Margin of Care

Fertility and family-building benefits are changing fast, and they now reach far beyond pregnancy. In this episode, Kirk sits down with Dr. Asima Ahmad, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Carrot Fertility, to unpack what “high-quality care” really means across fertility, male factor support, perimenopause and menopause, and more. They dig into how employers can reduce friction, improve outcomes, and protect ROI by pairing people with the right providers, offering wraparound clinical and emotional support, and building a comprehensive experience that drives real engagement.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at garnerhealth.com

Being a healthcare consultant has never been harder. Rising costs, private equity pressure, fragmented point solutions, and constant scrutiny from CFOs and executives have changed what clients expect from their advisors.

In this live panel recorded at a recent event, seasoned consultants Chris Merrill (IMA), Rico Bocala (USI), and Scott Wood (Benefit Commerce Group, an Alera Group company) share hard-won lessons on managing trend conversations, navigating tough client moments, and maintaining trust when the answers aren’t easy. From telling clients what they need to hear (not what they want to hear) to narrowing bloated solution menus and proving ROI in a high-pressure environment, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to stay relevant as a benefits advisor today.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

Employers are being forced to make harder benefits decisions than ever before. Rising costs, high turnover, and uneven access to care have turned benefits strategy into a series of real trade-offs, not theoretical ones.

Recorded live at Garner’s Strategic Advisors Summit in Park City, this episode of Margin of Care features Steven Reszczynski, VP of Benefits at Global Medical Response, and Courtney Rodriquez, SVP of People Success and Enablement at MarketStar. Together, they share how they are rebuilding benefits strategies in the wake of COVID while balancing employee experience, financial sustainability, and trust.

The conversation covers how mental health has become a core cost driver, when narrow networks work and when they break down, why ER overuse remains so difficult to solve, and how GLP-1 coverage is forcing employers to rethink ROI in the face of high attrition. This is a candid look at how benefits leaders are navigating cost, care quality, and workforce expectations heading into 2026.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

Employers aren’t short on benefits. They’re short on connection.

In this episode of Margin of Care, Kirk sits down with Chad Cruse, VP of Ecosystem at Benefitfocus, to unpack why utilization remains one of the biggest failures in employer healthcare. Despite an explosion of digital health tools and point solutions, most employees still struggle to understand what’s available to them—or how to use it when they actually need care.

Chad explains how rapid growth and capital inflows have fragmented the healthcare landscape, creating plenty of aggregators but very few true curators. He shares why benefits administration platforms are uniquely positioned to serve as year-round engagement partners, not just open-enrollment destinations, and how real-time data, smarter routing, and ecosystem design can drive meaningful behavior change.

The conversation also explores what separates effective digital health partnerships from shelfware, why efficacy and long-term commitment matter more than flashy features, and how employers can move from offering benefits to actually helping employees use them. If utilization is the real ROI problem in healthcare, this episode lays out what it takes to fix it.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

Healthcare is being reshaped by two powerful forces: rapid advances in AI and a fundamental shift in what leaders, operators, and employees expect from work.

In this episode of Margin of Care, Kirk Czonstka sits down with Sonia Millsom, CEO of Oxeon and longtime healthcare operator, to unpack how talent, leadership, and technology are colliding in today’s healthcare market.

Drawing on her experience across organizations like UnitedHealthcare, Iora Health, Best Doctors, and Maven Clinic, Sonia shares what she’s seeing from the front lines of executive search and investment. The conversation explores how resilience has replaced grit as the defining leadership trait, why clock speed and decision-making matter more than ever, and where AI is truly creating leverage versus hype.

They also dive into what today’s talent market reveals about the state of healthcare, how benefits are evolving as a differentiator for attraction and retention, and why employers must rethink one-size-fits-all approaches in a multi-generational workforce.

This episode is a candid look at how healthcare leaders can adapt, build resilient organizations, and make smarter bets on both people and technology in an era of constant change.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

Benefits leaders talk about “cost” all day.

Andrew Fondow argues cost is not the real problem.

In this episode, Andrew and Kirk dig into why so many strategies stall, how to slow trend without drowning people in point solutions, and why real change starts with simple data, tight relationships, and helping members get to the right care at the right time.

Key Takeaways

1. Cost is not the core problem

Most teams react to a “cost problem” from the CFO instead of slowing down to define the real issue, the member story, and what behavior actually needs to change.

