Plan economics
Understand what is driving spend before deciding what to change.
Employer Benefits IQ
Practical intelligence for better health-plan decisions.
A growing library for employers, finance leaders and HR teams who need to evaluate healthcare with clearer questions, stronger evidence and a year-round management mindset.
Prepared by Corry Hull, REBC®, CSFS® | Vice President of Employee Benefits, BHC Insurance | Health Rosetta Advanced Advisor | Author, The High Performance Health Plan | Founder, Employer Benefits IQ | Health Rosetta Rosie Award Winner | Public Speaker & Employee Benefits Strategist.
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Explore Employer Benefits IQ
Find additional practical insight for employer leaders navigating better benefits decisions, clearer healthcare economics and stronger accountability.
Documents from the book
Put the framework to work.
Explore these companion documents in sequence—from the book’s structure through the practical decision tools that support plan oversight.
Stop-Loss & Catastrophic Risk
Stop-Loss Glossary
A concise reference to the terms that shape catastrophic-risk decisions, coverage reviews and leadership oversight.
Stop-Loss & Catastrophic Risk
Stop-Loss Quote Comparison
A structured comparison worksheet for reviewing coverage terms, protections and trade-offs before placement.
Plan Financing & Risk Strategy
Three Funding Paths and What Each Requires
A decision-support worksheet for comparing funding approaches against the organization’s risk posture, cash flow and governance capacity.
Health Plan Roadmap
Three-Year Roadmap Approaches
A practical planning worksheet for sequencing employer healthcare improvements across a three-year strategy horizon.
Browse by decision area
Purchasing & contracts
Replace discount-based assumptions with terms, incentives and accountability you can actually evaluate.
Care strategy
Connect plan design to the care pathways employees use at the moment of need.
Leadership & governance
Give health-plan decisions the ownership, cadence and evidence they deserve.
The Framework knowledge base
Ten components. One resource library.
Every resource is organized to reinforce the canonical High Performance Health Plan Framework™. Begin with the capability that needs a stronger decision, then move from guidance to practical action.
Funding choices, risk posture and the governance required to manage both.
2 guides1 tool1 download
Browse component resources Decision-ready data, contract visibility and recurring performance review.
3 guides0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources Provider economics, network design and the measures that define value.
2 guides0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources PBM accountability, specialty sourcing and pharmacy purchasing discipline.
3 guides0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources Protection terms, market evaluation and catastrophic-claim oversight.
2 guides2 tools2 downloads
Browse component resources Access, continuity and earlier pathways into higher-value care.
2 guides0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources Complex-case strategy, centers of excellence and care-pathway design.
3 guides0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources Practical employee support at the moment a healthcare decision matters.
2 guides0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources Leadership cadence, committee discipline and vendor accountability.
6 guides0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources Decision-based communication, adoption and evidence that experience is improving.
1 guide0 tools0 downloads
Browse component resources Resource library
Quick guidance. Deeper authority.
Executive Briefs are concise leadership resources. Definitive Guides are the longer cornerstone pieces that build enduring strategy.
Executive BriefScore-to-Roadmap leadership brief
Three questions to ask after a Health Plan Score
A concise executive brief for turning the lowest Health Plan Score results into a disciplined sequence of decisions.
Read the guide
Executive BriefScore-to-Roadmap action guide
Common Health Plan Score priorities
A shareable executive guide to the five recurring Health Plan Score priorities and the Roadmap actions that turn them into disciplined work.
Read the guide
Definitive GuidePharmacy & specialty-drug management
Why pharmacy deserves a year-round management strategy
A definitive employer guide to pharmacy strategy, PBM contract management, specialty drug controls and year-round governance.
Read the guide
Executive BriefHigh-cost care & clinical strategy
A high-cost claim is a care-pathway decision
A shareable guide for employers whose Health Plan Score highlights high-cost care—and the Roadmap actions that turn reactive claims into a deliberate clinical strategy.
Read the guide
Executive BriefData, analytics & transparency
Turn plan transparency into a 90-day leadership decision
A shareable guide for employers whose Health Plan Score identifies transparency as a priority—and the first Roadmap action that puts better evidence in front of leadership.
Read the guide
Executive BriefPlan financing & risk strategy
Make plan financing a deliberate risk decision
A shareable guide for employers whose Health Plan Score identifies financing and risk strategy as a priority—and the Roadmap actions that establish a stronger foundation.
Read the guide
Executive BriefMedical network & provider economics
Measure network value before changing the network
A shareable guide for employers whose Health Plan Score identifies medical network economics as a priority—and the Roadmap action that turns discount assumptions into evidence-based purchasing.
