McAllen ISD Has A $9,000,000 – $12,000,000 Headache

SOURCE: McAllen ISD Board Meeting October 20, 2026

At their 20 October 2026 board meeting trustees of the McAllen Independent School District will be reminded they have a $9,000,000 to $12,000,000 health insurance problem.

The good news is they should feel much better knowing the Brownsville Independent School District just down the road has a $28,000,000 health insurance headache.

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Why Your Group Health Plan Feels Like a Group Project That Never Ends (And How ICHRA Fixes It)

By Michael Reagan, CBPA – October 10, 2026

Remember when health benefits were simple? You picked a carrier, hoped the renewal didn’t make you cry, and spent the rest of the year explaining why Brenda in accounting still can’t find an in-network dermatologist. Those days are mostly gone.

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How Medicare Premiums Are Calculated and Set

Over 20% of the U.S. population are Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare is described as health insurance but it’s not. It’s a government tax-based pool of money used to pay for the health care needs of mostly old people……….old people who have paid into the pool all their working lives and most if not all continue to pay whether they use it or not. What they pay is called premiums.

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Trump to Give $90 to Senior Citizens for Medicare Premiums

By Kaanita Iyer, Tami Luhby, CNN – October 3, 2026 – Source: CNN

President Donald Trump said late Friday he will give around 20 million senior citizens $90 each to help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums, marking his latest effort to dole out funds to certain Americans weeks before the midterm elections.

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Network Plans Save Money

Nothing complicated about it. Network plans improve mental health and save money at the same time………

By Bill Rusteberg

Everyone loves their health insurance plan. High deductibles, ever higher out-of-pocket costs, and narrow networks encourage patients to avoid the stress and expense of accessing care when needs arise. Maintaining mental health has never been easier.

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Rx Prices – You Can’t Fix What You Don’t See, You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know………..

“You can’t fix what you don’t see. You don’t know what you don’t know. We see opportunities others miss. We do what others don’t. Winning together is our goal” – Bill Rusteberg

By Mike McLain

The drug costs $133 a year at cash price. The JPMorgan plan paid $74,751…….1 employee. 1 generic drug. 12 fills.

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Brownsville ISD To Renew with UnitedHealth

Long drawn-out proposal process is finally over after endless meetings and vendor presentations……………….

At their upcoming October 6, 2026 regular Board meeting district trustees will consider an action item to renew third party administrative services for their self-funded health plan with United Healthcare of Houston, TX.

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Blue Cross Blue Shield: AI-Assisted Medical Coding Added $1 Billion in Hospital Costs

Hospitals’ growing use of AI to assign medical billing codes contributed close to $1 billion in extra costs for Blue Cross Blue Shield health plans between 2023 and 2025, according to a new analysis from the insurer’s trade association. 70 percent of the additional cost involved additional diagnoses that did not change patients’ actual care, according to the insurer, which describes the situation as a “clear disconnect between coding and treatment.”

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The Neighbors Came First: What a Century of European Health Cooperatives Teaches American Policymakers and Investors

By Dave Chase – September 28, 2026

In 1899, sixty members of the Catholic Workers’ Association in Switzerland promised to help carry each other’s costs when illness or accident struck. That promise became CSS, which now insures about 1.7 million people, almost one in five Swiss, and still belongs to the association that grew from its founders.

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Invertebrates Are Status Quo’s Best Friend

“Demonstrated reluctance to consider suggested strategies indicates a growing tendency towards static risk management which is contrary to proper oversight. We bring no value in exchange for the fees you pay us when the status quo isn’t continuously challenged with evolving strategies and a wiliness to act when it’s in the best interests of the plan and plan members no matter how hard change may be.”

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How AI Is Already Changing Health Plan Administration

By Dan Thompson – SOURCE: HVBA

For decades, open enrollment has followed the same script: a flood of PDFs, a confusing comparison chart, either in a printed guidebook (that had multiple versions) or on a digital handbook that is emailed out to employees. This is coupled with a benefits team inbox buried in questions, and employees clicking through choices they only half understand — maybe.

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When Did Saving Money Get So Expensive?

“The cost containment industry exists to reduce healthcare spending. Somewhere along the way, however, the cost of achieving those savings became a business model of its own.”

“Percentage-of-savings fees are common across the industry, and depending on the service and arrangement, those fees can consume a significant portion of the savings generated for a health plan.”

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AG Paxton Launches Investigation of Blue Cross Blue Shield

Investigation stems from company’s denials and delays of urgent medical care

TEXAS – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, its parent company, Health Care Service Corporation, and related entities over allegations that the insurer denied or delayed coverage for medically necessary and urgent care.

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The Post-Network World of a Cash Economy

By Katy Talento – CEO | Former White House Policy Advisor | Media Commentator, Writer, Communicator and Influencer | Recovering Epidemiologist | Naturopath. Hacking the systems that control our health.

The post-network world of a cash economy may be the only hope for saving health care, which is otherwise headed toward such unsustainable costs, grievous harm to patients and moral injury for everyone involved. BUT that world can’t come if the vast majority of patients are served through their employer plans that are run by networks.

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4 Out of 5 Doctors Employed, 18% Left Standing

Here’s another reason Direct Primary Care is growing rapidly across the country. Consumers demand better access, employers demand lower costs, and physicians want back their freedom to do what they are trained to do without third-party interference. Corporate owned physicians solve none of those problems, only exacerbate them – Bill Rusteberg

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