One of the overlooked differences between self-funded plans (including partially self-funded and level-funded plans) is the difference in how they are regulated. Self-funded plans are regulated by the Federal Government, while fully insured plans are regulated primarily by the states. This difference adds costs and complexity and it is the subject of this episode. I’ll … Continue reading "How Self-Funded and Fully-Insured Plans are Regulated"

Cable and cell phone companies are famous for imposing huge “switching costs” to prevent you from leaving them. But some switching costs are just part of doing business. In today’s podcast, I review switching costs, and the “anti switching cost” that is built into the system. There’s a video that goes along with this topic … Continue reading "What are the Costs of Switching?"

When I was in business school, I learned that only large companies could self-insure, and that it often made sense for them to do so. But times have changed and now a lot of the benefits of self-insurance are available to mid-size and small companies. How small? The answer surprised me and may surprise you, … Continue reading "Is My Company Large Enough to Self-Insure?"

People like “The regular” kind. “Medium” is our default size for beverages and pizzas and “regular” is more popular than “spicy.” In this episode of the podcast, I compare “The Regular Kind” of insurance (fully insured) with “The Other Kind” (self-insured) and “The New Kind (partially self-funded). And I try to answer the question, “Why … Continue reading "What are the Benefits of Partial Self-Funding?"

Someday, we’ll start commuting to work again, and when that happens, I’ve got a podcast for you! The Partially Self-Funded Podcast is a series of at least 12 episodes with information about partially self-funding employee medical benefits. In this first short episode (less than two and a half minutes), I introduce the podcast and let … Continue reading "Introducing the Podcast"