HR Benecast

HR Benecast

Learn about new trends, developments, and other topics of interest in the employee and pharmacy benefits worlds. During our monthly podcasts we'll answer your most frequently asked human resources and benefits questions.

Episodes

July 9, 2025 33 mins

In the latest episode of HR Benecast host Mike Stull and Brandee Bell, senior benefits specialist at Designer Brands, discuss the importance of a clear, engaging and effective year-round benefits communication strategy. She shares insights on engaging employees using creative techniques and measuring results. She also provides real examples her team has used to improve open enrollment through effect...

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Ever wonder how a drug gets approved? In this episode, HR Benecast host Mike Stull and Clinical Advisor Alexis Sova walk through the FDA approval process. They discuss the complexities of bringing new medications to market, the importance of efficacy and safety in drug trials and how to keep plan costs down as new drugs are launched.

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May 15, 2025 22 mins

It's annual review season at Employers Health — when clients meet with our team to hear how their pharmacy benefit plan is performing, what they should watch for in the future and plan changes to consider to reduce or minimize future pharmacy benefit costs. In the episode, we sit down with Devon Feriance and Tori Sinclair to hear the main themes they're seeing in these reviews, how employers are dealing with the onslaught of legisl...

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When it comes to pharmacy benefits, no topics make headlines like GLP-1s and weight loss programs. On this episode of HR Benecast,  Dr. Lia Rodriguez and Erin Bacon from CVS Health share what makes a clinical weight loss program really work. Listen to hear the latest obesity stats, obesity's link to other chronic conditions, the importance of lifestyle changes and more. 

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Biosimilars have been around for nearly a decade, but with Humira's list price of around $7,000, biosimilars for the drug are making an incredible splash in the pharmacy industry. With several biosimilars already launched in 2025 and more in the pipeline, many plan sponsors are wondering how to navigate the integration of these products into their pharmacy benefit strategies.
 
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Our host, Mike Stull, talks with Employers Health's Senior Vice President, Regulatory Compliance and External Affairs Madison Connor as she covers the latest state and federal employee benefits and PBM legislation under the new presidential administration. Together, they'll cover proposed bills affecting anti-steering legislation including mail vs. retail, preferred pharmacy networks and more. They'll discuss how Rutledge vs. PCM...

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December 12, 2024 28 mins

Cell and gene therapies (CGT) are widely considered a triumph of scientific innovation, focusing on providing cures for diseases rather than treatments. By 2030, it’s predicted that over 100,000 U.S. patients will utilize some form of CGT. While CGTs are revolutionary, these therapies come with a giant price tag, leaving many employers won...

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In this episode of HR Benecast, Mike Stull and Eric Dublikar cover your pharmacy and employee benefits questions including:  

  • What's new in federal and state pharmacy benefit legislation.
  • How Employers Health is working to help clients manage changes to their PBM plans. 
  • What the switch to biosimilars for Humira and Stelara means for plan sponsors.
  • What impact GLP-1s are having on employer drug spend?
  • Trends in GLP-1 coverage ...
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This episode features Employers Health Chief Operating Officer, Zach Hostetler. He joins our Chief Sales Officer, Mike Stull to discuss pharmacy benefit rebate credits and why they exist. They'll cover how rebate credits are calculated, how long we can expect rebate credits to be around, how Employers Health is working to validate the value of the rebate credits and more. 

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In this episode, we're joined by Madison Connor, senior vice president of regulatory compliance and external affairs at Employers Health. She will share the latest in state and federal PBM legislation. Hear who's behind many of the recent PBM legislative initiatives, how PBMs like CVS and Optum Rx plan to handle these newly-proposed state laws and discover how employers can prepare for these new requirements. 

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Hear from employee benefits and compensation lawyer Jeff Zimon as he covers why fiduciary obligations are making headlines and what the Johnson & Johnson lawsuit means for plan sponsors. He discusses steps employers can take to ensure they are fulfilling their fiduciary duties, the importance of summary plan descriptions (SPDs) and the need for proper pharmacy benefit documentation. 

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The first 2024 episode of HR Benecast features Courtney Keefe, Employers Health's resident GLP-1 expert. She'll share utilization, discontinuation and coverage trends for GLP-1s and anti-obesity drugs. Listeners will hear the latest on anti-obesity drug coverage under the pharmacy benefit, new drugs in the pipeline and how the big PBM's are managing drugs like Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. 

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On our last episode of 2023, we sit down with Ryan Siemers, founder and principal at Aegis Risk to cover all the intricacies of stop loss. As the costs of catastrophic claims continue to grow, reinsurance protection and medical stop loss are more important than ever. Listen to hear how costly gene therapies are impacting deductibles, potential health care indust...

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In this episode of HR Benecast, we're joined by Travis Baughn, vice president of clinical solutions at Optum Rx. Listen to hear how pharmacogenetics works and its importance for employers. He'll share what plan participants need to know, and how it can be used to reduce medical waste and long and complex medication journeys. 

For additional resources on pharmacogenomics, please visit cpicpgx.org and pharmgkb.org

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Nearly half of working Americans have obesity, raising the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Hear from George Huntley, founding member and CEO of the Diabetes Leadership Council, about the importance of addressing obesity and the role it plays in employee retention. He'll share successful treatment options and the direct and indirect benefits for plan sponsors and their participants. 

 

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On the latest episode of HR Benecast we're joined by George Huntley, founding member and CEO of the Diabetes Leadership Council. He shares how plan sponsors can develop a benefits strategy to help employees with diabetes and other chronic conditions, advice for PBM contract negotiations, the latest in PBM legislation and more. 

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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.; nearly half the adults in our country have high blood pressure, putting them at risk for heart disease and stroke. April is hypertension awareness month, so we sat down with Jenn Roberts of Hello Heart to discuss how employers can reduce heart-disease-related costs while supporting their employees' heart health. Together, Jenn and our host, Mike Stull, will share the importan...

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In our first episode of 2023 we answer your employee benefits and pharmacy benefit questions. Listen as we cover:

  • The latest on rising insulin prices,
  • What the launch of a Humira biosimilar means for payors and plan sponsors,
  • How employers can combat exorbitant carve-out fees charged by some medical providers,
  • The future of rebates,
  • What employers can do to protect their pharmacy plan against the high costs of gene therapies,
  • ...
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December 9, 2022 31 mins

Hear from Employers Health's Vice President of Clinical Solutions, Matt Harman, as he shares the clinical team's learnings at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus conference, what the team's growth means for Employers Health clients, upcoming clinical strategies for self-insured employers and more. 

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October 25, 2022 30 mins

On this episode of HR Benecast we hear from George Huntley founding member and CEO of the Diabetes Leadership Council. Listen to hear how the Diabetes Leadership Council works to reduce overall spend for employers and those living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

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