Katie Oberkircher
Oberkircher is the director of health policy and strategy at The Council. She develops and coordinates programming, strategic initiatives, and advocacy work related to employee benefits-focused members. She also delivers business intelligence with a focus on healthcare and the employer-sponsored insurance market through The Council’s different content and meeting platforms. In addition, Oberkircher oversees The Council of Employee Benefits Executives (CEBE) Advisory Committee. She graduated from the University of Richmond with degrees in Rhetoric & Communication Studies and English Literature and joined The Council in 2018 after completing a Master of Arts degree in Communication, Culture & Technology from Georgetown University.
Health+Benefits
The Year of the Employee
The top five health and benefits trends in Q1 2022.
April 20, 2022
Health+Benefits
Employee Bargainers
A shift in power dynamics calls for a new approach to talent.
April 1, 2022
Health+Benefits
Home Care Catalyst
The cost of long-term care is $20,000 more than you think.
March 14, 2022
Health+Benefits
Benefits Epiphany
Leaders are managing through one of the largest talent crises ever.
February 14, 2022
Health+Benefits
Unlikely Partnerships
The changing nature of healthcare risk may encourage government and industry col...
January 18, 2022
Health+Benefits
Benefits Turning Point
85% of employers changed their benefits offerings in 2021. Will the changes stic...
December 14, 2021
Health+Benefits
Modern Benefits Communication
Employers and brokers are adapting the strategies they put in place in 2020. Wha...
November 1, 2021
Health+Benefits
Mental Health and DE&I: The Challenges Employers Aren't Talking About But Should
With employers increasingly involving themselves at the point of care, what is t...
September 15, 2021
Health+Benefits
Next Generation Medicine: Specialty Drug Costs, Data & Supply Chain
The latest specialty drug cost management levers that employers and plan sponsor...
September 15, 2021
Health+Benefits
Employers Rethink Healthcare Delivery
Benefits renewal season is here, but the focus is not on rates (yet).
September 13, 2021
EBLF
Broker-Focused Policy
One conversation brokers are not having right now but should.
August 4, 2021
EBLF
The Age of Defined Contributions
Employers are embracing individual coverage HRAs.
August 3, 2021
Podcasts
Raising the Bar
Creating an inclusive workplace starts with recognizing there’s a problem.
August 2, 2021
EBLF
Reimagining How To Sell and Service Clients
The war for talent, leveraging technology, and a new transparency regime.
July 30, 2021
EBLF
The Third Way
Should employees who don’t qualify for group benefits have another option?
July 30, 2021
Health+Benefits
Bracing for Impact
Deferred care is sending a ripple effect through businesses of all sizes.
July 12, 2021
Health+Benefits
The Next Wave of State Healthcare Reform
Multiple states are considering implementing a public health insurance option.
June 11, 2021
Health+Benefits
Top Benefits Trends to Watch
Employers are shouldering a mountain of costs with no end in sight.
May 17, 2021
Health+Benefits
Mental Health All-In
If company leadership doesn’t talk about mental health, employees won’t eith...
March 11, 2021
Podcasts
When Uncertainty Meets Data
2020 continues to be an anomaly. Claims and clinical data insights can guide emp...
February 8, 2021
Health+Benefits
Identifying the (Benefits) Gaps
Three steps employers can take to move toward an inclusive culture
February 3, 2021
Health+Benefits
Do Bipartisan Healthcare Cost Solutions Exist?
A D.C. insider’s perspective on the chances of major drug pricing and ACA refo...
February 2, 2021
Health+Benefits
Employees Are Not Alright
Supplemental health coverage could be the answer to evolving workforce needs.
January 8, 2021
Health+Benefits
Top 5 Healthcare Trends of 2020
Digital brokerage partnerships are reshaping the health insurance market.
December 14, 2020
Podcasts
DNA’s Day in Employee Benefits
Leader’s Edge sat down with Wamberg Genomic Advisors’ (WGA) Chief Inn...
November 18, 2020
Health+Benefits
Human-Centered Healthcare
The future of healthcare appears unaltered by COVID-19, but we’ll get there fa...
November 17, 2020
Health+Benefits
Runaway Freight Train
Transparency alone isn’t enough to lower drug costs, but it’s a critical ste...
November 13, 2020
Health+Benefits
The Healthcare Divide
Where Trump and Biden stand on key issues impacting affordability of and access ...
October 20, 2020
Health+Benefits
The Devil is in the (Data) Detail
Post-COVID healthcare delivery stress test to determine ability of U.S. system t...
October 6, 2020
Health+Benefits
One-Stop Wellness Shop
What happens when a logistics company tackles healthcare issues?
