Episode 24: D-coding the changes to Medicare Part D

This episode features an edited recording of our CMS Final Notice webinar, offering timely insights into 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D changes. Hear from Via Benefits experts as they break down MA payment updates, funding pressures, and evolving plan design strategies. Learn how CMS policies, Inflation Reduction Act provisions, and rising healthcare costs are shaping both group and individual Medicare markets. The discussion also explores what these changes mean for plan sponsors evaluating retiree benefits and long-term cost management.

In this episode of The Via Benefits Exchange, Nina Krammer sits down with Josh Miley, ICHRA Solution Leader at Via Benefits, to break down what an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) is and why employer interest is accelerating. Josh explains how ICHRA enables a defined contribution approach to healthcare, giving employees more choice while helping employers manage costs and risk. The conversation explores common misconceptions about the individual insurance market, tax efficiency compared to cash stipends, and real-world savings employers are seeing. Learn how organizations can start small, test ICHRA by employee class or location, and prepare for future benefits strategy shifts with support from Via Benefits by WTW.

Public sector employers are facing growing retiree healthcare liabilities as OPEB obligations approach a trillion dollars nationwide. In this episode of The Via Benefits Exchange, experts explore why rising healthcare costs, longer lifespans, and unfunded retiree benefits are putting pressure on public budgets and financial statements. The conversation examines how shifting from traditional group retiree plans to the individual marketplace can help employers control costs while preserving benefits. Listeners will learn how defined contribution strategies, including HRAs, can reduce exposure to healthcare inflation, support retirees with choice and stability, and deliver sustainable retiree healthcare solutions for municipalities, states, and other public sector organizations.

In this episode of The Via Benefits Exchange, host Nina Krammer joins WTW experts Margaret Rutter, Meghan Scott, and Eric Stanger to discuss how higher education institutions are approaching retiree healthcare through the individual marketplace. They explain why colleges and universities are moving away from traditional group retiree medical plans to control rising costs, reduce administrative burden and expand retiree choice and personalization.  Through real-world experience shared by Via Benefits experts, the episode explains why colleges and universities are making this shift, what a typical transition looks like, and how it can reduce costs while increasing retiree choice and sustainability.

We're sharing an important update with our listeners: Eye on 65 is now The Via Benefits Exchange. While the name and podcast artwork are changing, our mission, and our content, remain the same. This new name better reflects the broader conversations we're having across the benefits landscape, from Medicare and retirement benefits to health benefits and employee benefits that matter at every stage of life. In this brief episode, we explain why the Via Benefits Exchange podcast is evolving and what you can expect going forward. Listeners can continue to count on practical, thoughtful discussions designed to help make sense of today's complex benefits landscape, now with more room to explore what matters most.

Seasoned retiree medical expert Barry Carleton decodes the latest views on the upcoming changes to Medicare Part D under the Inflation Reduction Act. We explore how these significant changes will impact Medicare-eligible retirees and organizations sponsoring post-65 retiree medical coverage in the coming years.

Senior Director of Employee Spending Accounts, Sara Taylor shares insights on what benefit professionals should know when evaluating different types of accounts and how these accounts support employees from hire to retire.

Retiree Ken Mengel shares insights on taking early retirement, transitioning to Via Benefits when he became Medicare-eligible, his health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) and choosing a plan on the individual marketplace.

Retiree Sal Trentacoste shares his insights on drug coverage, what he looks for in retiree medical benefits and his mentality for overcoming obstacles in retirement.

Retiree Randy Mayberry shares his opinion on group Medicare versus individual Medicare and what transitioning to an individual marketplace was like for him.