Read the guide
Executive BriefStop-loss & catastrophic risk
Treat catastrophic risk as a plan-management decision
A shareable guide for employers whose Health Plan Score identifies catastrophic risk as a priority—and the Roadmap actions that make protection, reporting and leadership oversight more deliberate.
Read the guide
Executive BriefPrimary care & early intervention
Build primary care into the plan’s first line of strategy
A shareable guide for employers whose Health Plan Score identifies primary care and early intervention as a priority—and the Roadmap actions that make better access a deliberate strategy.
Read the guide
Executive BriefNavigation & employee experience
Make navigation a care decision, not a member perk
A shareable guide for employers whose Health Plan Score identifies navigation and employee experience as a priority—and the Roadmap actions that help people reach the right care sooner.
Read the guide
Executive BriefLeadership & governance
The renewal is a decision point—not a strategy
Annual renewal activity can be necessary, but it is not a substitute for year-round management of cost, quality, access and accountability.
Read the guide
Executive BriefPlan economics
What plan transparency actually makes possible
Transparency is useful only when it equips leaders to ask better questions about prices, utilization, contracts and incentives.
Read the guide
Executive BriefPurchasing & contracts
Discounts do not equal value
A network discount can sound persuasive while obscuring the underlying provider price, patient access and quality of care.
Read the guide
Executive BriefCare strategy
Navigation is part of the health-plan design
Employees cannot use a better health plan if they cannot understand it or find high-value care when they need it.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideScore-to-Roadmap leadership brief
From Health Plan Score to Roadmap: a definitive guide to action
A research-informed guide to turning a health plan assessment finding into a focused 90-day decision and a sequenced multi-year operating roadmap.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideFiduciary governance & accountability
Health Plan Governance Calendar: A Year-Round Leadership Tool
A research-informed guide to creating a documented, decision-focused governance rhythm for employer health plan oversight.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideEmployee navigation & care experience
Employee navigation: a definitive guide to care pathways that work
A research-informed guide to designing employee navigation that makes clinically appropriate, higher-value care easier to find and use.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideData, analytics & transparency
The employer claims baseline: a definitive guide to usable health-plan oversight
A research-informed executive guide to building a claims baseline, asking better vendor questions and using transparent information to govern employer healthcare decisions.
Read the guideDefinitive GuidePharmacy & specialty-drug management
Specialty pharmacy oversight: a definitive employer decision guide
A research-informed guide to specialty-drug oversight, vendor transparency and clinically appropriate pharmacy management for employer health plans.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideHigh-cost care & clinical strategy
High-cost care management: a definitive guide to complex-case oversight
A research-informed executive guide to building ethical, accountable complex-case pathways that support members before high-consequence care decisions become fixed.
Read the guide
Definitive GuidePlan financing & risk strategy
Employer Health Plan Financing Strategy: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to choosing, governing and revisiting employer health-plan financing, reserves and retained risk.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideData, analytics & transparency
Employer Health Plan Data and Transparency: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to data rights, claims visibility and decision-ready analytics for employer health-plan governance.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideMedical network & provider economics
Employer Provider Pricing and Network Strategy: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to provider price variation, network value, access and evidence-based healthcare purchasing.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideStop-loss & catastrophic risk
Employer Stop-Loss and Catastrophic Risk: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to catastrophic claim exposure, stop-loss evaluation and year-round employer risk oversight.
Read the guide
Definitive GuidePrimary care & early intervention
Employer Primary Care Strategy: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to primary care access, continuity and early intervention in employer health-plan strategy.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideHigh-cost care & clinical strategy
Employer High-Cost Care Strategy: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to care pathways, complex-case support and accountable clinical strategy for employers.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideNavigation & employee experience
Employer Healthcare Navigation Strategy: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to employee healthcare navigation, benefit literacy and care pathways that employees can use.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideFiduciary governance & accountability
Fiduciary Governance Overview: Applying the Framework
A definitive guide to health-plan governance, decision rights, vendor accountability and documented employer oversight.
Read the guide
Definitive GuideEmployee engagement, communication & measurement
Employee Benefits Communication and Measurement: A Definitive Guide
A definitive guide to employee benefits communication, engagement and measures that reveal real understanding and use.
Read the guide
Supporting guideFiduciary governance & accountability
Fiduciary Committee Checklist for Employer Health Plans
A practical checklist for establishing decision rights, meeting records and repeatable oversight for an employer health plan.
Read the guide
Supporting guideVendor accountability
Vendor Accountability for Employer Health Plans
How plan sponsors can connect vendor promises, reporting and follow-through to an accountable governance process.
Read the guide
Supporting guideFiduciary responsibilities
CAA Fiduciary Responsibilities for Employer Health Plans
A practical leadership overview of fiduciary process questions raised by the Consolidated Appropriations Act for employer-sponsored health plans.
