Yuzu Health Raises $35 Million Series A to Modernize Health Insurance Plan Infrastructure

Apr. 6, 2026, 11:00 AM

NEW YORK, April 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yuzu Health, a next-generation third-party administrator (TPA) that serves as the infrastructure behind health insurance plans, today announced a $35 million Series A round, bringing total capital raised to $40 million. The round was led by General Catalyst and Chemistry, with participation from Anthropic’s Anthology Fund, Bain Future Back Ventures, Timeless Ventures, Lachy Groom, and Neo. Alex Tran, Managing Director at General Catalyst, will also join Yuzu Health’s board of directors.

Today We Fired A Client

The following article was written several years ago. I was reminded of it this morning as I contemplate a reenactment.

By Bill Rusteberg

One of the hardest things a consultant can do is fire a client. Today we did just that. It wasn’t an easy decision. This is a client we’ve served for many years, earning deep friendships within the organization that will endure.

It’s Raining Babies In Waco!

“Hey, you know, it’s raining babies up here. So, if you want to come in, we would love to have you…………..”

I Have a Dream… of a Post-Network World

The carrier gangsters have spent decades making sure you can’t leave. Here’s how that ends.

Texas Company Provides Healthcare Settlement Solutions

Austin Resolutions has been negotiating savings on medical bills since 1994. Our service lines include Group Health, Workers’ Compensation, Medicare Exhaust, Auto Liability, Marine, Transplant, Catastrophic Care, and International Travel plan options.

Best Term Life Insurance Companies of April 2026

Term life insurance provides great coverage and affordability, see which of our top-rated picks best fits your needs.

Every Payer. Every Provider. Every Negotiated Rate.

SOURCE: Payerset

Drill from market-level views into the exact dollar amount negotiated between any payer and provider — for any billing code, any plan.

Where Healthcare Is Headed

“The traditional hospital model is breaking. Even HCA — the fee-for-service king — is targeting 20:1 outpatient access points per hospital. Ascension sold 35+ hospitals, bought AmSurg for $4B, and is targeting 20% EBITDA margins. Emerging strategy = fewer hospitals, more density, ambulatory-first.”

Mending Launches Mending Access, Bringing Integrated Direct Primary Care to TPAs and Self-Funded Employers

MyHealthGuide Source: Mending via PRNewswire (full article), 3/31/2026

Excerpts

NEW YORK — Mending announced the launch of Mending Access, a new platform that enables third-party administrators (TPAs) and self-funded employers to offer Direct Primary Care (DPC) as a fully integrated health plan benefit. Since launching in January 2026, Mending Access has already expanded DPC access to more than 100,000 covered lives across employer-sponsored health plans.

Death By Queue

The Unheralded Pandemic: Death-by-Queue

Though more Americans are insured, wait times for medical care are so long that people die waiting for technically possible medical care unavailable in time to save them.

Why Is Selling in Healthcare So Hard??

Here’s why

Car Insurance Isn’t Exactly Getting Cheaper Right Now

But here’s the thing… a lot of people are overpaying and don’t even realize it.

Marpai, Inc. Secures Major Strategic Marketing Collaboration to Continue Acceleration of MarpaiRx Growth Nationwide

TAMPA, Fla., April 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Marpai, Inc. (“Marpai” or the “Company”) (OTCQX: MRAI), a leader in innovative healthcare technology, Third-Party Administration (TPA), and Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) services, today announced the execution of what the Company believes is its largest to date definitive marketing agreement with a leading healthcare solutions provider. This strategic collaboration is designed to scale the reach of MarpaiRx, Marpai’s pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services, across a vast network of self-insured employer groups and third-party administrators.

Health Insurance Premium Payment (HIPP) Program

HIPP is the Texas Medicaid program that helps families pay for employer-sponsored health insurance premiums. It is for families with at least 1 person who gets Medicaid.

When We Couldn’t Find A TPA We Liked We Started One

Solving Health Care One Client At A Time

Our healthcare consulting business is built on fearless patient advocacy, efficiency, and attention to detail. So when we couldn’t find a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) that consistently met our high standards of care, we took action.

Corpus Christi Drains Aquifer Faster Than A Melting Raspa On An August Afternoon

April 2, 2026 – SOURCE: U.S. Drought Monitor

Orange Grove, Texas: The Evangeline/Goliad Sands Aquifer, the community’s primary source of water, dropped 17 feet a few days after Corpus Christi started drawing water from the aquifer last month. The increased usage has also elevated the concentration of particulates in the water.

