Recent Posts

• What to Expect in 2019 - Part 1
  
  November 13, 2018
  The future is here! As we’re about to enter 2019, the undercurrents of the self-funded industry are as exciting as they are dynamic, and changes are happening at an unbelievable pace. Join The Phia Group’s legal team as they present Part 1 of this two-part series on What to Expect in 2019, which will highlight current industry happenings and our predictions to help you look forward to the coming year. Miss this one, and you’ll be left behind.
• Specialty Drugs: Trends and Issues Affecting Self-Funded Plans
  
  October 18, 2018
  No matter what corner of the industry you’re in, you know that health plans have had a constant need to contain costs as a result of skyrocketing medical bills. The rising cost of Rx drugs has certainly been an issue as well – and specialty drugs are a hot-button issue as health plans struggle to find ways to manage them.
• Back to School: Renewal Time
  
  September 18, 2018
  In the self-funded industry, being diligent with respect to employer groups, vendors, and contracts is always important – but sometimes knowing what to put on a checklist in the first place is more difficult than checking off the items. Renewal time means it’s time to impress prospective clients, keep existing clients happy, and make sure the vendors and contracts being utilized are the best possible fit for your groups. Join The Phia Group’s legal team for an hour on September 18, 2018 at 1pm EDT as they outline a laundry list of what employers, TPAs, brokers, and stop-loss carriers should look for this time of the year – and provide some guidance on how the industry’s players can stay ahead of the curve.
• Breaking the Mold: Creative Solutions for Everyday Problems
  
  August 14, 2018
  Network contracts, stop-loss claims, and intricate medical claim determinations are just a few of the complications that self-funded health plans and their partners need to be able to successfully navigate. Check out our webinar that includes creative solutions for managing these.
• Hottest Industry Trends and Topics – This is What You Asked For
  
  July 12, 2018
  The industry is ablaze! From specialty drugs, to association health plans, to the “right to try” law, we’re all feeling the heat.
• Final Rule on Association Health Plans and YOU: Phia's Take
  
  June 21, 2018
  On Tuesday, June 19th, the Department of Labor issued a final rule on Association Health Plans. Supporters claim the rule will allow millions of Americans to access more affordable coverage options. Critics contend that it will reduce patient access and weaken the insurance markets, leading to increased costs for all. Join The Phia Group's legal team in this special edition webinar in which they will break down the final rule and explain the significant impact it is expected to have on the self-funded industry.
• The Buck Stops…Where? Pointing Fingers in the Self-Funded Industry
  
  June 12, 2018
  In a financial climate where saving money has to be made a top priority, so many entities within the insurance industry have fallen victim to someone trying to shift blame onto them. Regardless of fault, it’s in everyone’s best interests to work together to overcome issues rather than point fingers – but it’s not always that simple.
• The Case for Collusion: How the Power Players May Have Defrauded Us All
  
  May 15, 2018
  At long last, after a lengthy investigation, we are ready to present the allegations of collusion. It is alleged that powerful forces have been working together in a complex scheme to mislead us. To be clear, we are talking about Big Pharma and certain PBMs. A new class action lawsuit has been filed against CVS Health alleging that it knowingly colluded with PBMs to raise generic drug prices. The claim is that health plans and consumers alike have been overpaying for drugs. We have seen this playbook before. This time, however, there is potential for TPAs and their groups to join the lawsuit to recoup funds allegedly overpaid to CVS. Join The Phia Group’s Special Counsels for an hour as they share reports on this alleged fraudulent scheme and discuss the ways in which our industry can fight back and tackle the underlying problem of specialty drug prices.
• 4 Horsemen of the Plan-pocalypse
  
