December 10, 2025
Louis C. Bernardi, “The Benefits Whisperer”
The Healthcare Heist Newsletter – by Lou Bernardi, The Benefits Whisperer, Certified Healthcare Fiduciary Coach, Certified Health Value Advisor.
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Inside the moment when employers finally saw what a reimagined health plan can do.
Open enrollment is usually a grind. A ritual. A predictable loop of higher premiums, shrinking benefits, and pulling levers no one actually likes pulling.
But this year? Something different happened.
Over the past three months, our open enrollment meetings felt electric in a way I’ve never quite experienced. And it all started long before any renewal landed on an HR leader’s desk.
Starting Early Changed the Game
Before the carriers released their usual “here’s your increase, don’t shoot the messenger” renewal, we reached out to our HR partners with a different kind of request:
“Set up a conversation with someone who owns the healthcare budget, your CFO, CEO, or Director of Finance. Someone who understands your business strategy and where you’re going over the next 2, 5, and 10 years.”
Every group that ultimately transformed their plan in a meaningful way said yes.
And those conversations…they weren’t about quotes. They were about purpose. Steerage. Navigation. Top doctors. And most importantly: how insurers and health systems manipulate claims, premiums, and employer expectations to maintain the status quo.
Our goal was simple: Help them see the potential of a reimagined health plan, not the one they inherited, but the one they deserved.
Once they did, our team went to work. Not quoting apples to apples. But apples to diamonds.
Richer benefits. 20–50% lower premiums. And plan sponsors finally understood why the savings were real, and sustainable.
These weren’t cost-cutting decisions. These were strategic upgrades that aligned with their business goals and their values.
The Most Purposeful Plan Design Discussions I’ve Ever Seen
For years, I’ve been planting seeds, reshaping our agency, our approach, and our identity around high-performance health plans and aligned incentives.
This was the first year I saw all those seeds sprout at once.
CFOs, CEOs, and HR Leaders leaned in. They asked deeper questions. They challenged old assumptions. They built plans, not just bought insurance.
It was rewarding in a way that’s hard to describe. It felt like everyone finally understood the assignment.
Then Came Open Enrollment And the Room Felt Different
Open enrollment is where great ideas either shine…or fall flat.
But this year?
The C-suite showed up. HR wanted to co-present. They were proud, truly proud, of what they built.
We walked employees through the normal things: copays, deductibles, networks. But instead of telling them, “Pick what you can afford,” we walked them through how they actually use healthcare and how this new plan was built around that reality.
And then came that slide.
You know the one: The employee contribution slide, typically a moment filled with tension, apologizing, bracing for impact.
Except this time, the tone shifted.
HR and the CFO opened with:
“We all know healthcare costs are rising… so it wouldn’t surprise anyone if our premiums went up too…”
Then came the punchline:
“…except they’re not. In fact, we’re lowering them. By a lot.”
Ten-year-old premium levels. 20% reductions. New benefits added because of the savings. And my favorite moment of the season:
A woman gasped, audibly, when HR announced that the company was paying 100% of employee premiums and reducing family tiers by 50%.
She just stared at the slide, shaking her head, trying to wrap her mind around it.
I didn’t have to say a word. I just sat there and soaked it in.
For Me, It Was Personal
I’ve spent eight years tearing down, rebuilding, and reimagining what our agency could be. Eight years fighting upstream against a system designed to convince employers that nothing can change.
This open enrollment season was my reminder that it wasn’t in vain.
Purpose won. Strategy won. People won.
And the future? It’s bright for employers, for employees, and for the High-Performance Health Plan movement.
If you want the next open enrollment season to feel like this, not the same old annual disappointment, the first step is simple:
👉 Start earlier. 👉 Bring in the decision-makers. 👉 Be willing to imagine something better.
The Healthcare Heist only wins when we let it.
This year, a whole lot of employers decided they’d had enough.
And it was beautiful.
If you’d like to discuss how a high-performance health plan could impact your company, your people or your team — let’s connect.
Contact the author at lcbernardi@britepathbenefits.com
Schedule a call at calendly.com/lcbernardi
Visit our website at www.britepathbenefits.com