September 2015

Ep #77: Free Market Medicine is Disrupting and Transforming Markets – With Charlie Sauer

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In earlier episodes (see links below) we have spoken with physicians who are taking a very different, and more free-market approach to pricing health care. Their numbers are growing rapidly and while some may think that “free market medicine” is an oxymoron or an impossible dream, a new and growing association is beginning to prove otherwise.

On this episode of ShiftShapers podcast, we’re excited to welcome Charlie Sauer, co-founder and the executive director of the Free Market Medical Association. Their organization is dedicated to promoting transparency and forwarding the ideals and practice of medicine without the intervention of government and other third parties.

We invited Charlie to talk about the transformative nature of free market medicine. We asked Charlie how it can be possible to have free market in medicine in an environment where the government pays more than 50% of health care spend. We discuss the issue of whether consumers would be better off if artificial discount arrangements and multiple third parties were removed from the health care pricing landscape and why Charlie believes that our country is headed in that direction.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Whether the health care in the United States is an economic Oz.
  • How you can promote free market solutions with the government paying more than 50% of health care expenditures.
  • How we can get out of this cycle.
  • Whether the ACA complicated the problem.
  • The tools do consumers need.

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Ep #76: What You Need To Know About Defined Contribution Plans – With Bill Hill

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From fully-insured to self-insured, a great deal of focus is on funding strategies rather than products. In previous episodes of ShiftShapers podcast, we’ve discussed everything from minimum premium to captive arrangements. In this episode Bill Hill, president and CEO of Visor Benefits, helps us take a deep dive into the defined contribution plans and some of the novel ways to deploy them with your prospects and clients.

We invited Bill to share his unique journey and some interesting things he has learned along the way about defined contribution and what role it plays in his practice today.  We explore the changes ACA has made in the design and deployment of this arrangement. We also talk about how geographic and specific market variations and needs influence plan offerings. Learn some of the insider tips you need to be aware of to best serve your clients when discussing defined contribution plans with employers.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The regional differences of two companies Bill worked with.
  • How Alaska factored in.
  • Whether smaller groups should eliminate group coverage.
  • Whether advisors should lead employer conversations with plan design or concept.
  • Whether these approaches work in self-insured plans.

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Ep #75: Renewed Interest in On-Site and Near-Site Clinics – With Karen Hjerleid

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Increases in personal responsibility, a need to control employer costs and a desire to improve the health of employee populations are renewing an interest in the area of on-site and near-site clinics. Karen Hjerleid, the Vice-President of National Business Development at Paladina Health shares her knowledge of the area and offers insight into an old concept that may make sense for an ever-increasing number of employers.

Karen joins us to talk about how the ACA has increased populations seeking care from smaller networks and overburdened providers. Those characteristics can often result in employees not receiving care when they need it.  Coupled with deferred care due to ever-larger out of pocket amounts, Karen believes a new model of the old clinic structure can offer answers to these and other system-related problems.

We explore the different types of arrangements and how advisors can best position them with their prospects and clients. We ask Karen about the reasons that traditional carriers have not warmed to this option are beginning to come around now that the interexchange of data has become more robust and real-time.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • The perverse incentives in the system.
  • What drives the interest in employer-sponsored clinics.
  • Whether the group size matters.
  • What the medical home is and why it is important.
  • Whether there is a robust data exchange between clinics and carriers within those clinics.

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  • www.PaladinaHealth.com
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Ep #74: New Opportunities in Previously Uninsured Group Markets – With Bob Gardner

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More so today than at any time in the past, benefit advisors are looking for new markets to serve. In this episode, we discuss some non-traditional markets that may be new to many of our listeners and we discuss the techniques that resonate in those markets. There’s no better person to talk about this topic than our guest, Bob Gardner, the National  Business Development Coordinator of Freedom Care Benefits.

We invited Bob to talk about the new opportunities and imperatives in previously uninsured group markets and what advisors need to know to be able to capitalize on those opportunities. In this conversation, we define these traditionally uninsured market segments and discuss the reasons why advisors should consider serving them. Don’t miss this important episode that will surely open your eyes to some new and interesting possibilities.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • What these traditionally uninsured markets are.
  • What has made them a new priority.
  • Interesting ways to solve problems while mitigating costs.
  • Whether traditional group carriers participate in these markets.
  • What the advisor/client conversation looks like.

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