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For decades, employers have been fed a lie: “There’s nothing you can do to control healthcare costs.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. The system is doing exactly what...
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For decades, employers have been fed a lie: “There’s nothing you can do to control healthcare costs.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. The system is doing exactly what it was designed to do—profit off of HR, CFOs, and CEOs who believe that lie year after year.With 180 million Americans relying on employer-sponsored healthcare, it’s time to challenge the status quo. The Business of Benefits is your No BS, No Sales guide to the real solutions. No gimmicks—just the truth about how to take control, transform your benefits, and care for your most valuable asset: your people.Each episode dives deep into the data, exposing industry misalignments and inefficiencies that inflate costs while offering actionable strategies for designing financially sustainable, high-value benefits.Through eye-opening interviews with industry insiders, expert analysis, and real-world success stories, hosts Donovan and Chelsea pull back the curtain on the hidden flaws in the healthcare system. The result? An empowering roadmap for employers ready to break free from outdated models and unlock smarter, more sustainable benefits.If you’re tired of the same old sales pitch and ready to rethink benefits, reduce costs, and improve care—this podcast is for you. The truth is out there—are you ready to hear it?
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Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
8 OCT 2026 · Host Chelsea Ryckis sits down with ERISA attorney Chris Vanderwolk to answer the question every plan sponsor is asking in a cost crisis: how do you tell a legitimate cost containment solution from a scheme dressed up to look like one?
Chris is Director of Compliance and Innovation and he spent two decades in employee benefits before he ever went to law school. He walks through the vendor pitches landing in CFO inboxes every week, explains where each one breaks, and gives employers a test they can run themselves.
We get specific on FICA double-dip and SIMRP programs, fixed indemnity and wellness plans, and charity care arrangements. Chris explains why an NDA on a compliance memo is a red flag, how ERISA 408 fee reasonableness works when you price the services yourself, and which regulators are in play when a program goes wrong.
What you'll learn
How to run vendor due diligence, and why the responsibility never transfers to your broker or TPA
Why nobody has a proprietary interpretation of the tax code
The FICA double-dip pitch, and the missing element that makes it fail
How to apply ERISA 408 fee reasonableness: price the bundle yourself, then compare it to the invoice
Which regulators you implicate beyond the IRS: ERISA, HIPAA, the ADA, and the Public Health Service Act
Where wellness programs cross into tax scheme, and why a guaranteed ROI is a reason to ask questions
The only two legal ways to fund individual coverage, and the COBRA rights employees give up
The compensation question to ask your advisor, and what their reaction tells you
Time Stamps
00:00 - Cold open
00:37 - Welcome to The Business of Benefits
02:58 - Meet Chris Vanderwolk
04:12 - From Army interrogator to ERISA attorney
06:05 - Proactive compliance vs reactive cleanup
08:20 - Why there is suddenly a vendor for everything
11:22 - The bingo marker problem
11:53 - You can delegate authority, not responsibility
13:00 - What vendor due diligence actually looks like
13:44 - The NDA on the compliance memo is a red flag
15:52 - The FICA double-dip scheme explained
17:06 - How these vendors react when you push back
20:15 - Why the websites never say what the program is
21:36 - Which regulators are actually in play
23:06 - ERISA 408: is the fee disclosed and reasonable?
24:27 - Unwinding a scheme and the Classic 105 prosecution
27:14 - Who actually pays when it falls apart
28:14 - Wellness program or tax scheme in a wellness costume
29:35 - The truth about wellness ROI
30:50 - Charity care arrangements explained
33:05 - Donative intent and the golf outing test
34:45 - When a charity becomes a conduit
35:18 - The only two legal ways to fund individual coverage
36:44 - The COBRA rights employees give up
38:19 - Pricing the conduit against real market fees
41:32 - For-profit hospital assistance programs
43:01 - Cutting through the noise: follow the incentive
44:55 - The Big 4 test
46:16 - Should vendors be co-fiduciaries?
