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After examining claims visibility and the contract itself, Part 3 asks the most important question: Who should actually be responsible for managing the money?

In the final installment of our three-part series on the City of Dallas health plan, Ralph Weber is joined by Mark Cuban, Chris Deacon, and Marilyn Bartlett to move from diagnosis to possible solutions.

The discussion focuses on what active health-plan management could look like for Dallas and for other employers and public entities funding their own healthcare plans.

Mark Cuban argues that organizations need dedicated expertise capable of reviewing healthcare spending as it happens – rather than relying primarily on audits after the fact. Chris Deacon raises a broader question about how much administration and control public plans should outsource. Marilyn Bartlett brings the conversation back to a fundamental accounting principle: if an employer funds a claim, it should be able to reconcile that funding to what was actually paid.

In this episode:

• Why healthcare spending should be treated as a major financial responsibility, not simply an HR function
• Why Mark believes employers need dedicated health-plan expertise
• Why managing large claims in real time may be more valuable than discovering problems later through an audit
• The importance of preserving data, RFP, and contractual rights before claims are paid
• Whether public employers should consider retaining more administrative capability and control
• How AI and better technology may help – and why expertise still matters
• Why “disruption” should not automatically be treated as a negative in healthcare
• The basic accounting question every self-funded employer should be able to answer: Can you reconcile what you funded to what was actually paid?
• Why long-term healthcare contracts need to account for changing requirements
• What Mark says employers can gain by taking a more active role in managing healthcare

This is Part 3 of 3 in The Dallas Health Plan: Who’s Watching the Money?

Part 1 – Visibility: What can Dallas actually see?

Part 2 – Contracts & Incentives: What does the fine print actually permit?

Part 3 – Control: What should Dallas and other employers do about it?

Guests:

Mark Cuban – Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company

Chris Deacon – Healthcare attorney and former Director of the New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits

Marilyn Bartlett, CPA – Nationally recognized healthcare cost-containment leader and former administrator of the Montana Employee Health Plan

Host:

Ralph Weber | The Benefit Whisperer | Route Three

If this series has changed the way you think about healthcare purchasing, share it with a CEO, CFO, HR leader, benefits professional, public official, or anyone responsible for managing a self-funded health plan. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel as we address more in the healthcare world! https://www.youtube.com/@BenefitWhisperer/

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Music licensed through Soundstripe.

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