Where savings come from
It rarely comes from one change. Usually it's a combination of funding, plan design, pharmacy and cleaner billing, and the right combination depends on your group.
Shopping carriers every year is the least interesting lever. It can help, but it's often a short-term fix that leaves the reasons for the increase untouched.
Seeing what drives cost
You can't manage what you can't see. On fully insured plans, most employers get very little claims data. Level-funded and self-funded plans give you monthly reporting that shows whether costs come from a few large claims, from pharmacy or from how people use care.
With that information, the conversation changes from accepting an increase to deciding what to do about it.