48:00 - Why consultants don't belong on the fiduciary committee
49:37 - Good work is never afraid of the fee conversation
51:13 - Scope of work and the stewardship report
52:48 - Red flags in a consultant relationship
53:39 - If you're trying to do the right thing, you probably are
55:31 - Final thoughts and where to find Chris
Ethos Benefits: https://ethosbenefits.com
Podcast: https://businessofbenefitspodcast.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-benefits-podcast/id1724134305
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethosbenefits
Donovan Ryckis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanryckis/
Chelsea Ryckis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/
Connect with Chris Vanderwolk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophervanderwolk/
FROM OUR SPONSOR
You're doing the work. Don't leave the proof behind.
Managing a health or retirement plan takes time, oversight, and judgment. Fiduciary In A Box documents your governance, vendor oversight, and committee decisions in one secure platform, so your fiduciary process speaks for itself. Learn more at www.fiduciaryinabox.com
Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:
https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education
SHRM
Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification activities.
HRCI
Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR, PHR, SPHR, and GPHR certification.
#employeebenefits #healthcarecosts #selffunded #plansponsor #benefitsstrategy #pbm #fiduciaryduty #cfo #chro #businessofbenefits
25 SEP 2026 · Every year the IRS puts out a memo called the "Dirty Dozen": a list of legal tax structures and processes that people are abusing. They're legitimate tools used the wrong way, and the memo flags them so people can get their house in order and know where the IRS plans to focus enforcement.
Donovan Ryckis applied the same concept to benefits. Twelve tactics Ethos is seeing in the market that are legitimate on paper but get abused in practice. This isn't happening everywhere, but almost any plan sponsor could probably find one or two of these in their plan, if not a lot more.
This is Part 1, tactics 12 through 7, with Donovan Ryckis (Co-Founder & CEO), Chelsea Ryckis (Founder & President) and Patrick Ansara (Director of Client Operations). Every tactic gets the same treatment: the tell, the damage in dollars, an honest look at whether there's a fair explanation, the fix, and then the verdict. Is it dirty, or is it just dumb?
What's covered: PMPM instead of PEPM, one letter that multiplies your fees 2.4 times. Contracts that quietly stop matching the proposal. Undisclosed equity between advisors and the carriers they recommend, and the 408 disclosure you're entitled to. PBM collectives, including a reprice study that came back $1.4 million better on a $9 million claim spend. Captives used as a broker's easy button. And the controlled market check, where you go to market and somehow land on the incumbent every year.
Built for mid-market and large-market plan sponsors. Part 2 counts down tactics 6 through 1.
Time Stamps
00:00 – Cold open
00:38 – Welcome to The Business of Benefits
01:01 – Where the benefits Dirty Dozen came from
02:31 – Meet Patrick Ansara
03:31 – How we grade each tactic: dirty or dumb?
04:25 – Tactic 12: PMPM instead of PEPM
10:56 – Tactic 11: The contract doesn't match the proposal
17:03 – The fix: start 150 days out, not 60
21:54 – Tactic 10: Undisclosed equity and ownership interests
27:50 – A shortlist is not a market check
28:38 – Tactic 9: PBM purchasing collectives and coalitions
29:53 – $1.4 million better outside the collective
35:46 – A word from Fiduciary in a Box
36:32 – Tactic 8: Captives as the broker's easy button
46:24 – Tactic 7: The controlled market check
1:00:27 – What's coming in Part 2
1:03:00 – An industry that pays well for mediocrity
Ethos Benefits:https://ethosbenefits.com
Podcast:https://businessofbenefitspodcast.com
Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-benefits-podcast/id1724134305
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethosbenefits
Donovan Ryckis:https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanryckis/
Chelsea Ryckis:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/
Patrick Ansara:https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickansara/
FROM OUR SPONSORYou're doing the work. Don't leave the proof behind.Managing a health or retirement plan takes time, oversight, and judgment. Fiduciary In A Box documents your governance, vendor oversight, and committee decisions in one secure platform, so your fiduciary process speaks for itself. Learn more athttp://www.fiduciaryinabox.com
Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education
SHRMEthos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