Read the guide
Supporting guideCompensation transparency
Broker Compensation Disclosure for Employer Health Plans
Questions employers can use to understand broker and consultant compensation, incentives and disclosure practices.
Read the guide
Supporting guidePharmacy accountability
PBM Fiduciary Oversight for Employer Health Plans
A focused governance guide for reviewing PBM compensation, data access, performance commitments and oversight responsibilities.
Read the guideCornerstone editorial series
Ten definitive guides, one for each Framework component.
This editorial blueprint sets the long-form knowledge base that will connect executive decisions, Framework components and Health Plan Score priorities.
self-funded health plan strategy, employer risk financing
Employer Health Plan Financing Strategy
Explain funding-model fit, reserves, cash-flow risk, stop-loss alignment and the decisions leadership should revisit quarterly.
Explore Plan Financing & Risk Strategyemployer health plan analytics, claims transparency
Employer Health Plan Data and Transparency
Cover decision-ready claims data, data rights, reporting ownership, vendor accountability and a practical quarterly scorecard.
Explore Data, Analytics & Transparencyemployer provider pricing, healthcare network strategy
Employer Provider Pricing and Network Strategy
Address price variation, network contracts, quality signals, reference points, access and the purchasing decisions that change value.
Explore Medical Network & Provider Economicsemployer pharmacy strategy, PBM contract management
Employer Pharmacy Strategy and PBM Contract Management
Cover PBM economics, spread pricing, rebates, specialty sourcing, GLP-1 strategy, biosimilars, audits and contract guarantees.
Explore Pharmacy & Specialty Drug Managementemployer stop-loss strategy, catastrophic claims management
Employer Stop-Loss and Catastrophic Risk Strategy
Cover attachment-point decisions, carrier-market evaluation, laser provisions, claims volatility, contract terms and oversight.
Explore Stop-Loss & Catastrophic Riskemployer primary care strategy, early intervention benefits
Employer Primary Care Strategy
Explain primary care access, care continuity, incentives, employee adoption, chronic-condition support and leading indicators.
Explore Primary Care & Early Interventionemployer high-cost care management, clinical strategy
Employer High-Cost Care Strategy
Cover care pathways, centers of excellence, second opinions, oncology and musculoskeletal decisions, navigation and outcomes.
Explore High-Cost Care & Clinical Strategyemployee healthcare navigation, benefits experience
Employer Healthcare Navigation Strategy
Address benefit literacy, finding care, vendor handoffs, friction points, service standards and member-experience measures.
Explore Navigation & Employee Experienceemployer health plan governance, benefits fiduciary accountability
Employer Health Plan Governance
Cover ownership, committee cadence, decision records, vendor accountability, fiduciary documentation and the leadership calendar.
Explore Fiduciary Governance & Accountabilityemployee benefits communication strategy, benefits engagement metrics
Employee Benefits Communication and Measurement
Cover decision-based communication, segmentation, timing, adoption, listening methods and measures that move beyond opens.
Explore Employee Engagement, Communication & MeasurementPlain-language glossary
Terms worth knowing.
- Plan sponsor
- The employer or organization responsible for establishing and overseeing the health plan.
- Fiduciary governance
- A documented approach to making, recording and monitoring plan decisions with the interests of plan participants in view.
- Total cost of care
- The full cost associated with delivering care, considered alongside quality, access and the employee experience—not simply the premium or a discount.
- Stop-loss
- Insurance that helps limit exposure to unusually high claims in a self-funded or partially self-funded health plan.
- PBM
- Pharmacy benefit manager: a company that administers pharmacy benefits and related purchasing arrangements.
- Care navigation
- Support that helps employees understand benefits and identify appropriate, high-value care options.
Frequently asked questions
A clearer place to begin.
Who is Employer Benefits IQ for?+
It is designed for employer leaders, finance teams, HR professionals and benefits decision-makers who want a more practical way to understand and manage healthcare.
Does this library replace legal, clinical or financial advice?+
No. The material is educational and intended to improve the questions employers ask. Organizations should engage appropriate professional advisors for decisions requiring specialized advice.
Where should we start if our plan feels reactive?+
Begin with the Health Plan Score. It provides a directional baseline across ten connected components and points to the management disciplines that deserve attention first.
How does the library connect to the book?+
The book provides the core management philosophy. The Framework, Score and Employer Benefits IQ resources translate that philosophy into practical decision paths.
Put the methodology to work
Apply the HPHP methodology with 
.
Employer Benefits IQ is the practical application platform for employers who want to use education, tools, data, vendor intelligence and decision support in real-world benefits decisions.
tools and decision support