Amazon Redefines Benefits: Move to ICHRA

Amazon Announces Launch of “Amazon Health Benefits,” Bringing a Unified Healthcare Marketplace to Employees and Employers by 2027

The Grand Healthcare Price Illusion

By Craig Gottwals – Mar 31, 2026

Most people assume that when a massive insurance company negotiates with a doctor, there is a single, disciplined price for a routine visit. We like to think that these billion-dollar entities use their size to ensure every patient gets a fair, standardized deal. The data recently shared by Josh Nakka and his team at PriceMedic proves that this is simply an illusion.

Jesse “Jay” Beck’s Texas Road Show

Our upcoming roadshow is an opportunity to connect in person, strengthen relationships, and share where we’re headed with our 2.0 initiative.

Attention P&C Brokers

We are an insurance intermediary

Avoid the delays and headaches associated with typical brokering arrangements and gain direct platform access through our program. We provide a unique opportunity for agents of any size to access primary markets that would otherwise be out of reach. Our function is to assist independent agents in the growth of their business without a partnership or merger of their enterprise. Our unique operation helps our affiliated agents stand out above the crowd.

ACE – A Unique Alternative In The Texas Marketplace

As a physician owned and operated entity, ACE provides a unique alternative in the Texas marketplace. We are focused on actively engaging with and managing the health of our members through our unique care coordination approach, optimizing care delivery.

Will Roger Survive Palace Coup Attempt?

Brownsville ISD To Consider Status of District’s Insurance Consultant

The Brownsville Independent School District is scheduled to consider the status the district’s insurance consultant during their April 7, 2026 board meeting.

Largest Public Sector Brokerage In Indiana

Apex has held the endorsement of the Association of Indiana Counties since 2006 and serves more public sector clients than any other Indiana advisory firm to this day.

How Aggressive Should Government Price Regulation Be?

According to this article efforts to lower commercial health care prices through government price fixing will:

Lead to lower quality health care
Reduce local employment
Cause hospital closures

No one, particularly politicians, wants lower quality health care, reduced local employment and hospital closures. So what’s the solution to solving an unsustainable system that’s bankrupting the American middle class?

State Laws to Lower Costs through Reference-Based Pricing

SOURCE: State Successes Passing Laws to Lower Costs through Reference-Based Pricing (FINAL, March 2026)

As of March 2026, 13 states have implemented reference-based pricing……..and underscores the increasing interest by states to lower health care costs

More Employers Are Directly Partnering With Healthcare Providers

SOURCE: Brighton HPS

In an effort to contain healthcare costs, many employers are creating health plans based on health systems, or hospital systems, near where their employees live and work.

23.1 Million Enroll on Free, Or Near Free Health Insurance Using Other People’s Money

Federal Open Enrollment Flyer

Nearly half of enrollees (46%) had household incomes between 100-150% of the federal poverty level with the vast majority receiving financial assistance. This highlights the program’s role in expanding access to affordable coverage for those who need it most.

Galena Park ISD Seeks Property & Windstorm Coverage

Date: April 14, 2026 before 2pm CST

The Galena Park Independent School District seeks responses to Request for Proposals #T01725 Property & Windstorm Coverage.

Express Scripts Just Got Sued for Racketeering. Here’s What That Means

Plaintiffs say a shadowy offshore entity helped Cigna and its PBM quietly siphon money meant for employers, unions and patients.

By Wendell Potter

A powerhouse law firm has filed a class action lawsuit that should make everyone who pays for prescription drugs through an employer or union health plan sit up and take notice. The target: Express Scripts, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager — and its parent company, Cigna, where I used to work.

Houston Hospital Field Manual For RBP Plans

Sun Tzu

Choosing The Right Battlefield

The Houston medical industrial complex is a fortress built on BUCA market dominance. Reference Based Pricing infidels foraging for hospital encounters must understand the market and the extent to which hospitals will grant entry within their walls if at all.

TPA Opportunity

RiskManagers.us is searching for a Third Party Administrator with experience in Reference Based Pricing, Cash-pay / Direct contracting and care navigation support services for employer sponsored health plans in Texas

Southern Premier Administrators

Southern Premier Administrators is a third-party administrator (TPA) based in Austin, Texas, specializing in employee benefits administration and health plan management. The company partners with employers, brokers, and healthcare providers to deliver customized plan solutions and claims management services across the southern United States.

