t’s April 1st, which means you’re legally allowed to play dumb jokes on your coworkers, post fake job changes on LinkedIn, and maybe even tape a “kick me” sign on your CFO’s back. But you know what’s not a joke? The giant insurance renewal you just got hit with. Oh wait — no, sorry. That is a joke. You’re just the punchline.
Let’s talk about this game they’ve got you playing.
You walk into the annual group health insurance renewal meeting. Everyone’s there — your HR director, your broker, a guy in a suit who nobody remembers inviting, and of course, the Holy Spreadsheet. You know the one. More rows than the IRS, more columns than a Roman ruin, and if you squint hard enough, you can see where your budget goes to die.
And then they hit you with it:
“Good news! The carrier came in at a 22% increase. But we negotiated it down to 17%! High fives, anyone?”
Bro. That’s not a win. That’s a mugging where the robber hands you your wallet back with five bucks still in it and says, “See? Could’ve been worse.”
The real kicker? You probably had a good year. Your team was healthy. Maybe someone even started a wellness program. Your claims were low. Your costs were stable. And still… they tell you that you’re the problem.
“We had losses on your group.”
Right. Because Chad from Accounting pulled a hamstring playing lunchtime pickleball, and now you’re apparently insurable Ebola.
Look — the insurance company doesn’t actually lose money on you. You’re not the loser in their book. You’re the prize. The golden goose. They just can’t tell you that, because then you’d stop paying the participation fee in their casino.
They keep you confused for a reason. They need you confused. Because confused people don’t change. They nod along. They sign the renewal. They thank the broker for “fighting hard.” And then they go back to trying to figure out how to shave costs somewhere else, like reducing snacks in the break room.
Let’s get something straight: that spreadsheet is not holy. It’s not truth. It’s not neutral. It’s a complex invoice for a system that’s been carefully engineered to make you feel like the lucky one — even as you lose money.
Ever look at the fine print in that thing?
No? Of course not. No one has. That’s the point.
Let me give you the TL;DR of what’s hiding in there:
✔️ Pooling charges.
✔️ Industry load factors.
✔️ Pharmacy trends.
✔️ Capitation fees for services you don’t even use.
✔️ And the fan favorite: IBNR – Incurred But Not Reported. Or as I like to call it: “Imaginary But Neatly Rationalized.”
They’re just guessing at stuff. Guessing how old your employees are, how sick they might get, how expensive their prescriptions will be, and then charging you for it in advance — just in case. And when none of it happens? Do you get a refund?
Nope. The insurance company says,
“Thanks for playing. Try again next year.”
Now, the moment you say the words self-funding, someone in the room clutches their pearls and says, “But what if someone needs a liver transplant??” Oh no. Not a liver transplant. Heaven forbid someone actually uses the insurance you’re already paying for.
They’ve got you afraid of ghosts. Scared of what might happen, while ignoring what’s already happening — which is that you’re overpaying every single month, and no one’s showing you where the money goes.
Self-funding isn’t scary. Not when you know what you’re doing. Not when you’ve got someone in your corner who opens the books, explains the numbers, and shows you how to actually benefit when your team stays healthy.
What’s scary is continuing to trust a spreadsheet made by people who profit whether you win or lose.
It’s like playing poker with a dealer who owns the casino. Spoiler alert: you’re not leaving with the chips, baby.
At Better Source Benefits, we don’t play that game.
We don’t feed you magic spreadsheets or pat you on the head when your rate only goes up 17% instead of 22%. We help you understand where every dollar goes. We reward you when your employees stay healthy. We stop punishing you for doing the right things.
We treat your benefits like a business. Because it is.
So on this fine April Fool’s Day — while everyone else is taping notes to chairs and posting fake resignations — take a minute to realize the biggest joke of all: your insurance plan.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to stop playing the fool.
There is something you can do. You can stop setting yourself up to get ripped off.
Here’s what you need to do right now if you want to stop this cycle:
- Change the chain of command – when it comes to reviewing healthcare plans, your CFO and Controller should be involved from the start. They have the financial expertise. They know how to negotiate. They have the decision-making power.
- Stop forcing brokers to “talk to HR first” – let HR be part of the conversation, sure. But do not let them be the gatekeepers. If they’re the first line of defense, you’re playing to lose.
- Work with experts who can actually get you a better deal – At Better Source Benefits, we do just that. We cut through the red tape, go straight to the C-Suite, and show you how to stop bleeding money on healthcare.
And listen – if you love overpaying for insurance, if you enjoy watching your profits disappear, then ignore everything I just said.
But if you want to win, then it’s time to stop playing THEIR game.
Escape the system, or just continue feeding it… Your gateway is here >>