October 6, 2020
Health+Benefits
An Apple a Decade
Apple’s move into the healthcare industry tells a story about the future of pe...
August 10, 2020
EBLF
Limiting Your Losses
Q&A with Jennifer Collier, SVP, Stop-Loss and Health, Sun Life
June 26, 2020
Podcasts
Psychological PPE
Healthcare systems are going to new lengths to protect their people.
June 21, 2020
EBLF
An Epidemic of Changes
Q&A with David Smith & Cheryl Matochik of Third Horizon Strategies
June 11, 2020
Health+Benefits
Telemedicine (Finally) Arrives as ‘Front Door’ to Care
Q&A with Pat Sir, President of Broker Consultant Market, Teladoc Health
May 27, 2020
EBLF
Podcast: DNA’s Day in Employee Benefits
Leader’s Edge sat down with Wamberg Genomic Advisors’ (WGA) Chief Inn...
May 13, 2020
EBLF
EBLF Like You've Never Seen Before
The Council is launching a month-long thought leadership campaign focused on emp...
May 1, 2020
Health+Benefits
Will COVID-19 Change Voluntary Benefits?
Q&A with Jamie Kalamarides, President, Prudential Group Insurance
April 14, 2020
Health+Benefits
The Frontrunners for a COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccine
Over 100 drugs are in testing in the race to treat coronavirus. Experts predict ...
March 27, 2020
Health+Benefits
What the "Phase 3," $2 trillion stimulus/COVID-19 response legislation means for the healthcare industry
While some argue that this legislation is not really an economic “st...
March 26, 2020
Health+Benefits
Jumbo Employers Respond to Unemployment Threats
Notable efforts to stabilize their workforce, support small biz and inject capit...
March 25, 2020
P&C
Cybersecurity Remains High Priority for Healthcare Institutions during COVID-19 Outbreak
Healthcare accounts for 41% of all data breaches.
March 24, 2020
Health+Benefits
The Digital Health Industry Joins the Fight Against COVID-19
Health-focused tech can make a difference in understanding and treating the nove...
March 20, 2020
Health+Benefits
Easier Access to Health Data Is a Good Thing, Right?
New interoperability rules put consumers first, but what does it mean for employ...
March 17, 2020
Health+Benefits
Is Coronavirus a Catalyst for Workplace Harassment?
Q&A with Work Shield
March 13, 2020
Health+Benefits
A New Generation of Benefits: Chronic Illness
Technology may help manage and treat long-term diseases.
February 19, 2020
Health+Benefits
Hospitals and Insurers Team Up to Manufacture Generic Drugs
Unlikely advocates support lowering prescription drug costs
February 19, 2020
Health+Benefits
Communication Key to Managing Spread of Coronavirus
Managing risk through communication during a global public health emergency
February 19, 2020
Health+Benefits
Data, Privacy, and Silicon Valley
How Google plans to access patient data, and what consumers think about it.
January 23, 2020
Health+Benefits
Top 4 Healthcare Trends to Watch
What’s in store for 2020, and what it all means for employers.
December 17, 2019
Health+Benefits
7 Healthcare Leaders Changing the Industry
Who’s forging a path toward more accessible, affordable care?
December 13, 2019
Health+Benefits
Financially-Focused AI
Q&A with Ilyce Glink, CEO, Best Money Moves
December 12, 2019
Health+Benefits
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase Unveil Healthcare Solution
Haven Healthcare is tackling benefit plan design.
November 18, 2019
Health+Benefits
H(EA)LTH, Innovation and Mark Cuban
The healthcare system is unsustainable. What lies ahead?
November 12, 2019
Health+Benefits
A New Generation of Benefits
These tech-focused companies are revamping healthcare coverage.
November 1, 2019
Health+Benefits
Are Employers the Real Disruptors of Healthcare?
Tech and retail giants deploy new cost-curbing strategies.
October 16, 2019
Health+Benefits
Medical Tourism Reimagined
Breaking down what cost, access and quality of care actually mean.
October 9, 2019
Health+Benefits
I Can Access My Health Data. Now What?
Health data systems cannot talk to each other, and it’s a problem.
September 13, 2019
Health+Benefits
The Fight to End Balance Billing Gets Ugly
Everyone is fighting to end surprise medical bills, but competing proposals are ...
September 6, 2019
Health+Benefits
Social Determinants of Health Surface in U.S. Policy Agenda
As medicine becomes more personalized, the approach to patient care is changing ...
August 16, 2019
Health+Benefits
What Prescription Drug Importation Could Mean for Brokers
Q&A with David Shore, SVP, Enterprise Strategy & Risk Management at Borislow Ins...