HRCIEthos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
10 SEP 2026 · In this episode of The Business of Benefits, host Chelsea Ryckis sits down with Karen van Caulil, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value, to unpack how employers are building real leverage in healthcare by purchasing together. If you have ever been told "we're not going to do a one-off for you," this one is for you.Karen explains what an employer-led healthcare coalition actually does, how the Florida Alliance moves 80 public and private sector members from passive payers to sophisticated purchasers, and why the Alliance now works in health policy. She and Chelsea dig into the new Pulse of the Purchaser survey, Florida's standing as the most expensive state in the nation for hospital services at roughly 345% of Medicare, and a real case where Central Florida employers pushed back on a double-digit hospital increase with data and a coalition at the table. Chelsea connects it to fiduciary duty, why compliance is leverage, and the auto-renewals and point solution sprawl that keep plan sponsors stuck.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN• How to tell a real coalition from a pay-to-play purchasing group• Why employers with complete claims access implement at least four more cost strategies• What to ask your PBM today: 100% rebate pass-through, claims-level data, full audit rights• Why price, not utilization, is the real cost driver• The 90-day auto-renewal trap and how to get ahead of it
TIME STAMPS00:00 Cold Open: You Can't Purchase What You Can't See00:47 Welcome to The Business of Benefits01:10 Why Every Plan Sponsor Should Be Part of a Coalition02:36 Meet Karen van Caulil and the Florida Alliance03:13 From Payer to Purchaser05:37 Moving Into Health Policy06:37 Real Coalitions vs. $180,000 Committee Seats10:03 "We're Not Going to Do a One-Off for You"11:53 Trust But Verify12:57 Does Every State Have a Coalition?16:37 Regional Differences: Pricing, Direct Contracting, Primary Care19:47 There Is No Good Price for Bad Care20:40 Sponsor: Fiduciary in a Box22:43 Case Study: Pushing Back on a Hospital Increase24:43 Pulse of the Purchaser: What Employers Expect26:18 Florida's Hospital Prices by the Numbers30:16 Data Is a Strategic Asset31:56 Don't Wait for the Law: Act on PBM Transparency Now34:57 Point Solution Overload36:35 The Auto-Renewal Trap40:05 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Karen
FROM OUR SPONSORYou're doing the work. Don't leave the proof behind.Managing a health or retirement plan takes time, oversight, and judgment. Fiduciary In A Box documents your governance, vendor oversight, and committee decisions in one secure platform, so your fiduciary process speaks for itself. Learn more at www.fiduciaryinabox.com
CONNECT WITH KARENFlorida Alliance for Healthcare Value: https://flhealthvalue.orgKaren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenvancaulilphd/Pulse of the Purchaser 2026: https://www.nationalalliancehealth.org/resources/pulse-of-the-purchaser-2026-survey-results/
CONNECT WITH CHELSEA AND ETHOS BENEFITSSchedule a Strategic Analysis: https://ethosbenefits.com/contact/Chelsea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/Ethos Benefits on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethosbenefits/
LISTENApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-benefits-podcast/id1724134305Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0nlniHvhiOKPJmowsdDlTISponsored by Fiduciary in a Box, the fiduciary operating system for health plan sponsors: https://www.fiduciaryinabox.com
Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education
SHRMEthos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
HRCIEthos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
13 AUG 2026 · This episode is built entirely from your favorite moments. In this year-in-review special, hosts Chelsea Ryckis and Donovan Ryckis of Ethos Benefits count down the most-watched clips of the year, the conversations that changed how employers think about their self-funded health plan. Across seven conversations you'll hear from an HVAC owner who found a 97% price difference on the same medical claim, an HR leader who saved her company $24 million, a PBM insider who exposes who owns who in the drug supply chain, a stop loss expert who makes self-funded vs. fully insured make sense, a reference-based pricing specialist who busts the biggest myth about balance billing, a birth advocate making the case for doulas as a benefits strategy, and Mark Cuban on where healthcare pricing is headed next. If you only watch one episode of this podcast, make it this one. What You’ll Learn * What a PBM actually is, and who owns who in the "Big 3" * Why international drug sourcing can cut prescription costs by more than 75% * How an $80,000 medical claim