.  The discussion explores how employers can play a pivotal role in fostering a culture of health literacy a...

Vanessa, Jared & Adam are joined by Tammy Miller, Executive VP of Auditing at Brown & Brown. Tammy breaks down the essentials of healthcare and pharmacy audits—why they matter, how they’re conducted and what employers often overlook. The team explores audit triggers, common findings like duplicate claims and misapplied copays and the growing importance of fiduciary responsibility. They als...

The team welcomes Melanie Payton, National Practice Leader for the Brown & Brown Absence team. In this insightful podcast episode, we delve into the current state of the market, highlighting the significant impact of absence costs, which now surpass medical expenses, and the evolving regulatory climate driven by generational shifts in employee expectations. We explore the complexities of Paid...

Vanessa, Jared & Adam are joined by Julie Turpin, Chief People Officer of Brown & Brown to discuss the latest trends in People Analytics and how they are shaping the future of HR. Julie highlights the importance of collecting, analyzing and applying data related to employees to improve business outcomes. This enables HR departments to gain data-driven insights for decision-making on variou...

Vanessa, Jared & Adam are joined by Katy Wong, National Pharmacy Leader for Brown & Brown, to discuss the latest trends in transformative therapies and pharmacy benefit management (PBM). Katy highlights how GLP-1s, specialty drugs and gene therapies will continue to drive up costs and how biosimilars are expected to help offset these expenses to health plans. The team dives into the challe...

Vanessa, Jared & Adam highlight the latest trends impacting employers, such as rising healthcare expenses and the importance of personalized benefits. The team delves into the primary elements driving employer costs, including increased utilization of services. They further explore the significant role of large claimants—individuals with high-cost medical claims—and the importance of stop-loss...

Vanessa, Jared & Adam are joined by Josh Halperin from the Brown & Brown National Pharmacy Practice. Josh highlights the latest trends impacting employers, such as rising drug prices and the importance of transparency in PBM contracts. The team dives further into GLP-1 medications, their uses and employee demands, while also discussing the challenges and opportunities of incorporating bios...

Vanessa, Jared and Adam are joined by Julie Fernandez, Global HR Advisory Lead at herronpalmer, to examine current trends in the HR technology landscape. The team dives into what artificial intelligence can mean for HR and how intelligent automation can help organizations. Julie provides insight into how organizations can refocus their onboarding strategies to help employees feel engaged throughou...