Have you ever gone to the doctor only to discover they’re no longer in-network — and suddenly you’re facing a medical bill far larger than you expected?
Or looked at something in your employee benefits package and thought, “But what does this actually mean? Why can’t they just write it in plain language?”
You’re in the right place!
Welcome to version 3.0 of Making it Make Sense, also known as Benefit MiMS. This site tracks carrier network contract negotiations and offers additional content to help translate the legalese and corporate-speak into plain English anyone can understand.
Quick Start/FAQ · Site Updates · About Me · About the Site · Terms & Conditions · Contact
Quick Start: Frequently Asked Questions
Who are you?
I’ve been working as an employee benefits specialist since the mid-1990s, both in human resources offices and at independent brokerages. There’s more detail in the About Me section.
Why are you doing this?
I spent several years looking for a site that aggregated provider network contract negotiations, with no success. That’s what sparked the Network Contract Watch, which is now the flagship content on this site. You can find out more about what’s going on here in the About the Site section.
Are you a health care professional? An economist? Do you work for the health insurance carriers?
No, no, and no. I have held a life and health agent’s license in the past and plan to do so again, but that is primarily so I can access continuing education and keep my knowledge up-to-date. Agent licensure allows someone to sell, but it does not obligate them to do so.
So what are you selling?
On this site right now? Nothing. It’s a consumer resource. I may eventually switch to a “freemium” format to cover operational costs, but if I do, it will be far in the future — with full disclosure and plenty of continued free content.
Are you an industry insider at all, then?
If by “industry insider” you mean that I’m familiar with the field’s terminology and operations, yes. If you’re asking whether I’m privy to private or proprietary information, occasionally. But if you’re asking whether you’ll find that confidential information here: absolutely not. Everything on this site is attributable to a public information source.
Why should I trust you?
You shouldn’t. At least, not blindly. While I go to some trouble to make everything as accurate as I can — and I cite my sources — readers should always double-check information before making personal decisions. Exceptions and nuances are everywhere.
Which side of the debate do you support? Insurance companies or providers?
Neither: I support consumers. I am most familiar with the carrier side of things, so you may occasionally see a slight bias in that direction, but I don’t explicitly take sides at all.
What’s your political persuasion and does that inform your work here?
I vote on issues, not labels or colors. And while I try not to let my opinions affect what I do here, I’m not naïve enough to think they won’t come through every now and then.
What’s your opinion about [insert topic here]?
This site is focused on consumer education and empowerment, not advocacy. If you feel like you really need to know, we can talk about it offline.
Who’s paying you to run this site?
Right now it’s coming entirely out of my pocket as a labor of love and a way to give back to the community.
Latest Site Updates
- Yes, please! Send in your tips! · August 25, 2026How does Benefit MiMS find and verify network contract negotiations, handle confidential tips, and decide which public sources are credible enough to cite?
- Launching Version 3.0 · August 11, 2026Version 3.0 of Making it Make Sense is now officially live! Here’s what’s new and what’s changed.
- Where’d They Go? · July 14, 2026Some of you coming to this page may be looking for the 2027 ACA rate filings. They’re not here anymore, and here’s the reason why.
Diving Deeper: About Me
My name is Catherine, and I am an employee benefits specialist. I’ve been in this field, in one way or another, since 1996.
I’ve worked as a benefit specialist in government and in corporate human resources offices. I was also an account manager for small group retail agencies while living in Georgia. In other words, I’ve encountered and experienced administration of employee benefits from several different angles.
Right now, I’m working as a product specialist for an independent, nationwide general agency. I’m one of the people who curates and creates resources that benefits brokers use to sell and service plans — and I work in several more states besides my own.
Like nearly everyone I’ve met in this field, it’s not the career I set out for. Rather, I “fell in” to it thanks to another situation, and discovered that I loved it.
Over the years, I’ve learned a great deal of the vocabulary and underlying concepts that drive employee benefits: how coverage works, how it’s administered, and how to navigate the systems behind it. That knowledge becomes second nature when you work with it every day, but it isn’t especially common outside the field — which makes sense, since I likely wouldn’t have it either if I hadn’t learned it in the course of my work.
Now, though, I often have family and friends come to me with their benefits questions. If I’m not able to answer them, I usually have access to the resources I need to find the answer.
They, and my performance reviews, have consistently included the sentence:
When Catherine explains it, it makes sense.
All right then, I finally realized. Perhaps, then, I should share some of those making-it-make-sense conversations for others to read. That’s the purpose of this site.
On a more personal level, my social media bio probably says it best: In alphabetical order: Catholic, crazy cat lady, distributist/localist, employee benefits specialist, gardener, Generation X, media fan, needleworker, new feminist, photographer, reader, southerner, writer.
Diving Deeper: About the Site
Health insurance runs on contracts — between insurers, hospitals, and physician groups. Most people never have to think about those contracts until something changes.
When they do change, the effects show up quickly. A provider goes out-of-network. Coverage shifts. Bills look different than expected. And suddenly you’re trying to sort out what happened, and what it means for you.
This site tracks those contract changes as they happen, focusing on:
- Active negotiations between insurers and medical providers
- Upcoming contract expirations that may affect network status
- Recently resolved disputes and what changed
If you’ve ever been told that a doctor or hospital is “no longer in network,” this is the kind of situation that usually sits behind that change.
It’s the same information I work with every day — just explained differently.
I’ve spent enough time in this field to know that the hardest part is often not finding the information — it’s understanding it. Contract language, carrier notices, and even basic benefit terms can be difficult to follow if you don’t work with them every day.
So in addition to tracking what’s happening, I try to explain it in plain language: what changed, who it may affect, and what to pay attention to next.
From time to time, I’ll also post updates on related developments and short explainers of common benefits concepts, when they help make sense of what’s happening.
Because these situations can change quickly, information here may be updated as new details come in. For anything specific to your own coverage, you’ll still want to confirm directly with your insurer or provider.