became $2,000 for the identical treatment from the identical doctor * The real financial impact of reference-based pricing: one company's path to $24 million in savings * How to tell when your broker isn't actually on your side, and what fiduciary disclosure should look like * Why "balance billing" fears are mostly a scare tactic, and what the real numbers show * The simplest way to explain self-funded vs. fully insured health plans to any employer * Why doulas and maternal health support belong in a modern employee benefits strategy FROM OUR SPONSOR You're doing the work. Don't leave the proof behind. Managing a health or retirement plan takes time, oversight, and judgment. Fiduciary In A Box documents your governance, vendor oversight, and committee decisions in one secure platform, so your fiduciary process speaks for itself. Learn more at www.fiduciaryinabox.com. Time Stamps 00:00 - Welcome to The Business of Benefits 01:14 - Meet Your Host: A Highlight Reel Intro 02:08 - What Is a PBM, Really? (feat. Rachel Strauss) 05:20 - Who Actually Owns the PBMs (Vertical Integration) 07:33 - International Drug Sourcing and Real Savings Numbers 12:15 - The $80K Skin Graft That Became $2K (feat. Bryan Orr) 15:49 - The Big Lie of Healthcare Pricing (feat. Stephanie Porrino) 20:07 - The Problem-Solution Cycle and Choosing Your Hard 21:12 - Rolling Out a New Plan Before Open Enrollment (feat. Danielle Young) 22:52 - Balance Bills, Mythbusted 25:42 - A Word From Fiduciary in a Box 26:30 - Self-Funded vs. Fully Insured, Explained (feat. Spencer Smith) 31:00 - POSIWID: The Purpose of a System Is What It Does 32:37 - RFP Gatekeeping and the Trip to Aruba (feat. Mark Cuban) 34:04 - Get Rid of Insurance Completely: The Future of Healthcare Banking 37:13 - The Truth About Childbirth in America (feat. Brittany George) 40:47 - Why Doulas Are Like Direct Primary Care for Birth 42:43 - We Are Robbing Women of This Experience Connect with Rachel Strauss, "PBM Princess," VP of Strategic Development at EHIM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmstrauss/ Website: https://rachelmstrauss.com/ Company: https://www.ehimrx.com/ Bryan Orr, Co-Founder, Kalos Services LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanorrkalos/ Company: https://www.kalosflorida.com/ Stephanie Porrino, Founder and CEO, Empower Healthcare Insights LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-kochporrino/ Danielle Young, VP of Business Development, ClaimDOC LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rbpdanielleyoung/ Company: https://claim-doc.com/ Spencer Smith, ParetoHealth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/ Company: https://paretohealth.com/ Mark Cuban, Co-Founder, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company Website: https://www.costplusdrugs.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/costplusdrugs Brittany George, HeR Consulting LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyspaziano/ Company: https://herconsulting.net/ Patrick Williams, Co-Founder, Fiduciary in a Box LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corporatefiduciary/ Company: https://www.fiduciaryinabox.com/ Chelsea Ryckis, President, Ethos Benefits LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/ Donovan Ryckis, CEO, Ethos Benefits LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanryckis/ MORE FROM ETHOS BENEFITS Website: https://ethosbenefits.com/ Podcast site: https://businessofbenefitspodcast.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebusinessofbenefitspodcast Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here: https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education SHRM Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. HRCI Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
30 JUL 2026 · In this episode, host Chelsea Ryckis sits down with Patrick Williams, Co-Founder of Fiduciary in a Box, to reset what it actually means to be a fiduciary over your company’s health plan, and why “I don’t know” is the one answer that won’t hold up in a Department of Labor audit. We cover the core tenets of fiduciary duty under ERISA, the difference between settlor and non-settlor functions, and why the same prudent-process standard employers already apply to their 401(k) now applies to their health plan under the CAA. Patrick shares real stories from his own client base, including a company that went seven years without filing a required Form 5500, and a 3,000-life employer that declined a fiduciary platform only to get hit with a DOL audit six months later. Chelsea and Patrick also break down a fiduciary liability insurance gap most health and welfare advisors don’t carry, why most RFP processes are built to protect incumbents, and the exact questions plan sponsors should be asking before they ever sign a contract.
