Employers are spending more than ever on healthcare, yet many benefits go underused and employees remain unsure how to navigate them. The problem isn’t the benefits themselves, but the outdated ways they’re managed and communicated. In this episode, host Jeff Cross talks with Rohan D’Souza, Co-Founder & CEO of Avante, about how AI is transforming benefits. Together, they explore how AI-powered real-time employee guidance and continuous insight into benefit usage and sentiment can help organizations lower costs, improve utilization, and build smarter strategies - including how we here at OneDigital have implemented it for our own employee population.

If you’re looking for practical ways to make your benefits work harder through the power of AI – for both your people and your bottom line – this episode is for you.

Music By: Colin Cross Music

Tired of watching your employee benefits costs climb year after year?

In this episode of Friends with Employee Benefits, we explore how one company broke free from the costly, fully insured model and took control with a self-funded approach using a group healthcare captive. Our guest, Anthony Luis, Director of Human Resources and Administration at Horst Engineering, shares their phased journey to combat premium volatility — a strategy that delivered zero employee premium increases for two consecutive years. Host Jeff Cross and Anthony get into the broker collaboration required to manage an unbundled plan, what all employers need to know about making the move to self-funding, and how Horst's leadership team embraced the flexibility and transparency that came with the transition. Whether you’re a small business or a large employer, this episode is essential listening for anyone looking to optimize employee benefits, control costs, and invest in a healthier, happier workforce. Tune in now and learn how to turn benefits from a budget burden into a strategic advantage.

Music By: Colin Cross Music

In this episode, host Jeff Cross speaks with Brian Cutler, CEO of Loureiro Engineering, an employee-owned global engineering company based in Plainville, Connecticut. Brian shares the compelling story behind Loureiro Engineering's decision to transition from a traditional group health insurance plan to an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA after several years of high renewals. The two get into the benefits and challenges of implementing an ICHRA, the steps his team took to make the switch, and how this change is supporting both the company’s bottom line and its people. He shares the mistakes he made that led him to going down the ICHRA path and what he'd share with other companies who find themselves in a similar situation. If you’re a small or mid-sized business leader searching for better ways to offer health coverage—this episode is for you.

Music By: Colin Cross Music