Broken Benefits

Lee Lewis

Whether you are the benefits manager or CEO of your organization, one of the biggest drivers of organizational performance, that most get totally wrong, is the health and benefits strategy. We spend billions on benefits, yet healthcare is unaffordable and complicated. More than half of Americans don't even take their paid vacation, yet people are burning out faster than ever and remote work is scrambling company cultures. It doesn't have to be this way! Great benefits can attract and retain top talent, communicate your values, rejuvenate your productivity, move your stock price, and even save lives. Lee knows this because he advised and learned from many Fortune 100 employers on how to create wildly profitable and popular benefits programs that enhance all areas of the business. Lee created this podcast in the hopes that together we can save lives, save dollars, and save our talent. Join us, each episode, on YouTube or your favorite podcasting platform for some great conversation with some of the world's leading experts in this space.

  1. 2d ago

    From Accounting to Innovation: A Different Mindset for Better Benefits (Feat: Brian Duclos)

    What happens when you put an auditor in charge of employee benefits? You stop accepting assumptions. In this episode of Broken Benefits, Brian Duclos shares how a non-traditional background in accounting and internal audit shaped his approach to benefits strategy—and ultimately led him to challenge many of the industry's long-standing norms. Rather than accepting annual cost increases as inevitable, Brian applies financial discipline, operational rigor, and data-driven decision-making to one of the largest expense categories organizations face. The result has been a series of innovative plan design strategies, stronger vendor accountability, and a fundamentally different way of thinking about benefits management. This conversation explores the importance of data ownership, performance guarantees, vendor oversight, and why benefits leaders should start thinking more like business operators. If you're responsible for managing healthcare costs, improving employee outcomes, or driving value from your benefits program, this episode offers a practical blueprint for doing things differently. Chapters: 00:00 The Audit That Changed Everything 00:26 Introduction to Brian Duclos 01:16 From Accounting to Benefits Leadership 04:16 Why Brian Left Internal Audit to Fix Benefits 08:09 The Advantage of a Non-Traditional Background 11:05 Challenging Industry Assumptions 14:09 A Case Study in Benefits Innovation 18:13 Why Operational Excellence Matters 20:34 Building Innovative Benefits Strategies 21:53 Start with the Data 24:01 Turning Insights into Action 25:36 Getting Team Buy-In for Change 29:13 Psychological Safety and Innovation 30:12 How to Sell New Ideas to Leadership 33:00 Building the Executive Business Case 34:56 Vendor Accountability and Performance Guarantees 38:00 Finding Hidden Costs in Your Health Plan 39:53 Following the Data to Better Outcomes 43:10 Eliminating Misaligned Incentives in Healthcare 45:12 Contracting, Transparency, and Employer Leverage 47:42 Choosing the Right Advisors and Partners 49:36 What Industry Conferences Actually Teach You 51:33 The Traits of Successful Benefits Leaders 53:15 Brian's Framework for Driving Change 55:10 Final Advice for Benefits Professionals 56:49 Closing Thoughts

    57 min

  2. May 5

    No More Excuses: A Hard Look at Healthcare Reform (Feat: Chris Deacon)

    In this episode of Broken Benefits, we’re joined by Chris Deacon, a leading voice in healthcare reform known for her direct, no-nonsense approach to fixing a system that too often fails the very people it’s meant to serve. With experience spanning both the public and private sectors—including leading one of the largest public health plans in the country—Chris brings a level of insight that few can match. Her work has consistently centered on one thing: demanding transparency, accountability, and real outcomes in healthcare. This conversation takes a hard look at the current state of the system, the structural issues that continue to drive inefficiency, and the opportunity employers have to take a more active role in shaping better solutions. If you’re tired of excuses and ready to think differently about healthcare and benefits, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 1:45 - Change is accelerating 5:58 - Tactical approaches in 2026 14:06 - How do we push back? 20:18 - Examining high-cost claims 26:02 - Fiduciary obligation to shareholders 37:53 - Cleaning up messes vs. new things 44:13 - What can I do right now? 48:10 - Connect with Chris online

    49 min

  3. Apr 8

    Beyond the Status Quo: Unlocking Opportunity in Benefits & Healthcare (Feat: Milt Ezzard)

    In this episode of Broken Benefits, we sit down with Milt Ezzard, a Global Benefits and Mobility Leader, to explore the untapped opportunity that exists within today’s benefits and healthcare landscape. Too often, organizations operate within the confines of legacy systems and outdated thinking. But as Milt shares, those willing to challenge the status quo have a real chance to unlock better outcomes—for their people and their business. From global strategy to forward-thinking program design, this conversation dives into what it takes to move beyond maintenance mode and start building benefits strategies that truly create value. If you’re a leader looking to rethink your approach and capitalize on the opportunity in front of you, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 1:47 - Being hesitant to try something new 8:25 - Best practices for Milt 16:20 - Getting back your control 30:13 - Holding vendors accountable 40:30 - Approaching AI products  46:32 - Building benefits that are loved 51:21 - Leveraging Glassdoor 53:26 - Closing remarks

    54 min

  4. Mar 18

    Breaking the Trend: How Innovation Kept Healthcare Costs Flat for Decades (Feat: Todd Bisping)