What You’ll Learn
• The core tenets of fiduciary duty under ERISA, and why prudence matters more than perfection • The difference between settlor functions and fiduciary functions, and which one actually carries liability
• Why health plans now face the same committee, documentation, and vendor-review scrutiny as retirement plans
• A fiduciary liability insurance gap most health and welfare advisors don’t carry, and the question to ask them directly
• Real DOL audit and Form 5500 penalty stories, and what actually holds up as a defense
• Five RFP questions that separate a real fiduciary process from a marketing claim
• Practical steps to build a documented, audit-ready fiduciary process starting today
Whether you’re an HR professional, CFO, CEO, or a plan sponsor tired of guessing your way through renewal, this episode is your call to build a fiduciary process you can actually defend.
Connect with Patrick Williams
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corporatefiduciary/
Website: https://www.fiduciaryinabox.com
Connect with Chelsea and The Business of Benefits
Website: https://www.businessofbenefitspodcast.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebusinessofbenefitspodcast
The Business of Benefits Podcast
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Ethos Benefits is a fee-only, fiduciary benefits consulting firm. We don’t take commissions. We don’t represent carriers. We represent you.
Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:
https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education
SHRM
Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
HRCI
Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
16 JUL 2026 · At SHRM26, moderator Chelsea Ryckis and Ethos Benefits co-founder Donovan Ryckis brought two employers on stage to show what taking control of a self-funded health plan looks like in dollars and cents. Stephanie Porrino (formerly HR Director at Hendry Marine Industries, now Founder & CEO of Empower Healthcare Insights) and Jaimie Jarvis (HR Director at Kalos Services) walk through the plan changes, broker breakups, and multi-year strategy that took their companies from reactive renewals to governed, fiduciary-driven plans, backed by real claims data. We cover the four moving parts of every health plan (PBM, network, TPA, stop loss), why fully funded and level funded plans leave employers with no real data, how reference-based pricing works, and how two very different employers landed in the same place: lower costs, better access to care, and employees who feel it.What you'll learn:
- Fully funded vs. level funded vs. self-funded, and why most employers never see their real claims data
- How reference-based pricing works, and why 13 states have already adopted it
- A 300-employee shipyard's five-year case study: 77% off billed hospital claims
- How a construction company went from a 37% renewal increase to zero premium increases in four years
- Why removing cost-sharing on primary care, imaging, and mental health can lower total spend
- Why more balance bills can actually be a good sign
- How to tell if your broker or advisor is really working in your best interest
Get more on our guests at:
Stephanie Porrino, Founder & CEO, Empower Healthcare Insights
Website:
https://empowerhcinsights.com LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-kochporrino/Jaimie Jarvis, HR Director, Kalos Services
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimie-nyhuis-jarvis/Patrick Williams, Co-Founder, Fiduciary in a Box
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/corporatefiduciary/Whether you're an HR professional, CFO, CEO, or just tired of rising healthcare costs, this is your call to rethink your benefits strategy and finally take control.Connect with Chelsea and Donovan:
Website:
http://www.businessofbenefitspodcast.com YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@thebusinessofbenefitspodcast Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ethoseffectpodcast/ Chelsea:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/ Donovan:https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanryckis/
The Business of Benefits Podcast:Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Ethos Benefits is a fee-only, fiduciary benefits consulting firm. We don't take commissions. We don't represent carriers. We represent you.—-Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-educationSHRM:Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.HRCI:Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
2 JUL 2026 · In this episode of The Business of Benefits, host Chelsea Ryckis sits down with Dr. Romie Mushtaq, triple board-certified physician, national bestselling author, Chief Wellness Officer at Great Wolf Resorts, and founder of the brainSHIFT Institute, to have the workforce wellness conversation that the benefits industry has been missing.
Dr. Romie pulls back the curtain on why burnout has become one of the most overused and misunderstood terms in corporate America, and what's actually driving the crisis. From her personal story of near-fatal burnout in 2010 to building science-backed, data-driven wellness programs for 14,000+ employees, she brings the clinical receipts to a conversation that most "wellness influencers" simply can't.Chelsea and Dr. Romie also dig into what burnout really looks like in claims data and it's probably not what you think plus how organizations of any size can build a culture shift that drives measurable ROI without jump ropes, Pelotons, or wellness apps nobody uses.