  April 19, 2018
  Nostradamus? Miss Cleo? The Phia Group? In a psychic feat of foresight, The Phia Group’s team has gazed into their crystal ball and identified four issues that may not presently be keeping you up at night, but will certainly be disturbing your slumber very soon. From being forced to pay for surrogate pregnancy and births, to the IRS actively issuing letters notifying employers of 2015 tax year penalties; from a new wave of fraud, errors, and abuse leading to heretofore unseen overpayments, to case law addressing the rights of plans to utilize reference based pricing – you’ve been warned! We predict this complimentary webinar will open your eyes. Miss this webinar at your own peril… You’ve been warned!
• Transparency: Using it to Your Advantage
  
  March 20, 2018
  Join The Phia Group’s legal team as they discuss the need for, and effects of, contractual and price transparency on the self-funded industry – and how health plans, TPAs, and brokers can use transparency to their advantage.
• Evolve or Dissolve – Responding to Today’s Tax Law to Save the Health Benefit Plan Industry Tomorrow
  
  February 27, 2018
  Join The Phia Group's Adam Russo, Ron Peck, and Brady Bizarro as they discuss what you need to know about the new law, and how to navigate the treacherous path that lies ahead.
• Keeping it Under Wraps: What the Networks Don’t Advertise
  
  February 22, 2018
  It’s 2018, and the importance of cost-containment is at an all-time high. Everywhere you look in the self-funded industry is a vendor trying to help health plans control costs; as can be expected, some methods are effective and maximize savings, whereas others…well…not so much
• Plan on Saving by Saving Your Plan – Applying Lessons Learned to Create the Perfect Plan Document
  
  January 30, 2018
  Join The Phia Group’s legal team as they explain the Flagship template, differences from the existing template, and why the Flagship may be right for you.
• A Taxing Time: The Tax Bill’s Impact on Self-Insurance
  
  January 18, 2018
  On December 22nd, President Trump signed a $1.5 trillion tax bill. Among other things, it effectively ends the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. It will have a major impact on individual and employer-sponsored health insurance. Millions of Americans may be without health insurance coverage in the coming years. For self-funded plans, this bill may lead to higher costs due to ripple effects across the entire health insurance market while also opening doors to increased cost-containment opportunities. There are other legislative proposals and agency action which could impact our industry, and many states are considering proposals of their own.
• With Great (Cost-Containment) Power Comes Great (Fiduciary) Responsibility!
  
  December 19, 2017
  Join The Phia Group’s legal team for an hour at as they describe various ways to cut costs, what must be done to ensure that fiduciary duties are being met, and what happens if they are not.
• Living in the Now: Prepare for 2018
  
  November 14, 2017
  A new year is approaching, and we are in the middle of renewal season; meaning it’s time for some serious preparation. Making sure your clients are cared for is no easy task; are you prepared to protect your plans, save them money, and grow your own business in 2018?
• Best Practices for Today's Plan Documents
  
  October 17, 2017
  There’s a reason the law governs how plan documents must be formed and distributed – and it’s that the plan document remains the be-all-end-all of the plan’s and member’s rights. For this reason, it is crucial to ensure that the plan document is compliant to a T, is clear and comprehensible, and is able to contain costs.
• It’s Time To Renew – Revisiting Stop Loss Trends
  
  September 21, 2017
  It’s that time of year again – renewal season! What is often overlooked is the type of stop loss carrier to partner with for the next plan year. Stop loss choices are often made just on the premium cost, however plans should look at more than just the price. Stop loss is something most self funded benefit plans rely upon to ensure their financial viability and long term success.
• A True Impact on the Bottom Line – Identifying Current Issues, Implementing Solutions & Seeing Results!
  
  August 22, 2017
  The Phia Group’s legal team frequently addresses the biggest issues impacting the health benefits industry today. Join them as they dissect the conflicts threatening every entity involved in the business of health benefits, and share real life examples of clients who implemented forward thinking solutions… and those that didn’t.
• Consulting Headlines – The Hottest Topics in Benefit Plan Administration
  
  July 13, 2017
  Extra! Extra! Have you heard the news? Laws are changing, regulations are shifting, and benefit plans are scrambling to keep up.
• A Network by any Other Name
  
  June 22, 2017
  PPOs, EPOs, HMOs… The days of simple network categories is past. Today, innovative providers are offering up-front transparent pricing, subscription-based direct primary care (DPC), value based pricing, ACOs, medical tourism, international prescription plans, on-site clinics, telemedicine and direct contracting with “centers of excellence.”
• Decisions, Decisions: Which Plan Types Work Best for Which Groups, and Why?
  
