SELF-FUNDED EMPLOYERS THRIVE ON DATA - The Rough Notes Company Inc.

The importance of having relevant data in making decisions rises in proportion to the amount of money at stake. Thus, when their health benefits costs rise to a certain point, employers become more interested in self-funding because it gives them access to targeted data about those costs. This data access can lead to better decision making. It’s a bit like the situation that baseball managers find themselves in. When player salaries and other costs were much lower, a manager could afford to trust his gut. Now he wants every scrap of analytics he can get. When he sends a relief pitcher to the mound in the late innings, he’s got data on his side. Medical stop loss insurers work closely with benefits brokers in establishing self-insured plans and backstopping them for high-dollar claims. Claims and cost data is their strength. They report a growing interest in self-funding from employers of all sizes. Syed Rizvi is vice president, specialty insurance, for Nationwide, which writes stop los

The importance of having relevant data in making decisions rises in proportion to the amount of money at stake. Thus, when their health benefits costs rise to a certain point, employers become more interested in self-funding because it gives them access to targeted data about those costs. This data access can lead to better decision making. It’s a bit like the situation that baseball managers find themselves in. When player salaries and other costs were much lower, a manager could afford to trust his gut. Now he wants every scrap of analytics he can get. When he sends a relief pitcher to the m