{"podcast":{"title":"The Benefits Playbook","slug":"the-benefits-playbook-6571110","podcast_index_feed_id":6571110,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/4tIcUH9M","website_url":"https://the-benefits-playbook.simplecast.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/ef1272bf-7ccc-4164-b4d1-fb42b20b1437/60ce252e-490c-4925-829d-dd0f89881757/3000x3000/the-benefits-playbook-coverart.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"Collective Health","episode_count":33,"summary":"Employee healthcare represents the second-largest investment for most U.S. businesses, behind payroll. It's a highly complex system with excessive costs, frustrating member experiences, and administrative burdens. So, how can employers take control? On The Benefits Playbook: Strategies for Self-Funded Health Plans, you'll hear expert guidance from some of the best minds in the business. Learn how employers are getting more from their healthcare investments and making it easier for their employees to understand and access healthcare. Get off the sidelines and join us for The Benefits Playbook, brought to you by the team at Collective Health.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T18:17:31.988572+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-benefits-playbook-6571110"},"episode":{"title":"The Benefits Playbook: Season 4","slug":"the-benefits-playbook-season-4","published_at":"2026-03-04T18:40:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-benefits-playbook-6571110/the-benefits-playbook-season-4","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-benefits-playbook-6571110","url":"https://the-benefits-playbook.simplecast.com/episodes/the-benefits-playbook-season-4-fnJjk5FY","audio_url":"https://afp-922686-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/17e1f0f6-c8fb-47b8-890b-336a6f1719e1/episodes/c1954fb0-8443-44be-97a2-09071fc395ee/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=17e1f0f6-c8fb-47b8-890b-336a6f1719e1&awEpisodeId=c1954fb0-8443-44be-97a2-09071fc395ee&feed=4tIcUH9M","summary":"It’s 2026, but the healthcare system still feels like it’s stuck in the past. Costs are soaring, benefits are confusing, and employees are left navigating a system built on pieces that don’t fit together. Employers are exhausted trying to manage it all, while employees struggle to get the care they need. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Smart employers and their consultants are flipping the script: cutting costs, simplifying the experience, and creating benefits their people actually love. On The Benefits Playbook, we uncover the bold strategies that are rewriting the rules of self-funded health benefits. In Season 4, host Kirk McConnell speaks with industry leaders about bringing transparency to a system built on confusion, using the right financial levers to deliver real value and impact, and designing benefits that truly work for employees. We’ll talk about better data. Better tools. Better insights. Smarter decisions. And benefits strategy that finally makes sense. This is The Benefits Playbook, Season 4. Brought to you by Collective Health.","meta_description":"It’s 2026, but the healthcare system still feels like it’s stuck in the past. Costs are soaring, benefits are confusing, and employees are left navigating…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":59,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-benefits-playbook-6571110/episodes/the-benefits-playbook-season-4/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-benefits-playbook-6571110/the-benefits-playbook-season-4.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}