Navigating Rising Healthcare Costs: Highlights from Our Alliant Webinar

Jones & Roth CPAs was honored to host a recent webinar featuring Shelli Littlefield, REBV, RHU, ChHC, Vice President at Alliant Insurance Services, who delivered an insightful and timely presentation on the rapidly changing world of healthcare benefits, cost containment strategies, and employer competitiveness in today’s healthcare labor market.

Shelli’s expertise and data‑driven perspective provided clarity on the pressures facing healthcare organizations and physician groups — and more importantly, the strategies employers can use to stay competitive while managing rising costs. We extend our sincere thanks to Shelli for sharing such valuable information with our clients and community.

What We Learned

Shelli highlighted the growing pressures facing healthcare organizations, including rising medical and pharmacy costs, competitive labor markets, and increasing employee expectations. Key themes included:

• Healthcare cost containment remains the top challenge, with 81% of organizations reporting it as their primary concern.
• Employers are increasingly adopting HSA‑qualified HDHPs, telemedicine, pharmacy carve‑outs, and condition‑specific management programs to manage rising costs.
• GLP‑1 medications and specialty pharmacy continue to drive significant financial strain.
• Physician groups often remain competitive on salary but lag behind large systems in premium contributions, retirement match depth, and long‑term retention incentives.
• Self‑funded plans may offer 11–15% savings but require careful financial analysis and risk management.

Shelli emphasized that benefits strategy is now a core component of talent strategy, and organizations must be intentional in designing competitive, financially sustainable offerings.

How Jones & Roth Can Help

The trends Shelli outlined intersect directly with tax strategy, financial planning, and organizational decision‑making. Our team supports healthcare organizations by providing:

Tax Planning & Strategy

• Evaluating tax impacts of self‑funded vs. fully insured plans
• Structuring retention bonuses and incentives tax‑efficiently

Accounting & Financial Analysis

• Modeling the financial impact of plan design changes
• Forecasting long‑term cost savings from cost‑containment strategies

Strategic Advisory

• Benchmarking compensation and benefits
• Advising on long‑term financial sustainability

If you’d like support evaluating your benefits strategy or understanding how these trends impact your organization, our Healthcare Team is ready to assist.