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The numbers behind your healthcare spend. Self-funding, PBM contracts, compliance. Written for the person who signs the renewal.

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Benefits BlueprintLive

150 employees · Fully Insured

5-Yr Total Savings$1.0M11% vs. status quo
Per Employee$7KOver 5 years
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Prepared by Blake Erickson· Advisor

What's Costing You

Five systems in your benefits stack, each built to obscure cost.

1

You’re funding your carrier’s margin, not your plan

Fully-insured premiums build the carrier’s surplus. Self-funded employers own their claims data and keep the spread.

2

Your drug spend has a markup layer you’ve never audited

PBMs take spread pricing on generics and specialty drugs. Transparent contracts exist, but you have to know to ask for them.

3

There are structures that cap your exposure. You haven’t been offered them.

ICHRA, reference-based pricing, and Direct Primary Care change the unit economics of benefits. Most advisors don’t lead with them.

4

You’re making seven-figure decisions with no data

Self-funded employers can own their full claims file. That data predicts cost trends, surfaces waste, and gives you negotiating leverage.

5

ERISA fiduciary liability lands on you, not your broker

CAA, ACA 4980H, and DOL enforcement create personal liability for plan sponsors. Most CFOs don’t know the exposure until it’s triggered.

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The math exists. Most companies just haven't seen it.

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Tools & Resources

See what's really going on. No contract required.

Browse the full library →
Tool 01Funding FitSee if your company is ready to self-fund. A 60-second readiness assessment with a personalized funding-model recommendation and a board-ready PDF.
  • Readiness score across 5 weighted factors
  • Recommended model: insured, level, captive, or self-funded
  • Estimated annual savings opportunity
  • Downloadable board-ready report
Run the Assessment Tool 025-Year Benefits BlueprintSee how much a proactive benefits blueprint could save your organization. Interactive projections based on KFF 2025 data.
  • 5-year savings projection by funding type
  • Year-by-year cost comparison
  • Per-employee savings breakdown
  • Free personalized blueprint session
See Your Savings Tool 03Benefits Control SystemSee what benefits complexity is really costing your organization. Interactive assessment with a personalized PDF scorecard.
  • Employee count + process analysis
  • HR time, billing exposure, payroll risk
  • Stability score with benchmark comparison
  • Downloadable PDF scorecard
Run the Assessment Tool 04Compliance CalendarNever miss a benefits compliance deadline. Personalized calendar filtered to what actually applies to your plan, with monthly or twice-monthly status reports.
  • 72 federal compliance requirements tracked
  • Personalized to your group size, funding, and plan year
  • Monthly digest or twice-monthly status reports
  • Resource library with fees, penalties, and responsible party
Start Tracking Compliance

The Resource Library

Look it up before you sign it.

Every term, plan type, funding model, law, template, and vendor category in employer healthcare. Defined the way they should've been in the meeting, with verified 2026 numbers.

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By the Numbers

Data-driven tools for data-driven leaders.

0Federal compliance requirements tracked
5-YearSavings projection horizon
30-SecBenefits Control Scorecard completion time

Latest Articles

All articles →
PBM Contract Renewal — featured analysisFeatured AnalysisPBM Contract Renewal: The Pharmacy Terms You Should Renegotiate Before You RenewThe CAA of 2026 gives employers new audit rights and transparency mandates for PBM contracts. Here are the specific terms worth renegotiating before your January 1 renewal.Read the breakdown →
plan-designParticipation Fell From 66% to 35%. Then the Self-Funded Plan Died.Passing every increase to employees feels responsible. It can quietly starve your risk pool. Here's how contribution strategy drives participation, and how one …Jul 2, 20264 min readRead Article →
self-fundingHow to Pick the Right Stop-Loss Attachment Point (Without Guessing)Stop-loss premiums are up nearly 10% and million-dollar claims surged 60% in four years. Here's how to calculate the right ISL attachment point, handle lasering…Jul 1, 20264 min readRead Article →
pbm-transparencyHiding in Your Pharmacy Costs: DIR Fees No One Ever SeesDIR fees grew 107,400% in a decade and peaked at $9.5 billion. CMS reformed them out of Medicare. Your employer plan still has them. Here's where the money goes…Jun 30, 20264 min readRead Article →

Latest Videos

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Blake Erickson
Blake EricksonAdvisor · DSP Insurance Services

About Blake

A decade in benefits. Still mad about it.

I'm Benefits Blake, an advisor at DSP Insurance Services. I've spent ten years working with mid-market employers on employee benefits. Watching companies renew the same broken plan year after year because no one explained what the alternatives actually look like.

This publication exists because that information gap is expensive. Self-funding, reference-based pricing, ICHRA, direct primary care, PBM transparency. None of it is new. Most CFOs just haven't heard it said directly.

The newsletter lands every other Wednesday. The articles are permanent. Both are written for anyone who controls, influences, or cares about what the company spends on healthcare. Want it in your inbox? Subscribe above.

The math is there. You just need someone to show you.

Analysis across five pillars, every other Wednesday. Written in financial language for the people who own the budget. Subscribe and the 2026 Compliance Deadlines Cheat Sheet is yours, free.

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