  May 16, 2017
  Between a traditional PPO plan, a MEC or “skinny” plan, reference-based pricing, narrow network, cafeteria plan, or high-deductible health plan, who can choose? They all have their nuances, and which plan type is best for a given plan sponsor will depend on factors including risk tolerance, geographical location, employee base, and more.
• The Double-Edged Sword of Discretion: How Even Great Plan Document Language Can Cause Gaps in Coverage
  
  April 27, 2017
  Nearly all Plan Documents have some mention of discretionary authority. The ability to interpret the terms of the plan is necessary to receive deference from the courts, and is needed since not every conceivable scenario can be planned for within the plan document.
• Medical Bill Blues: Pre-Payment Contracting and Negotiation, Pricing Alternatives, and Post-Payment Recovery of Overpayments
  
  March 23, 2017
  It’s common knowledge that not every network contract adds real value, nor can medical providers always be relied upon to bill responsibly. As the fiduciary duty to be prudent with plan assets becomes increasingly relevant, it's important that self-funded health plans, and those who service them, not fall behind.
• Top Miscues Employers Make When It Comes To Their Health Plans ... And What We All Can Do To Become Health Plan Heroes
  
  February 15, 2017
  Employers who self-fund their health plan act as a traditional employer, a plan sponsor, and a plan administrator. Juggling this many roles, conflicts and contradictions are bound to happen. For instance, an employee handbook’s handling of disability leave may conflict with the health plan document as it relates to employment and plan coverage.
• Back to The Self-Funding Future – Which Echoes of 2016 Will Continue to Impact Self-Funding in 2017
  
  January 19, 2017
  The past decade has ushered in both outrage and opportunity for self-funded plans, and 2016 was no different. The characteristics of self-funded plans continued to alter in concert with new laws and regulations. While these bureaucratic efforts often hindered our ability to self-fund, for those daring enough to change with the times, we saw increased growth and prosperity. We will no doubt see these issues and opportunities continue to evolve in 2017, and only those that prepare will thrive.
• Changes to The Phia Group's Reporting Portal
  
  January 4, 2017
  Staying true to its mission of reducing the cost of healthcare through the use of innovative technology, The Phia Group is proud to announce new advancements now available to our clients, via The Phia Group’s reporting portal.
• 2017 Phia Forecast
  
  December 13, 2016
  2016 has been another huge year for self-funding, and a year of significant change for healthcare in general – and with the results of the recent presidential election, 2017 is slated to be an exciting year as well. 2016 has played host to all sorts of new federal regulations, state laws, market trends, and cost-containment options, and we expect 2017 to be even more unpredictable…but still great for self-funding.
• The First 100 Days: President-elect Donald Trump, Healthcare, and Self-Funding
  
  November 21, 2016
  The election is behind us, and no matter who you supported, it was one of the most divisive in recent history. Regarding the contentious topic of healthcare, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a better, more efficient system. The future of our industry is sure to change.
• The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Ethics: Simple Mistakes vs. Breach
  
  November 15, 2016
  As the Department of Labor hones in on what is ethical (or unethical) and what constitutes fiduciary liability, plan administrators, third party administrators, brokers, and various advisors who service self-funded plans must make a renewed effort to ensure that their actions are in compliance with current legal and ethical standards. All self-funded entities must take steps to avoid actions that may be deemed unethical or in violation of their considerable responsibilities - and even when exercising good faith, it is still possible to act unethically.
• How Low Can You Go? Managing Specialty Drugs, Reducing Overall Pharmacy Spend, and Unraveling the Mystery Behind PBMs
  
  October 27, 2016
  Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, are an important factor in the cost and value of self-funding - yet many TPAs, brokers, and plan sponsors feel it is impractical to even look into changing the status quo. Self-funded plans and those who service them, however, should be constantly on the lookout for effective alternatives to their current procedures - especially in this aggressive economic and legal climate.
• Independent Consultation & Evaluation: ICE, ICE, Baby!
  