2. Relationships now matter more than secrets

We are past the “trade secret” era. Every employer has access to similar data and tools, so trust, fit, and how well a consultant understands the client’s world matter more than ever.

3. Strategy needs to center on people, not only ROI

Great advisors still care about savings, but they lead with impact on real people, real stories, and whether a program feels usable and human to HR, finance, and members.

4. The 2027 playbook is already taking shape

Andrew sees three big focus areas: steering people to the right place for care, bringing care closer to members, and new ways to tackle drug costs like direct-to-pharma models.

5. The point solution era has to evolve

Many strong solutions exist, but the current go-to-employer path is flawed. To last, more of these tools will need to plug into provider groups and health systems, not just HR buyers.

6. Simple, actionable data beats big reports

Most reports are “nice to know” but do not move anyone to act. The winning use of data is simple: predict risk, reach out early, and guide people to better doctors before costs explode.

7. The best employers truly care about their people

Andrew’s strongest clients build “professional intimacy” with employees, show real care, and get thanked for benefit changes. That trust makes behavior change much easier.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

Benefits used to be simple and standardized. Today they’re complex, costly, and central to C-suite decision-making. In this episode, Eric Grossman breaks down how the benefits landscape has transformed over the last two decades, why employers can’t rely on old playbooks, and what leaders must do now to evaluate solutions, manage vendor overload, and actually move the cost curve. Eric shares practical guidance shaped by four decades in the field, and it’s some of the clearest, most actionable advice employers will hear this year.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

Healthcare costs keep climbing, and employers are running out of room to maneuver. In this unreleased pre-launch episode, Kirk sits down with Aon’s Kevin Fyock and Kevin Smith to talk about the affordability crisis, why traditional strategies haven’t solved it, and where employers must go next.

They break down rising trend drivers, the limits of value-based care, the explosion of point solutions, what AI can realistically do today, and how employers should think about network design, high-cost claimants, and total rewards strain heading into 2025.

This one sets the tone for everything the podcast became: direct, practical, and deeply rooted in the employer point of view.

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

What happens when the former head of the CDC sits down to break down the future of American healthcare for employers?

In this episode of Margin of Care, host Kirk Czonstka speaks with Dr. Mandy Cohen, one of the most respected leaders in public health. Dr. Cohen shares what the pandemic changed for the better across the healthcare system, the risks employers face from major policy shifts like H.R. 1, and why the individual market is entering a dangerous cycle that will spill over into employer plans.

She also explains how mental and physical health integration is finally becoming real, why global health investments matter for US employers, and why the path out of the cost crisis requires employers to build a stronger culture of health and trust inside their organizations.

Dr. Cohen brings a rare combination of medical training, public sector leadership, and crisis-tested experience. This conversation gives employers a clear, unfiltered view of the policy and cost trends that will shape the next decade.

Key Takeaways
• Telehealth, data modernization, and cross-system collaboration were lasting improvements from the pandemic
• The individual market is entering a severe risk pool spiral that will raise premiums and reduce coverage options
• H.R. 1’s Medicaid changes will trigger major cost shifts into the employer market
• AI is not lowering costs in the short term and may increase trend due to high investment and payer-provider dynamics
• Employers must build a culture of health and trust to change behavior and manage long-term costs
• Global health surveillance is essential for pandemic preparedness, and declining investments increase national risk

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com

What does it take to manage a half-billion-dollar healthcare budget and keep costs flat year after year?

In this episode of Margin of Care, host Kirk Czonstka talks with Brian Marcotte, former President and CEO of Business Group on Health and longtime benefits leader at Honeywell and Marriott. Brian shares how he balanced cost control with innovation—rolling all benefits costs into one budget, partnering with finance and procurement, and holding vendors accountable for outcomes.

He also breaks down how employers can adopt outcomes-based pricing, improve vendor ROI, and make benefits strategy more relevant to employees through real-world use cases and clear communication.

Key Takeaways:

• Why combining all benefits costs into one flexible budget drives better decision-making
• How close alignment with finance and procurement enables stronger ROI and vendor accountability
• Why outcomes-based pricing and performance guarantees are gaining traction
• How to use real employee scenarios to communicate value and increase engagement
• What employers should expect next as digital health solutions consolidate

Margin of Care is presented by Garner Health. Learn more at getgarner.com