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Blake Erickson

Blake is an accomplished benefits consultant dedicated to empowering employers in their fight against the rising cost of healthcare. By combining data analytics with employee engagement, he helps employers redefine affordable and accessible healthcare, delivering better benefits at lower costs.

Recent Posts

The Peptide Decade Will Reshape Pharmacy

May 15, 2026 8:50:48 AM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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It's getting noisy over here. Diary of a CEO ran a 90-minute peptide episode that went viral. HHS reversed the FDA ban on most of the restricted peptide list. The wellness industry began its pivot years ago. Your CFO's group chat is asking what BPC-157 is.

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Why Your Broker and CPA Should Be Working Together

May 5, 2026 8:29:45 PM / by Blake Erickson posted in Business Insurance

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Most business owners don’t have a people problem.

They have a communication problem.

Not internally, but across their advisors.

You might have a strong CPA. A solid insurance broker. Maybe even a financial advisor and an attorney you trust. On paper, that looks like a well-built team. But in reality, those individuals are often operating in completely separate lanes, solving problems without ever comparing notes.

And that’s where things start to break down.

Because your business doesn’t operate in silos. Your advisors shouldn’t either.

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Your Benefits Strategy May Have a Coordination Problem

Mar 6, 2026 9:16:58 AM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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Most employers spend more on employee benefits every year. Costs go up. Complexity goes up. But outcomes? They stay flat.

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What Happens When the Plan You Built No Longer Fits the Business You Have?

Feb 20, 2026 2:28:31 PM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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Most private business owners have some version of a succession plan. A buy-sell agreement drafted years ago. A vague understanding that the life insurance policy covers it. A handshake with a partner about what happens if one of them walks away.

What most owners don't have is a plan that reflects the business as it exists today.

That gap is where things get expensive.

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ICHRA, Education, and Why More School Leaders Are Paying Attention Now

Dec 30, 2025 1:19:35 PM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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For most education leaders, employer-sponsored healthcare has long been treated as a fixed part of doing business. 

You select a carrier. 
You negotiate a renewal. 
You absorb the increase. 
You explain it to employees. 
You repeat the process the following year. 

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Employee Benefits That Work for Early Childhood Education

Oct 10, 2025 1:30:22 PM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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Running a school is hard work. Every dollar matters. Every staff member matters even more.

In early childhood education, whether practiced like Montessori, Waldorf or others, benefits are not just a nice-to-have. They are the difference between keeping great teachers and losing them to other jobs. The right benefits strategy helps you manage costs, keep your people, and give families the consistency they expect.

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Dear Chicagoland: Stop Paying Hospital Prices for Routine Care

Aug 19, 2025 1:47:02 PM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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If you run payroll anywhere from The Loop to Lake County, you’re paying too much for the same care your people could get safely, often better, outside the hospital campus. Not because you’re careless. Because our market is wired to push routine services into the most expensive settings and then send the bill to employers.

Here’s the blunt version: consolidation plus misaligned incentives = inflated unit prices and the wrong site of care. And it’s costing your plan millions that should be going to wages, growth, and retirement matches...not “facility fees” and parking garages.

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Can AI Make Benefits Better?

May 2, 2025 10:00:00 AM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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When it comes to employee benefits, one thing hasn’t changed: people still don’t understand them.

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Final Updates on Mental Health Parity: What you Need to Know

Mar 31, 2025 4:25:04 PM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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On September 9th, 2024 the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services released the final rule changes regarding the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. 

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PCORI Fees for Self-Insured Plans

Mar 31, 2025 4:19:48 PM / by Blake Erickson posted in Employee Benefits

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Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) a new fee was introduced. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fees for self-insured plans are a mandatory charge due by July 31st of the year following the last day of the policy year. It’s reported on IRS Form 720.

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World-class service and insurance solutions around the globe.

World-class service and insurance solutions around the globe.