  September 22, 2016
  Our industry is plagued by issues related to compliance, contracts, and cost-containment – and a myriad of other legal issues as well. Engaging an expert for a second set of eyes is a chore in itself, requiring approval from management or an individual group as well as a cost-benefit analysis of the expert’s fees – sometimes resulting in the decision not to consult a neutral third-party at all.
• Unwrapping Your Wraps
  
  August 23, 2016
  Wrap networks provide plans with discounts off billed charges for claims that don’t fall within the plan’s primary network. But do these wraps really add value? With skyrocketing provider charges and static discounts off of those charges, the modern-day wrap network doesn’t seem to provide much help when it comes to claims costs.
• Back to Basics: Plan Documents 101 (Part 2)
  
  July 13, 2016
  When we think of hot topics in the self-funded industry, plan document drafting is hardly the first thing that come to mind. Instead, issues such as fiduciary duties, reference-based pricing, transgender coverage, employee incentives, and provider abuse are on the tip of everybody's tongues. All these topics, however, share a common feature: they're all reflected, in some way or another, within the plan document. Without compliant and effective plan document language, a plan can't offer robust benefit programs while containing costs.
• Back to Basics: Plan Language 101
  
  June 15, 2016
  Most situations that involve self-funded benefit plans revolve around language within the plan document. Whether deciding if a service is experimental, or figuring out whether a dependent is actually covered, or deciding whether a leave of absence will extend coverage, the plan document controls in just about all situations. For that reason, it's all the more disastrous when poor plan language handicaps plans and TPAs. Like we always say, your rights are only as good as your language.
• The Tangled Web of Contracts
  
  May 12, 2016
  The self-funded industry is made up of a complex system of contracts, and navigation across them is anything but simple. Network contracts supersede plan documents; Administrative Services Agreements “add” plan provisions, stop-loss policies embrace carve-outs but networks prohibit them, employee handbooks promise benefits not provided by the SPD…and those are just a few examples of areas of confusion. Thank you for joining The Phia Group on May 12th, 2016 as its legal team gave a crash course in contracts. Cost-containment can be impacted by the contracts you sign, and there are often exceptions and restrictions buried deep down, or potential issues not considered beforehand. In this webinar, The Phia Group explained some of the contracting pitfalls experienced on a daily basis within the self-funded industry.
• Unraveling FAQ Part 31
  
  May 4, 2016
  Reference-based pricing is unquestionably a hot topic in the self-funded industry today. So hot, in fact, that the federal government has taken an active interest in it for the third time now; in its latest FAQ, published just last week (FAQs about Affordable Care Act Implementation, Part 31), the regulators reiterate concerns regarding network adequacy and how it relates to - and regulates - reference-based pricing arrangements.
• A Changing Industry: Navigating the current (Events)
  
  April 14, 2016
  The self-funded industry changes rapidly and without notice. In recent memory, the biggest culprit has been the ACA - and in its aftermath, there have been numerous regulatory guidelines and court cases that have helped interpret the ACA's provisions. Still, though, there are many other changes occurring at any given time. Examples include assignments of benefits, discrimination, preemption, bankruptcy, subrogation, stop-loss, and more.
• The Replacements
  