The 45th Annual Employee Benefits Symposium (Aug. 23–26, Phoenix) is where benefits professionals go to connect, learn, and level up. Register by July 21 for early bird pricing: https://www.iscebs.org/symposium
What you'll learn
- Why burnout is being misdiagnosed and what employees are actually asking for
- How the Busy Brain Test gives organizations a data-driven snapshot of workforce mental health
- What burnout really looks like in claims data (hint: it's musculoskeletal injuries and metabolic syndrome, not just mental health claims)
- Why trust is the pathway to actual utilization of every benefits program you've invested in
- How Dr. Romie's three-pillar framework Protect Your Brain, Protect Your People, Protect Your Business, applies to companies of 25 or 25,000
- What happened when one plan sponsor removed every barrier to mental health access (the cost result will surprise you)
- Why wellness dies when it lives solely with the benefits director
- How empathy and accountability coexist and why caring cultures still have high expectations
18 JUN 2026 · The benefits industry is broken. $37,824. That's the average cost of a family of four on an employer-sponsored health plan in 2026 and it's growing at 9% a year. So how did we get here, and what does it actually look like to fight back?
In this episode, host Austin Townend sits down with Chelsea Ryckis (President) and Donovan Ryckis (CEO) of Ethos Benefits for the origin story nobody asked for but everyone needs to hear. From Donovan's background as a fiduciary securities advisor who saw the same conflicts in healthcare and couldn't look away, to Chelsea getting hit in the head with a softball and learning the hard way that you can run but you can't hide from medical debt... this is the story of how Ethos was built different on purpose.
Take the next step in your career. Start your CEBS journey today at CEBS.org.
https://bit.ly/48k4aeZ
What You'll Learn
Why Donovan left a lucrative securities career to fix a bigger problem in healthcare
Chelsea's personal experience with medical debt and how it shaped the Ethos mission
The real definition of fiduciary — and the three things it actually requires
Why there is zero fiduciary standard in insurance (and what that means for you)
The $37,824 number every employer needs to hear
A claim is a dollar, not a condition — and why that distinction changes everything
The four things you can do with healthcare risk: reduce, avoid, retain, or transfer
Why brokers go straight to the transfer (and how that lines their pockets)
How to vet whether your advisor is actually living the fiduciary standard — not just marketing it
Where the industry is headed over the next five years, including PBM legislation and litigation
at
Connect with Chelsea Ryckis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/
Connect with Donovan Ryckis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanryckis/
Connect with Austin Townend:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austintownend/
Connect with Ethos Benefits:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethosbenefits/
Website: https://www.ethosbenefits.com
—
Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:
https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education
SHRM:
Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
HRCI:
Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
#EmployeeBenefits #HealthcareCosts #FiduciaryDuty #BusinessOfBenefits #EthosBenefits #HRLeadership #GroupHealthInsurance #BenefitsStrategy #HealthcarePlanning #PBM #ERISA #HealthBenefits #EmployerHealthcare #BenefitsBroker #OpenEnrollment #HealthcareCostContainment #SelfFundedHealthPlan #HRPodcast #BenefitsPodcast #PlanSponsor
4 JUN 2026 · In this episode, host Chelsea Ryckis sits down with Brittany George( insurance industry veteran, founder of Her Consulting, and author of A Tale of Two Births) to pull back the curtain on maternal healthcare in America. Brittany brings a rare perspective: 17 years in health insurance, time at Fountain Health, and two profoundly different birth experiences that changed everything she thought she knew about the system she worked in.
They cover the cascade of interventions most women don't know they're signing up for, why the incentives inside hospitals are misaligned against patients, what fentanyl has to do with labor and delivery, and — critically — what self-funded employers can do RIGHT NOW to support the women on their plans.
What You'll Learn
- Why 70% of women get an epidural containing fentanyl — and most aren't told
- How a C-section can cost a health plan $80,000–$100,000+ vs. $4,000–$7,000 for a vaginal birth
- Why doula coverage is the single highest-impact benefit employers can add today
- The downstream health risks for dependents born via C-section — and what that means for your plan
- How the birth center vs. hospital vs. home birth decision affects both outcomes AND claims
- Why women at every stage — postpartum, perimenopausal, infertile — are being underserved by traditional benefits
- What "A Tale of Two Births" taught Brittany about asking better questions in any healthcare setting
Connect with Chelsea Ryckis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsearyckis
Website: https://www.ethosbenefits.com
Connect with Brittany George:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyspaziano/
Website: https://ataleoftwobirths.com/
Connect with Ethos Benefits:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethos-benefits
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ethosbenefits
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethosbenefits
Website: https://www.ethosbenefits.com
The Business of Benefits Podcast:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Ethos Benefits is a fee-only, fiduciary benefits consulting firm. We don't take commissions. We don't represent carriers. We represent you.