Ready To Quit Yet?

You built the business. Now let’s work on your legacy.

The Price Dropped But Yours Didn’t

“We do not expect the reduction in list price to impact net price.”

So……….What Else Is New?

Express Scripts Targeted By Racketeering Class Action

The PBM is accused of enriching itself through a fraudulent kickback scheme while its customers missed out on billions of dollars in drug rebates.

Excepted Benefit HRAs: An Introduction

March 27, 2026 – By: HUB’s EB Compliance Team – SOURCE: HUB International

An Excepted Benefit HRA (EBHRA) is an employer-funded health reimbursement arrangement that allows employers to reimburse employees, on a tax-free basis, for certain out-of-pocket medical expenses and premiums for excepted benefit coverage. Established under the 2019 tri-agency final rules, EBHRAs have been available for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2020.

The Curative Mobile App Is Here

Give your employees an easier way to manage their care

Beyond the Network: Mastering the Cash-Pay Healthcare Model

There’s a reason more brokers are moving beyond PPO networks.

USPS Postmark Changes Could Affect Employee Benefit Plans

March 24, 2026 – SOURCE: Mercer

Employee benefit plan sponsors and administrators should be aware of changes to the United States Post Office (USPS) postmark process that could affect when government filings and participant disclosures are considered to have been sent on time.

Group HealthUnderwriting Solutions

With Gradient AI, insurers enhance their underwriting capabilities by gaining a more complete, in-depth picture of risk.

School Finance Annual Conference – South Padre Island, Texas

Property Casualty 360

Reference Based Pricing

By Robert M.

March 24, 2026

Reference-based pricing has a reputation for being disruptive. Providers push back. Employees get nervous. HR professionals hear the term and brace for a fight.

The New Era Of Cash Pay In Healthcare

“We are in a $5 trillion US healthcare consumer market with no consumer in it… I basically decided we had been surgically removed from the US healthcare system.”

Nationwide Group Health

Offer your clients more from a carrier your clients already know and trust.

Need Risk Management Assistance But Don’t Have The Time To Do A RFP?

Don’t have time to do a RFP? No problem, Region 14 has already done that for you.

How Do We Pay For A Single Payer System When We’re Broke?

The U.S. government is insolvent. That’s not hyperbole — it’s the conclusion drawn directly from the Treasury Department’s own consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2025, released last week to near-total media silence.

Commercial Truck Insurance

Compare Top-Tier Plans Starting From $69.95/Month!

Join OMNIA Partners and Unlock Smarter Purchasing With OPUS

One platform. Millions of products. Zero cost.

OMNIA Partners is the nation’s most experienced cooperative purchasing organization, connecting public agencies to trusted suppliers.

Same Day Doctor Appointment

Beats a Poke In The Eye…………..

Brownsville Independent School District Seeks TPA Services

Texas Risk Pool Seeks Health Insurance Consultant / Plan Manager

Established in 1999 the South Texas Health Cooperative (STHC), a self-insured risk pool for Texas public school districts, is seeking a health insurance consultant / plan manager.

Aldeen’s Sunday Morning Bathroom Read – “Shark Tank Edition”

How a Texas couple is getting rich off out-of-network medical bills.

Benefits Cooperatives

A larger risk pool helps generate more competitive premiums and offers stability with longer rate guarantees.

Does Your Health and Welfare Plan Need a Committee?

By Katrina Veldkamp – SOURCE: Boutwell Fay

As employer-sponsored health and welfare plans grow more complex, transparency rules abound, new health and welfare plan fee disclosure rules take effect, and class action lawsuits increase (see our recent blog posts regarding voluntary benefits litigation and tobacco cessation program litigation), the need for structured oversight becomes critical. While ERISA doesn’t mandate fiduciary committees for these plans, forming one may be a smart move for plan sponsors.

Medicare For All Is Only One Election Away

All it takes is removal of the 65-year waiting period

The Real Reason Consultants Are Hired

Most of the time, you don’t hire consultants for insight. You hire them to borrow courage you refuse to grow.

