by Joseph Manheim
Sr. Vice President, Benefits Administration
The TriZetto Group, Inc

If you currently offer, or would like to offer, debit card administration to your various employer groups and plan participants, consider whether or not your administrative system has a real-time connection with the debit card administration company. Why? Because then you are far less likely to accidentally overpay on the debit card balance.

by Scott MacStravic, Ph.D.

There has been a growing swell of interest and adoption of “consumer-directed health plans” that are neither “consumer-directed” nor “health” in reality. Their principal philosophy and logic is that if consumers have to pay significantly more of the costs for sickness care (real health care is often free), while having a slightly increased degree of choice about providers and plans, they will become more prudent and spend less.

by Cheryl Stacey
Senior Consultant
Hazen Group

This is a time of significant change. Converging trends and improved technical capabilities will continue to shape healthcare delivery and finance over the coming decade. Trends to watch include:

• Increasing focus on individual consumers
• Expansion of information technology
• Shift to more proactive medical cost and quality management

Coalition America, Inc. (CAI) has developed leading edge technology to deliver carrier level cost containment services focused on controlling the increase in healthcare spending for payors.