The Employer Healthcare Library

This industry runs on jargon, fine print, and deadlines you find out about late. This library translates all of it. Definitions, plan types, funding math, laws, templates, vendors. Plus tools that run your numbers. All free.

109 terms defined· 72 compliance requirements · Updated for 2026

Want the latest analysis? Read the articles →

Interactive Tools

Start with your numbers, not ours.

Five tools. No login walls, no sales calls required. Each one turns your inputs into something you can put in front of leadership.

Interactive toolFunding FitAre you ready to self-fund? Seven questions, a readiness score, and a recommended funding model. The analysis brokers gate behind a sales call. Free, no login.Score your readiness →Interactive toolUniversal Healthcare ForecastWill your group plan exist in 2046? Six scenarios, 8,000 simulated futures, and every assumption exposed as a slider you can argue with.Run the model →Interactive toolCompliance Calendar72 requirements, personalized to your group size, funding, and plan year. Deadline reports land in your inbox before the deadlines do.Start tracking →Interactive tool5-Year Benefits BlueprintProject five years of healthcare spend under your current path versus a proactive one. Real KFF data, your headcount, your funding type.See your savings →Interactive toolBenefits Control SystemTwo questions about your benefits stack. Out comes a stability score, the cost of the chaos, and a PDF scorecard you can take to leadership.Run the assessment →Ask anythingAsk BlakeA question that needs an answer now, not after a glossary session? Ask the chatbot. It is trained on everything in this library, and it answers in seconds.Ask a question

The Reference Library

Everything they assume you already know.

Seven references, written for the person who signs the renewal. No vendor spin. When a definition has a catch, the catch is in the definition.

109 termsThe GlossaryEvery benefits term that shows up in your renewal meeting, defined in plain English, with the reason it matters to your budget.Look it up →77 acronymsAcronym DecoderPBM, NQTL, IBNR, MEWA. The industry speaks in capital letters so you stop asking questions. Decode all of it.Decode them →Coverage explainedPlan Types & NetworksPPO vs. HMO vs. EPO vs. HDHP. What networks really are, how deductibles flow, and what changed for 2026.Compare plan types →Funding explainedFunding ModelsFully-insured, level-funded, self-funded, captives, stop-loss. Who carries the risk, who keeps the surplus, who sees the data.Compare funding →Follow the moneyWhere Your Premium GoesThe 85% rule, what's inside the other 15%, and why the carrier keeps more of a good year than the law suggests. Check your own loss ratio.Follow your premium →Laws & deadlinesCompliance & LawsERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, the CAA. What each law demands from you, every annual deadline, and the 2026 numbers.Know your exposure →Copy & useTemplates & ChecklistsThe renewal timeline, 12 broker questions, PBM red flags, and letters you can copy: claims data requests, comp disclosures.Grab the templates →Know the playersThe Vendor LandscapeCarriers, TPAs, PBMs, stop-loss, captives, navigation. Who does what, how each one gets paid, and what to ask before signing.Map the market →

Decided to move on?

Firing your broker? Here's what comes next.

Three videos. Why brokers get paid the way they do, the red flags and timing, and the exact process to make the switch. Plus a free checklist for every document, system, and deadline you'll touch in the handoff.

Fire My Broker →

Includes the free Broker Transition Checklist. Every document, system, and deadline in one download.

Part 1 · Why

Why You Should Fire Your Benefits Broker (From a Broker)

How brokers actually get paid, and why the incentive works against you.

20:58

Part 2 · When

When to Fire Your Benefits Broker (A Broker Tells You)

A bad renewal isn’t a bad advisor. How to tell the difference, and when to move.

17:44

Part 3 · How

How to Fire Your Benefits Broker (A Broker Walks You Through It)

The letter, the document list, the systems you lose, and a real transition plan.

27:21

The 2026 Numbers

Six figures to memorize before your next benefits meeting.

Verified against IRS, HHS, KFF, and FTC publications. The full table, with sources, lives on the Compliance & Laws page.

$4,500 / $9,000

HSA contribution limit (2027)

Self-only / family, for 2027, up from $4,400 / $8,750 in 2026. Age 55+ can still add a $1,000 catch-up contribution.

IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24

$1,750 / $3,500

HDHP minimum deductible (2027)

Self-only / family, up from $1,700 / $3,400 in 2026. A plan below these deductibles is not HSA-qualified in 2027.

IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24

$8,700 / $17,400

HDHP out-of-pocket maximum (2027)

Self-only / family, up from $8,500 / $17,000 in 2026. The IRS cap for HSA-qualified plans, lower than the general ACA cap.

IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24

$12,000 / $24,000

ACA out-of-pocket maximum (2027)

Self-only / family, non-grandfathered plans, up from $10,600 / $21,200 in 2026.

CMS 2027 HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (final rule)

$3,400

Health FSA limit

Employee salary-reduction cap for 2026 plan years. Carryover max is $680.

IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32

10.22%

ACA affordability threshold (2027)

Employee-only contribution for your cheapest minimum-value plan can't exceed 10.22% of income in 2027, the highest it's ever been. FPL safe harbor: $135.92/month for calendar-year plans. For 2026 plan years it's still 9.96% ($129.89/month).

IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-26