Developing a Computable Payer-Provider Contract

“With over 1,000 health insurance carriers offering 318,000 distinct health plan products in the U.S. market………..Each carrier develops its own contract terms such as payment schedules, documentation standards, and prior authorization processes. They can market multiple types of products, HMOs, PPOs, high-deductible health plans, and each plan can have their own set of in-network providers. The complexity of this process contributes to the high billing-related costs in the U.S. market.“

Your Health Plan Has an AI Problem You Don’t Know About

A growing number of employers have restructured their health benefits around independent third-party administrators and reference-based pricing. These models decouple reimbursement from hospital chargemaster rates, effectively removing the mechanism AI billing tools exploit.

Fannie and Freddie Ease Insurance Rules

Lower insurance costs give new homebuyers more confidence they can afford a mortgage

Medicare Premiums Could Double Over The Next Decade, Wrecking Retirement Budgets

“Medicare is a Premium Paying Policy that eventually morphs into a Claim Paying Policy. If you die first you can’t collect later.” – Bill Rusteberg

Aetna $117+ Million False Claims Act Settlement Warning To ERISA Plan Sponsors & Fiduciaries

SOURCE: slphrbenefitsupdate.com

“These and other payer-focused investigations, prosecutions and settlements alert employer and union sponsored health plans, their sponsors and fiduciaries of the advisability of using prudent processes to verify the compliance of their health insurance vendors or the accuracy of their charges or other data to comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) and protect themselves and their plans from other avoidable costs and liabilities.”

The Risks of Level-Funded Health Plans

This article provides more reasons why employers want out of the health insurance business – RiskManagers

UnitedHealthcare Outperforms Market Benchmarks in Total Cost of Care

New third-party analysis finds that UnitedHealthcare delivered a more than 11% lower total cost of care compared to national benchmarks.

Compare Malpractice Tail Coverage Carriers in Your State & Save $1,000s

SOURCE: Malpractice Tail Coverage

Optional Extended Reporting Period Coverage, more commonly known as Malpractice Insurance Tail Coverage, is an insurance product purchased so that liability coverage extends beyond the end of the policy period of your claims-made medical malpractice insurance coverage.

Two Hospital Town Competes For Reference Based Pricing Business

This is what happens when Reference Based Pricing gains market share in a geographic area like the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Imagine! Killing Two Birds With One Stone Event

Det. Quinn Says “Every Day Is St. Patrick’s Day!

Detective Quinn says “Every day is St. Patrick’s Day!“

Strait of Hormuz Standoff Puts Supply of America’s Generic Drug Prescriptions At Risk

By Kevin Williams

Nearly half of U.S. generic prescriptions originate in India, which relies on the Strait of Hormuz for the arrival of key inputs in drug manufacturing including petroleum-based materials, and for shipping finished medicines to the U.S.
People should not be worried about their medications yet, including high-volume ones for diabetes and hypertension, statins and antibiotics, as most medical distributors keep a 30- to 60-day supply on hand to withstand disruptions.
President Donald Trump is pressing other nations including NATO allies and China to help protect ships using the vital global marine traffic route. The risks from higher oil prices, and potential for drug shortages and delays, get more real every day.

Primary Care Doctors Struggle To Make Ends Meet

9 Problems Plan Sponsors Have With Their PBMs

By Bryce “Dick” Platt

Maritime Insurers Cancel War Risk Cover in Gulf as Iran Conflict Disrupts Shipping

“Freight rates are volatile amid the fresh instability in the Middle East, with most tankers now avoiding the strait of Hormuz as attacks and insurance cancellations make the area increasingly unsafe.”

Insurance rates could go up by 50% to 100%, or even more, from 0.25% to 0.5% or 1% of the value of the insured asset……………….terminal container rates for Shanghai to Jebel Ali in Dubai, the largest port in the Middle East, rose from $1,800 for a 40ft container on Saturday to about $3,700 on Monday, according to the online shipping marketplace

Yes, You Can Save 35% or More When You Buy Healthcare Direct (i.e. not through an insurance network)

By Dean Jargo

That’s the financial benefit to employer health plan sponsors. Now let’s review all the benefits for patients (your employees and dependents).

San Antonio TPA Simplifies HR Processes

Your Complete Benefits Administration Partner

Creative Benefit Administrators provides comprehensive third-party administration services, managing your employee benefits with expertise and innovation.

Eli Lilly Bypasses PBMs – Wants to Incentivize More Employers to Cover GLP-1s

Lilly will offer Zepbound, an injectable GLP-1 medication, at a price of $449 per month through a platform called Lilly Connect.