August 14, 2019
Health+Benefits
What Does It Mean To Be a “One-Stop Shop” in Benefits Enrollment?
Q&A with Raj Singh, CEO, Flock
July 18, 2019
Health+Benefits
Unlocking the Value of Healthcare Data
Q&A with Wally Gomaa, CEO, ACAP Health
May 31, 2019
Health+Benefits
An Insurer’s Take on Voluntary Benefits
Q&A with Keith Mueller, VP, Voluntary Sales & Business Development, Lincoln Fina...
May 30, 2019
Health+Benefits
The Employer Perspective
Q&A with Sally Welborn, consultant, Welborn Advisory Services; former SVP of Glo...
May 30, 2019
Industry
Q&A with Samantha Dever, Council Foundation Scholar
Providence College, Class of 2019, 2018 Council Foundation Scholarship Recipient...
May 29, 2019
Health+Benefits
Q&A with Kerry Finnegan, Mercer Health & Benefits
Kerry is Senior Partner, Global Business Solutions, Carrier Relations, Placement...
May 29, 2019
Health+Benefits
A Conversation with Brad Plummer, SVP of Employee Benefits, Cottingham & Butler
Plummer talks prescription drugs and the proposed rule by Health & Human Service...
April 18, 2019
Health+Benefits
An Update on Association Health Plans
The latest on the response to a federal district court decision to set aside por...
April 18, 2019
Health+Benefits
Introducing Haven Healthcare: The Brainchild of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase
What we know, what we expect and what it all means for the insurance industry.
March 21, 2019
Health+Benefits
How One Innovator Exposes the Market to Startups and Other Innovators
Q&A with Dave Kerrigan, founder and managing director at Sante Nasc, LLC about h...
February 21, 2019
Health+Benefits
A Look at Current Single-Payer Systems
How government-run health systems work in the U.K., Canada and within the U.S.' ...
February 21, 2019
Health+Benefits
What are Congress’ Priorities in 2019?
The 116th Congress officially opened earlier this month with 100 new members bei...
January 25, 2019
Health+Benefits
Q&A: Accessing & Leveraging Healthcare Data
We sat down with Kyle Anthony, Director of Human Capital Practice at Oswald Comp...
January 25, 2019
Health+Benefits
Tech Giants Poised to Shift Healthcare Landscape
Tech companies are banging down the doors of the healthcare industry, infiltrati...
December 5, 2018
Health+Benefits
How Disruptive is Medicare for All?
It’s no secret that a government-controlled healthcare system would be disrupt...
December 5, 2018
Health+Benefits
The Next Step in 1332 Section Waiver Changes
The Departments of Treasury and Health and Human Services recently released fou...
December 5, 2018
Health+Benefits
1332 Section Waiver Changes
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new guidance on Secti...
November 8, 2018
Health+Benefits
Pharmacy Supply Chain: What You Need to Know
Despite the Trump administration’s push to lower drug prices, costs have not y...
November 8, 2018
Health+Benefits
Midterm Implications for Healthcare
Healthcare proved significant to voters on Tuesday, but it was not quite pivotal...
November 8, 2018
Health+Benefits
The HRA Rule
The Trump administration proposed a rule to allow employers to offer Health Reim...
November 8, 2018
Health+Benefits
Medicare Part B Drug Pricing to Mirror Foreign Prices?
CMS released an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking—with the spring of 2019...
November 8, 2018
Health+Benefits
What Does the Removal of Pharmacy ‘Gag Clauses’ Mean for Consumers?
The Senate passed The Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act, which bans gag clau...
September 20, 2018
Health+Benefits
Cigna-Express Scripts Deal Gets the Green Light
Cigna’s acquisition of Express Scripts was approved by federal officials
September 20, 2018
Health+Benefits
Partnership for America’s Health Care Future
The Council recently joined a coalition called Partnership for America’s Healt...
September 20, 2018
Health+Benefits
Association Health Plans: What’s Next?
June marked the implementation of a regulation focusing on Association Health Pl...
August 30, 2018
Health+Benefits
D.C. Roundup: Health Policy and Midterm Elections
As the midterm election gets closer, the health policy agenda in Washington focu...
August 9, 2018
Health+Benefits
What We Know About Atul Gawande
After his appointment as the CEO of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, JP Morgan (ABJ) ...
August 9, 2018
Health+Benefits
Healthcare and Big Data at the State Level: All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs)
What do Colorado, Arkansas, Delaware and Virginia have in common? In the spirit ...
August 9, 2018
Health+Benefits
The State of Healthcare Today: Report on Costs, Outcomes and Reform Efforts
As healthcare spending in the U.S. reaches unsustainable levels, the value-based...
April 25, 2018
