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Learn about new trends, developments, and other topics of interest in the employee and pharmacy benefits worlds. During our monthly podcasts we'll answer your most frequently asked human resources and benefits questions.
64 Episodes
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Host Mike Stull is joined by ComPsych's manager of clinical programs, Erin Dubba, to tackle seasonal depression and workplace loneliness. Drawing on more than a decade of experience, Erin shares quick, practical insights on spotting warning signs at work and explains why seasonal affective disorder is more than just the winter blues. Learn more from ComPsych and workplace loneliness in our webinars, Women's Well-Being: Nourish Your Brain, Body and Mind and Loneliness at Work: Urgency and Opportunity. Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Health Care Headlines. Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter here. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
In the last episode of 2025, host Mike Stull sits down with Employers Health's Madison Connor to discuss the year's biggest pharmacy benefit legislative headlines, cases and court rulings and what they mean for plan sponsors. Watch or listen to Benefits Bites and Health Care Headlines. Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter here. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
Host Mike Stull is joined by MedImpact's Aprit Patel and Zach Johnson to discuss how this independent PBM is reshaping the landscape. They delve into MedImpact's history, unique approach to drug pricing and new GLP-1 and biosimilar offerings available for MedImpact clients. Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter here. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
Host Mike Stull sits down with Mandy Rhubin, senior director, pharmacy network audit at Optum Rx, to tackle one of health care's most costly challenges: fraud, waste and abuse (FWA). Mandy breaks down what FWA really means, shares real-world examples and dives into why plan sponsors play such a critical role in spotting and preventing it. Watch or listen to Benefits Bites Episode 1 – PBM 101: Big Players, Mid-Market Movers and Industry Disruptors Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter here. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
Host Mike Stull discusses midyear pharmacy trends with guests Kevin Wenceslao and Jack Sullivan from Employers Health. They tackle significant trends in drug spending, the impact of PBM decisions and clinical management strategies to control costs. Watch or listen to Benefits Bites Episode 1 – PBM 101: Big Players, Mid-Market Movers and Industry Disruptors Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter here. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
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 in shaping drug pricing policies. This episode was recorded on July 30, 2025. Some legislative developments may have changed since the time of recording. Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter here. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
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 effective communication. Register for upcoming Employers Health webinars or watch on demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter here. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
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 demand at Events - Employers Health. Sign up for our monthly newsletter at Employers Health. Find additional helpful benefits strategies and resources at Articles | Employers Health.
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 dealing with the onslaught of legislative changes and, of course, GLP-1s and benefits trends for 2026.
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, Employers Health's Mike Stull chats with Jeff Casberg, head of clinical pharmacy at IPD Analytics to discuss all things biosimilars, including how biosimilar launch dates and pricing are determined, cost savings associated with these products, the importance of biosimilar formulary positioning and more. Want to hear more from Jeff? Join us at the Annual Benefits Forum April 22-23 in Columbus, Ohio, where he'll present "The Impact of New Drugs and Therapies on PBM Spend."
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. They'll discuss how Rutledge vs. PCMA affects state pharmacy reimbursement laws, ERISA preemption and more. Finally, hear how the rule-making process under a new president could affect your benefit plans.
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 population. In this episode, Employers Health's Mike Stull is joined by Drew Wilkins, managing director at Deloitte Consulting to discuss the major costs associated with CGTs, how companies can manage this costly class and how employers can prepare for its surge in the future.
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 spend? Trends in GLP-1 coverage for weight loss.
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 requirements.
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 higher and more. To learn more about the Aegis Risk Medical Stop Loss Premium Survey visit https://www.aegisrisk.com/copy-of-stop-loss-premium-survey-header and to register to hear Ryan Siemers presentation on Medical Stop Loss & Risk Strategies for Catastrophic Claimants please visit https://www.employershealthco.com/resource-center/events/abf24/.
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 and pharmgkb.org.
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