  April 8, 2016
  As the self-funded industry evolves, benefit plans are forced to evolve with it or get left in the dust. Employees need quality coverage – but providing robust yet affordable programs has proven difficult for many self-funders. This conundrum can be addressed by changing inefficient or archaic processes; in response to contractual handcuffs limiting your ability to target cost drivers, too many health plans and TPAs overreact, thinking that the solution is to trash their plan entirely, and to try something new and untested – trading security for savings. When it comes to benefits, don’t remove, don’t reduce... replace! Avoid the extreme sides of the spectrum, achieve balance, and ensure your own viability with “The Replacements.” Thank you for joining The Phia Group on Tuesday, February 16th, as we identified the trouble spots found in all benefit plans, and helped develop strategies to carve them out and replace faulty portions with new alternatives – without harming the rest of the plan!
• Saving Stop-Loss - Protecting a Key Self-Funding Ingredient in a Hostile World
  
  January 19, 2016
  Thank you for joining The Phia Group’s legal team on Tuesday, January 19, 2016, as they provided first-hand insight into the self-funded market’s reliance on stop-loss and threats to that industry, including what TPAs and brokers should look for – and look out for – when advising health plan sponsors regarding stop-loss options.
• Issue of the Year: Reference-Based Pricing and Balance-Billing
  
  December 28, 2015
  Thank you for joining The Phia Group’s legal team on December 15th as they discussed reference-based pricing and balance-billing from the ground up and debunked common myths associated with it. This webinar will ended the year with a comprehensive primer on reference-based pricing and balance-billing, the rights of all parties involved, and what you can do to be proactive and successfully administer a reference-based pricing program.
• Keeping PACE With The Trends
  
  December 7, 2015
  Thanks for joining The Phia Group’s legal team on November 30th as we explored the numbers behind our industry’s growth and provided real-world discussion on the topic, while we explored real solutions to the issues presented.
• A Call To Action!
  
  October 15, 2015
  Thanks for joining The Phia Group’s legal team on October 14th as we discussed many such ongoing instances, and shared with you opportunities to take an active role in the preservation of our industry.
• "Phia Case Studies" - When Silence is Loud and Assumptions Mean Disaster
  
  August 4, 2015
  Thanks for joining The Phia Group’s legal team on September 17th, at 1:00 PM EST, as they analyzed recent cases featuring communication breakdowns, regulation popping up in its wake, and best practices to make sure you know your role and do your job.
• "Stories From The Front Lines" - Real Wins, Losses, & Difference Makers
  
  May 20, 2015
  Join The Phia Group on Wednesday, May 20th, from 1 to 2 PM EST, as its attorneys discuss their experiences providing plan administrators with guidance as it relates to difficult claim processing decisions, conflict resolution, and bill negotiation… as well as dissect the small factual differences between otherwise similar scenarios that made all the difference.
• "Survival of the Fittest" - Best Practices to Perfect a Modern TPA
  
  April 23, 2015
  Join The Phia Group’s legal team as they discuss the best practices for TPA’s and how this can help you!
• "To Be Or Not To Be"... A Fiduciary - Do You Even Have A Choice?
  
  March 25, 2015
  Being a fiduciary is serious business. Determining whether you are one can also be very complicated. Case law increasingly establishes that being a fiduciary has more to do with the action one takes, than the contract one signs. Entities working on behalf of self-funded benefit plans may be unknowingly taking on fiduciary status. Are you a fiduciary? What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking on that burden? What can you do to protect yourself?
• Pushback & Counter-Attack
  
  February 12, 2015
  Pushback & Counter-Attack – How attorneys, providers, and the government are combating your efforts to contain costs… and what you should be doing about it!
• IMPLANT WARS!
  
  January 14, 2015
  IMPLANT WARS: How monitoring provider self-referrals, & negotiating based on actual costs can result in major plan savings!
• "In Reference To The FAQ"... The DOL FAQ Dissected - Part Deux!
  
  November 20, 2014
  Join The Phia Group’s CEO, Adam V. Russo; Sr. VP & General Counsel, Ron E. Peck; and other members of the legal team as we continue to dissect the FAQ, its key provisions, and how it impacts “RBP Plans .