The Via Benefits Exchange

This episode features an edited recording of our CMS Final Notice webinar, offering timely insights into 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D changes. Hear from Via Benefits experts as they break down MA payment updates, funding pressures, and evolving plan design strategies. Learn how CMS policies, Inflation Reduction Act provisions, and rising healthcare costs are shaping both group and individual...

In this episode of The Via Benefits Exchange, Nina Krammer sits down with Josh Miley, ICHRA Solution Leader at Via Benefits, to break down what an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) is and why employer interest is accelerating. Josh explains how ICHRA enables a defined contribution approach to healthcare, giving employees more choice while helping employers manage costs a...

Public sector employers are facing growing retiree healthcare liabilities as OPEB obligations approach a trillion dollars nationwide. In this episode of The Via Benefits Exchange , experts explore why rising healthcare costs, longer lifespans, and unfunded retiree benefits are putting pressure on public budgets and financial statements. The conversation examines how shifting from traditional group...

In this episode of The Via Benefits Exchange , host Nina Krammer joins WTW experts Margaret Rutter, Meghan Scott, and Eric Stanger to discuss how higher education institutions are approaching retiree healthcare through the individual marketplace. They explain why colleges and universities are moving away from traditional group retiree medical plans to control rising costs, reduce administrative bu...

We're sharing an important update with our listeners: Eye on 65 is now The Via Benefits Exchange . While the name and podcast artwork are changing, our mission, and our content, remain the same. This new name better reflects the broader conversations we're having across the benefits landscape, from Medicare and retirement benefits to health benefits and employee benefits that matter at every stage...

Seasoned retiree medical expert Barry Carleton decodes the latest views on the upcoming changes to Medicare Part D under the Inflation Reduction Act. We explore how these significant changes will impact Medicare-eligible retirees and organizations sponsoring post-65 retiree medical coverage in the coming years.

Senior Director of Employee Spending Accounts, Sara Taylor shares insights on what benefit professionals should know when evaluating different types of accounts and how these accounts support employees from hire to retire.

Retiree Ken Mengel shares insights on taking early retirement, transitioning to Via Benefits when he became Medicare-eligible, his health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) and choosing a plan on the individual marketplace.

Retiree Sal Trentacoste shares his insights on drug coverage, what he looks for in retiree medical benefits and his mentality for overcoming obstacles in retirement.

Retiree Randy Mayberry shares his opinion on group Medicare versus individual Medicare and what transitioning to an individual marketplace was like for him.

In the newest episode of Eye on 65, retiree Susan Morey shares her experiences in selecting drug coverage, choosing a medical plan and the overall enrollment process into both drug and medical plans.

In the latest episode of Eye on 65, retiree Robert Hoey shares his experience transitioning from a group plan to Medicare, what he looks for in a retirement plan and the benefits he found with his Health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

Kicking off season 2 of Eye on 65, retiree David Sauter provides insights on transitioning into an individual marketplace as an early retiree, annual enrollment, and adapting to change in retirement.

Third time's a charm. Marianne celebrates her retirement in this episode of Eye on 65.

Marianne and Nina discuss what happens when someone turns 65 years old in the United States.

Helping you break down the HELPS law. What public safety retirees need to know.

Discussion about how the IRA, with a new law from Congress in place, makes for significant savings for today's retirees.

Host Marianne Steger and Chief Actuary Trevis Parson discuss what Other Post-Employment Benefits (aka OPEB) liabilities are and what plan sponsors can do to reduce them.

The true story of five retirees, picked to share their Via Benefits experiences.

Drug coverage affordability really does exist in the individual Medicare marketplace!

Understand the differences between group Medicare and individual Medicare plans and which plans are best for retirees.

Many workers retire before they are Medicare-eligible. Providing retiree health care coverage for them is quite challenging and expensive. Host Marianne Steger explains how the recent changes to the ACA made by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), have made health care for Pre-Medicare retirees accessible and more affordable.

A, B, C, D. Confused by the Medicare alphabet soup? Listen in as John Barkett and Marianne Steger sort through the ABCs of Medicare in this latest episode. 

In this episode, retiree Donna Adassa shares her experience transitioning from a retiree group health plan to a Medicare marketplace and provides insights on why she prefers the Medicare marketplace.

The City of Memphis was facing $1.3 billion in unfunded OPEB liabilities and needed a solution. Our guest, Chief Financial Officer Shirley Ford, shares how she helped the city and its retirees find a win-win solution using the Individual Medicare Marketplace.