Employee Benefits Explainers – Network Contract Watch

After World War II, access to health insurance in the United States expanded rapidly — but rising costs quickly followed.

Health Coverage: A History (Part 1)

How did health insurance become today’s complex system? Many answers lie in the history of health coverage in the United States.

Medical costs don’t meet the criteria for insurable risk. Here’s why today’s “health insurance” is better described as “health coverage.”

What makes a risk insurable? Insurance transfers financial risk, but only within clear structural boundaries.

What is insurance? A straightforward explanation of risk pooling, probability, and why larger pools create more financial stability.

What problem, exactly, does insurance solve? To understand that, it’s important to understand risk — and how it’s managed.

Provider networks aren’t failing — they’re evolving. Here’s a clear look at what’s driving those changes, and what they mean for consumers.

Provider networks solve real problems in health care, but they also create financial, access, and continuity risks for everyone involved.

Provider networks provide real benefits by making health care more affordable, predictable, and coordinated for patients.

Provider networks aren’t new — they’ve always been part of how health coverage works in the U.S.