The Custom Design Benefits Insider

Your Source for Employee Benefit Plan News, Self-Funding Insights and More

From new strategies for controlling health care costs and recruiting and retaining top employees, to changing regulations and compliance issues, employee benefits plans are constantly evolving.

To help you stay informed, we created The Custom Design Benefits Insider – an educational resource for Custom Design Benefits employers and brokers.

Featured Article April 2024

Rise In Weight Loss Drugs Causing Headaches For Employers’ Health Care Plans

Ozempic and Wegovy may be good for people’s waistlines, but they are causing havoc for employers’ health care plans. The meteoric rise of these GLP-1 drugs in the past few years has left employers struggling to find a way to manage escalating prescription drug costs. While originally used to treat Type-2 diabetes, GLP-1s have taken […]

Rise In Weight Loss Drugs Causing Headaches For Employers’ Health Care Plans
April 2024

How Mental Well-Being Makes for Happier (and More Productive) Employees

An employee’s health is about more than blood pressure and broken bones. More and more, an employee’s mental health is a bellwether for them being a happy and healthy – and productive – member of the team. In today’s work environment, companies must recognize the critical role mental health plays in employee well-being and overall organizational […]

How Mental Well-Being Makes for Happier (and More Productive) Employees
April 2024

Press Release Announcing New Cost Containment Strategy

Custom Design Benefits, a leading third party administrator providing innovative cost containment solutions for self-funded employers, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Emerging Therapy Solutions® (ETS) to help employers manage the high costs associated with treatments for rare genetic and complex diseases. With many new cell and gene therapies approved by the FDA […]

Press Release Announcing New Cost Containment Strategy
April 2024

Compliance Corner

Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021, reporting for 2023 data is due no later than June 1. What is the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Section 204? Title II (Transparency) of Division BB of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116- 260) (CAA), establishes new protections for consumers to promote transparency in health care […]

Compliance Corner
Fall 2023

More High-Cost Therapies Are Coming… But a New Partner is Keeping Us One Step Ahead

With approval rates of high-cost CAR T-cell and gene therapies escalating, the time has come for employers to get proactive about managing their potential risk appropriately.   CAR T-cell and gene therapies are designed to treat extremely rare diseases such as blood disorders, cancers, and metabolic and neurogenerative diseases by transferring live cells into the body […]

More High-Cost Therapies Are Coming… But a New Partner is Keeping Us One Step Ahead
Fall 2023

A Message from Julie D. Mueller

While the list of challenges facing the health care industry continues to grow, Custom Design Benefits has never been more aligned and focused on helping our clients and brokers navigate these choppy waters. With our 16th Annual Customer Conference, we shared how we can work together to address these issues with new solutions. This year’s […]

A Message from Julie D. Mueller
Fall 2023

Making Medications More Effective with Genetic Testing

When it comes to prescription medications, one size does not always fit all. What works for one person might not work for another for a variety of factors. Pharmacogenomics, a groundbreaking field, uses DNA to predict how your body processes medications and potential side effects before you take them. In the U.S., about 99% of […]

Making Medications More Effective with Genetic Testing
Fall 2023

An Employee Assistance Program with Measurable Results

CuraLinc Healthcare, which manages Custom Design Benefits’ SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program, is helping more CDB members break down barriers to mental health care.  At Custom Design Benefits’ recent Customer Conference, CuraLinc Health Care client relationship managers Catherine Caldwell and Hannah Harnack provided some updated data revealing how CuraLinc is making getting help easier than ever […]

An Employee Assistance Program with Measurable Results
Fall 2023

The Benefits of Custom Design Benefits’ Approach to Population Health

Identifying chronic conditions early to keep members as healthy as possible for as long as possible is the goal of Custom Design Benefit’s Population Health Management team. By helping members improve their health on an individual level, this approach also helps reduce the cost of health care for all. Members who are found to have […]

The Benefits of Custom Design Benefits’ Approach to Population Health
Fall 2023

Meet Rachel Jones: the New Director of Client Services for Custom Design Benefits

Rachel Jones is the Director of Client Services at Custom Design Benefits, where she leads client support activities including plan implementation, strategic initiatives, and account management.  Before joining Custom Design Benefits, Rachel spent 13 years working for a local medical device manufacturer where she focused on team development, sales support, contract management and process improvement.  […]

Meet Rachel Jones: the New Director of Client Services for Custom Design Benefits
Fall 2023

Improving Access to Care: Advanced Primary Care

Lack of access to quality primary care is one of the biggest drivers of health care costs. Without access, medical conditions are more likely to progress to advanced stages, giving patients no other option than to turn to expensive emergency room care for non-emergency issues. Poorly managed conditions and inadequate follow-up to care also lead […]

Improving Access to Care: Advanced Primary Care
Fall 2023

Phia Group Insights: Top Self-Funded Legal Issues to Watch

In the ever-evolving landscape of health care compliance, staying informed about crucial topics is essential. In his presentation, Ron E. Peck, Esq., Chief Legal Officer for The Phia Group, gave Custom Design Benefit customers and brokers a crash course in some of the issues that everyone involved in self-funded benefits plans needs to be aware […]

Phia Group Insights: Top Self-Funded Legal Issues to Watch
Fall 2023

How Alternative Funding Makes Specialty Drug Expenses More Affordable

With specialty drug expenses exceeding more than 60% of the total pharmacy spend for some group health plans, it’s no surprise that employers are having to shift more costs to their members.  But as the cost for the member goes up, the chances they will actually take the drug after it has been prescribed goes […]

How Alternative Funding Makes Specialty Drug Expenses More Affordable
Spring 2023

A Message from Julie D. Mueller

Welcome back everyone! We’ve got a lot of exciting news to share with you in this issue of our newsletter. Or to be more precise, our very first e-newsletter!

A Message from Julie D. Mueller
Spring 2023

Spring 2023 Benefits News Roundup

From  reference-based pricing to Ted Lasso and mental health, here’s a look at some of the headlines and issues that are impacting health care and benefit plans.

Spring 2023 Benefits News Roundup