Episode Details

The traditional group health plan has been the default for decades, but the people using it are sending a loud signal that the model is wearing thin. When we look at employee sentiment, the headline is simple and disruptive: a majority of workers want control over their health insurance choices, and only a small slice say their employer should be the one deciding. That shift gets even sharper with younger employees who walk into work expecting options, not a single plan and a shrug.

I sit down with Jack Hooper, founder and CEO of Take Command Health, to unpack findings from their 2026 State of Employee Health Benefit Survey and what they suggest about the future of employee benefits. We dig into rising healthcare costs, why benefits anxiety shows up as higher deductibles and shrinking coverage, and how gaps like mental health coverage shape what employees want next. We also talk through why individual coverage paired with a defined contribution approach can change the cost equation, including how employees often choose networks and metal tiers differently than employers do.

We then move from theory to execution: where employers should start, why change management makes or breaks an Individual Coverage HRA (ICRA) rollout, and what advisors need to stop assuming if they want to stay relevant as the market shifts. If you’re an HR leader, business owner, broker, or benefits consultant trying to reduce renewal chaos while improving employee choice, this conversation gives you a practical map and clearer language for what’s changing and why. 
Subscribe for more interviews on the future of health benefits, share this with a colleague who’s stuck in renewal season, and leave a review with your biggest question about ICRA or defined contribution benefits.