Who is the insurance company’s customer?

In my previous post, The definition of insanity, when it comes to health insurance, I suggested a new way forward in managing employer-sponsored health plans.

This series of posts is about changing the mindset of mid-sized employers to focus on the innovative over the traditional approach to healthcare spending.  Ultimately, we want to enable a business to manage their health insurance like every other facet of their business with information, data, transparency, and flexibility.  But first I think it is important to understand the partnership that most employers have with their health insurer as that will build a good intellectual foundation for what we will ultimately discuss – the benefit of joining a health care coalition and self-insuring your own risk.