—
Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:
https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education
SHRM:
Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
HRCI:
Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
21 MAY 2026 · What if making mental health care completely free for your employees actually lowered your total plan costs?
In this solo episode, host Chelsea Ryckis breaks down one of the most compelling case studies in Ethos Benefits' history, a manufacturing company with 350–380 employees that eliminated every financial barrier to mental health care. Zero copays. Zero deductibles. Unlimited sessions. Open network. No prior authorization.
The result? 12% utilization (vs. a 4% national benchmark), 594 claims, an average of 14 sessions per member — and a total cost of just $7 per employee per month. Meanwhile, traditional plans with restrictions are benchmarking at $14–$17 PEPM for mental health.
Chelsea also covers the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), updated in 2024, and walks plan sponsors through the compliance pitfalls she sees most often — from restrictive prior authorizations to narrow behavioral health networks to inconsistent NQTLs.
This episode is for HR leaders, CFOs, and plan sponsors who are tired of designing benefits around fear of cost — and ready to see what happens when you design around actual employee needs.
What you'll learn:
Why EAPs alone are not enough (only 4% of employees actually use them)
The real cost of untreated mental health: 23% more absenteeism and 3x higher healthcare costs
What a zero-barrier mental health plan design actually looks like
How 594 claims over 2.7 years cost just $129 per claim on average
The MHPAEA compliance pitfalls plan sponsors overlook — including NQTLs and network adequacy
Why the cultural component of mental health support matters as much as the plan design
How to audit your current plan for mental health parity compliance.
Connect with Chelsea Ryckis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsearyckis
Website: https://www.ethosbenefits.com
Connect with Ethos Benefits:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethos-benefits
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ethosbenefits
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethosbenefits
Website: https://www.ethosbenefits.com
The Business of Benefits Podcast:
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Ethos Benefits is a fee-only, fiduciary benefits consulting firm. We don't take commissions. We don't represent carriers. We represent you.
Learn about CEBS!
In a field as complex as employee benefits and retirement, experience alone isn’t always enough. Credibility matters.
That’s why professionals turn to CEBS—the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation. Developed in partnership with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, CEBS delivers comprehensive expertise across both group and retirement benefits—equipping you to lead with confidence and authority.
Set yourself apart with a designation that speaks for itself.
Start your CEBS journey at CEBS.org.
https://bit.ly/48k4aeZ
—
Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here:
https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education
SHRM:
Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
HRCI:
Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.
For decades, employers have been fed a lie: “There’s nothing you can do to control healthcare costs.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. The system is doing exactly what...
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For decades, employers have been fed a lie: “There’s nothing you can do to control healthcare costs.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. The system is doing exactly what it was designed to do—profit off of HR, CFOs, and CEOs who believe that lie year after year.With 180 million Americans relying on employer-sponsored healthcare, it’s time to challenge the status quo. The Business of Benefits is your No BS, No Sales guide to the real solutions. No gimmicks—just the truth about how to take control, transform your benefits, and care for your most valuable asset: your people.Each episode dives deep into the data, exposing industry misalignments and inefficiencies that inflate costs while offering actionable strategies for designing financially sustainable, high-value benefits.Through eye-opening interviews with industry insiders, expert analysis, and real-world success stories, hosts Donovan and Chelsea pull back the curtain on the hidden flaws in the healthcare system. The result? An empowering roadmap for employers ready to break free from outdated models and unlock smarter, more sustainable benefits.If you’re tired of the same old sales pitch and ready to rethink benefits, reduce costs, and improve care—this podcast is for you. The truth is out there—are you ready to hear it?
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Information
| Author | Hi Hello Labs Network |
| Organization | Hi Hello Labs |
| Categories | Business , Entrepreneurship , Self-Improvement |
| Website | - |
| podcast@ethoseffectpodcast.com |
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