HR Benecast

On this episode of HR Benecast, host Mike Stull is joined by CVS Health's senior vice president of government and public affairs, Melissa Schulman. She discusses the complexities of the legislative process, key proposals that may resurface and the impact of state legislation on federal actions. She also addresses common misconceptions about PBMs and emphasizes the importance of employer advocacy i...

In the latest episode of HR Benecast host Mike Stull and Brandee Bell , senior benefits specialist at Designer Brands, discuss the importance of a clear, engaging and effective year-round benefits communication strategy. She shares insights on engaging employees using creative techniques and measuring results. She also provides real examples her team has used to improve open enrollment through eff...

Ever wonder how a drug gets approved? In this episode, HR Benecast host  Mike Stull and Clinical Advisor Alexis Sova walk through the FDA approval process. They discuss the complexities of bringing new medications to market, the importance of efficacy and safety in drug trials and how to keep plan costs down as new drugs are launched. Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on dem...

It's annual review season at Employers Health — when clients meet with our team to hear how their pharmacy benefit plan is performing, what they should watch for in the future and plan changes to consider to reduce or minimize future pharmacy benefit costs. In the episode, we sit down with  Devon Feriance and Tori Sinclair to hear the main themes they're seeing in these reviews, how employers are...

When it comes to pharmacy benefits, no topics make headlines like GLP-1s and weight loss programs. On this episode of HR Benecast,  Dr. Lia Rodriguez and Erin Bacon from CVS Health share what makes a clinical weight loss program really work. Listen to hear the latest obesity stats, obesity's link to other chronic conditions, the importance of lifestyle changes and more. 

Biosimilars have been around for nearly a decade, but with Humira's list price of around $7,000, biosimilars for the drug are making an incredible splash in the pharmacy industry. With several biosimilars already launched in 2025 and more in the pipeline, many plan sponsors are wondering how to navigate the integration of these products into their pharmacy benefit strategies.   In this episode, Em...

Our host, Mike Stull , talks with Employers Health's Senior Vice President, Regulatory Compliance and External Affairs Madison Connor as she covers the latest state and federal employee benefits and PBM legislation under the new presidential administration. Together, they'll cover proposed bills affecting anti-steering legislation including mail vs. retail, preferred pharmacy networks and more. Th...

Cell and gene therapies (CGT) are widely considered a triumph of scientific innovation, focusing on providing cures for diseases rather than treatments. By 2030, it's predicted that over 100,000 U.S. patients will utilize some form of CGT. While CGTs are revolutionary, these therapies come with a giant price tag, leaving many employers wondering how they'll afford potential CGT use for their popul...

In this episode of HR Benecast, Mike Stull and Eric Dublikar cover your pharmacy and employee benefits questions including:   What's new in federal and state pharmacy benefit legislation. How Employers Health is working to help clients manage changes to their PBM plans.  What the switch to biosimilars for Humira and Stelara means for plan sponsors. What impact GLP-1s are having on employer drug sp...

This episode features Employers Health Chief Operating Officer, Zach Hostetler . He joins our Chief Sales Officer, Mike Stull to discuss pharmacy benefit rebate credits and why they exist. They'll cover how rebate credits are calculated, how long we can expect rebate credits to be around, how Employers Health is working to validate the value of the rebate credits and more. 

In this episode, we're joined by Madison Connor, senior vice president of regulatory compliance and external affairs at Employers Health. She will share the latest in state and federal PBM legislation. Hear who's behind many of the recent PBM legislative initiatives, how PBMs like CVS and Optum Rx plan to handle these newly-proposed state laws and discover how employers can prepare for these new r...

Hear from employee benefits and compensation lawyer Jeff Zimon as he covers why fiduciary obligations are making headlines and what the Johnson & Johnson lawsuit means for plan sponsors. He discusses steps employers can take to ensure they are fulfilling their fiduciary duties, the importance of summary plan descriptions (SPDs) and the need for proper pharmacy benefit documentation. 

The first 2024 episode of HR Benecast features  Courtney Keefe , Employers Health's resident GLP-1 expert. She'll share utilization, discontinuation and coverage trends for GLP-1s and anti-obesity drugs. Listeners will hear the latest on anti-obesity drug coverage under the pharmacy benefit, new drugs in the pipeline and how the big PBM's are managing drugs like Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. 

On our last episode of 2023, we sit down with Ryan Siemers, founder and principal at Aegis Risk to cover all the intricacies of stop loss. As the costs of catastrophic claims continue to grow, reinsurance protection and medical stop loss are more important than ever. Listen to hear how costly gene therapies are impacting deductibles, potential health care industry changes could drive prices even h...

In this episode of HR Benecast, we're joined by Travis Baughn, vice president of clinical solutions at Optum Rx. Listen to hear how pharmacogenetics works and its importance for employers. He'll share what plan participants need to know, and how it can be used to reduce medical waste and long and complex medication journeys.  For additional resources on pharmacogenomics, please visit cpicpgx.org a...

Nearly half of working Americans have obesity, raising the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Hear from George Huntley, founding member and CEO of the Diabetes Leadership Council , about the importance of addressing obesity and the role it plays in employee retention. He'll share successful treatment options and the direct and indirect benefits for plan sponsors and their participa...

On the latest episode of HR Benecast we're joined by George Huntley, founding member and CEO of the Diabetes Leadership Council. He shares how plan sponsors can develop a benefits strategy to help employees with diabetes and other chronic conditions, advice for PBM contract negotiations, the latest in PBM legislation and more. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.; nearly half the adults in our country have high blood pressure, putting them at risk for heart disease and stroke. April is hypertension awareness month, so we sat down with Jenn Roberts of Hello Heart to discuss how employers can reduce heart-disease-related costs while supporting their employees' heart health. Together, Jenn and our host, ...

In our first episode of 2023 we answer your employee benefits and pharmacy benefit questions. Listen as we cover: The latest on rising insulin prices, What the launch of a Humira biosimilar means for payors and plan sponsors, How employers can combat exorbitant carve-out fees charged by some medical providers, The future of rebates, What employers can do to protect their pharmacy plan against the...

Hear from Employers Health's Vice President of Clinical Solutions, Matt Harman , as he shares the clinical team's learnings at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus conference, what the team's growth means for Employers Health clients, upcoming clinical strategies for self-insured employers and more. 

On this episode of HR Benecast we hear from George Huntley founding member and CEO of the Diabetes Leadership Council. Listen to hear how the Diabetes Leadership Council works to reduce overall spend for employers and those living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Hear from 2021 Excellence in Benefits Award Winner Chris vanNatta, manager of human resources and global benefits at The Timken Company. He shares the importance of relationships, responsiveness and passion when working in benefits and manufacturing. Hear his tips for success in benefits.  The Excellence in Benefits Award, presented annually by Employers Health, seeks to recognize an individual wh...

In this episode, we're joined by Brian Beran, vice president of channel partner sales, at  AccessHope , a company that offers cancer support services as an employee benefit to employers and their health care affiliates. Hear how AccessHope connects members and their treating oncologists to the renowned expertise of National Cancer Institute (NCI)–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. AccessHope...

Hear from Senior Vice President of Client Solutions, Zach Hostetler as he shares how the Employers Health client solutions team has grown, what that growth means for clients and what the team is doing to help employers tackle rising health care and pharmacy benefit costs.

In this new feature, we ask our host and Chief Strategy Officer, Mike Stull, some of the pharmacy and other benefits-related questions we hear frequently from our listeners. Listen in for his insights on rebate chasing, the middle man's impact on PBM, copay accumulator programs, what ongoing market consolidation means for employers and much more!