The Five Stages of Healthcare Grief: How to Overcome the Healthcare Heist | Employee Benefits

May 9th, 2025

Louis C. Bernardi, “The Benefits Whisperer”

💥 Certified Healthcare Fiduciary Coach and Health Value Advisor 💥 I work with Business Leaders of mid-sized

Did you know that optimizing your healthcare plan can contribute directly to your company’s survival and growth?  ✨ When we compare the benefits of healthcare savings to findings from a recent college essay, “Ten Reasons Why Companies Keep Failing,” the connections are clear. Let’s explore how healthcare optimization addresses these pitfalls:

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From disbelief to empowerment—what every employer must go through to build a high-performance health plan.

Imagine finding out that the health plan you’ve been relying on for years—maybe even decades—has been quietly bleeding your business and employees dry. Not because of bad luck. But by design.

That moment is jarring. For many employers I work with, it marks the start of an emotional (and transformational) journey. I call it the Five Stages of Healthcare Grief. It’s the mental process employers go through when they finally confront the truth behind their underperforming health plan—and discover there’s a better way.

Let’s walk through it:

1. Shock

“This can’t be right.” When you first see the real numbers—skyrocketing costs with no correlation to better care—there’s disbelief. You realize you’ve been kept in the dark about pricing, provider quality, and conflicts of interest. Most health plans aren’t designed to perform. They’re designed to enrich intermediaries.

2. Anger

“Why didn’t anyone tell me this?” That shock quickly turns into frustration. You start seeing the misaligned incentives—how carriers, hospitals, and even PBMs profit from confusion and opacity. Worse yet, they’ve convinced you that costs are uncontrollable and complexity is normal. The realization stings.

3. Guilt

“Have I failed my people?” You think about the employees who paid too much, deferred care, or got caught in the system. You reflect on budget trade-offs, wage stagnation, and tech investments shelved because of bloated premiums. The guilt is real—but it shouldn’t linger. You weren’t complicit. You were misled.

4. Relief

“We can fix this.” Here’s the turning point. You realize it’s not too late. You can regain control. With the right strategy and aligned partners, you can reverse much of the damage. Savings of 20–30% aren’t just possible—they’re typical. And you don’t have to sacrifice quality to get them.

5. Excitement

“Why didn’t we do this sooner?” This is where transformation begins. You’re not just managing a benefit anymore. You’re optimizing a strategic asset. A high-performance health plan becomes a dividend engine—fueling wage growth, reinvestment, and employee well-being. You become a Benefit Champion.

If you’re feeling stuck in the early stages—especially shock or guilt—know this: You’re not alone. Employers across the country are waking up to the Healthcare Heist and reclaiming control.

The solution isn’t to buy a new product. It’s to adopt a new system. One rooted in transparency, aligned incentives, and a plan design with purpose.

We call it the PLAN System, and it’s how we help employers go from victims of the system to leaders of change.

💬 Have you experienced one (or all) of these stages? Ready to move forward? Let’s talk. The cost of doing nothing is only going up.

#HealthcareHeist #BenefitChampions #PLANSystem #EmployeeBenefits #HealthPlanROI #BritePath #HRLeadership

Questions? Contact the author at [email protected]

Schedule a call at calendly.com/lcbernardi

Visit our website at www.britepathbenefits.com