    In this episode of Broken Benefits, Lee Lewis sits down with Todd Bisping, Benefits Industry Innovator, to explore one of the most remarkable stories in employer healthcare strategy. For nearly two decades, Todd helped lead a benefits approach that achieved something most employers consider impossible: keeping healthcare cost trend flat while continuing to deliver meaningful value to employees. Rather than accepting the steady rise of healthcare costs as inevitable, Todd and his team took a different path — experimenting with new ideas, challenging industry assumptions, and focusing relentlessly on strategies that produced measurable results. In this conversation, Todd reflects on the lessons learned from years of leading benefits innovation, what it takes to implement change inside large organizations, and why employers have far more influence over healthcare outcomes than they often realize. If you’re a CHRO, benefits leader, or HR executive looking for real-world examples of what disciplined, long-term benefits strategy can accomplish, this episode offers both inspiration and practical insight. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 1:27 - The best part about running benefits plans 8:59 - The misconception of innovating 19:14 - Leveraging case studies 32:32 - Irrelevant strategies employers need to stop 43:40 - Guiding your priorities 50:50 - The value of pilot programs 54:30 - Closing remarks

    55 min

  5. Feb 11

    Creating Value and Visibility For Your Operation (Feat: Jason Dinerman)

    On the latest installment of Broken Benefits, Lee Lewis sits down with Jason Dinerman, VP of Product Development & Global Benefits at Mastercard, to explore what it really takes to create value — and just as importantly, visibility — inside a modern benefits operation. Jason brings a rare blend of product thinking and global benefits leadership to the conversation. Drawing from his career journey, he shares how benefits leaders can move beyond administration and into strategic influence by clearly articulating impact, aligning with business priorities, and designing programs that are measurable, scalable, and understood. The discussion dives into how benefits teams can reposition themselves internally — not as cost centers, but as value creators. Jason explains how applying product development principles to benefits strategy can unlock stronger engagement, clearer outcomes, and greater executive buy-in. If you’re a CHRO, total rewards leader, or HR executive looking to elevate the strategic role of benefits within your organization, this episode offers a practical and forward-looking perspective on how to do it. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 1:37 - Leading US Health & Well-Being at Mastercard 9:38 - The talent overlap between product development and benefits 17:14 - Designing benefits that people ultimately value 25:08 - Advice for today's benefits leaders 33:32 - Look inward for the most valuable data 39:00 - The future of transactions within healthcare 44:44 - How to connect with Jason 45:00 - Closing remarks

    46 min

  6. Jan 26

    Cutting Through the Noise in Employer Healthcare Decisions (Feat: Matt Eurey)

    In this episode of Broken Benefits, host Lee Lewis is joined by Matt Eurey, former Benefits Executive at Lowe’s and Time Warner Cable, for a wide-ranging conversation grounded in real-world experience managing benefits at scale. Matt brings a pragmatic lens to the challenges employers face as buyers in a healthcare system crowded with vendors, competing ideas, and constant pressure to “do something new.” Drawing on decades of leadership, he breaks down how organizations tend to approach innovation, why most employers fall into predictable patterns, and what it actually takes to move from reactive decision-making to thoughtful, long-term strategy. The discussion explores how benefits leaders evaluate risk, filter noise, and balance innovation with operational reality — especially inside large, complex organizations. Rather than chasing trends, Matt emphasizes the importance of clarity, discipline, and understanding where your organization truly sits on the adoption curve. This episode is especially relevant for benefits leaders, HR executives, and employers who want a more grounded perspective on what works, what doesn’t, and how to lead through complexity without losing sight of the people behind the plan. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 2:04 - Matt's background and path into corporate benefits 7:15 - Is the reward worth the risk? 14:10 - Cutting your losses 24:19 - Be a strategic partner and work collaboratively 32:16 - Designing benefits that people love 42:04 - Managing disruption among your members 49:00 - Closing remarks

    49 min

  7. Jan 7

    Taking Calculated Risks (Feat: Neil Larson)

    In this episode of Broken Benefits, host Lee Lewis sits down with Neil Larson, Benefits Leader at a Global 500 employer and MIT MBA, for a candid conversation about risk, responsibility, and what it truly takes to change a healthcare benefits system that isn’t working. Drawing from his experience managing a massive, diverse health plan, Neil shares what benefits leadership looks like in the trenches — where decisions carry financial, operational, and human consequences. The discussion explores why incremental change often isn’t enough, how misaligned incentives quietly drive costs higher, and why taking calculated risks is sometimes the only path to sustainability. Together, Lee and Neil unpack what employers often misunderstand about risk tolerance, consulting relationships, and implementation realities — and why meaningful progress requires leaders who are willing to step off the paved road, ask harder questions, and demand better alignment from their partners. This episode is a must-listen for benefits leaders, HR professionals, and executives navigating rising healthcare costs while trying to protect both their people and their organizations. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 3:38 - Big risks that paid off in Neil's career 12:54 - Getting your risky strategy approved 27:20 - "What's the job to be done?" 36:15 - Identifying crisp and clear KPI's 48:13 - What vendors and consultants don't understand 51:05 - Closing remarks

    52 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    The Hidden Burden of Benefits: Why Employers Need a New Playbook (Feat: Thomas Plath)

    In this episode of Broken Benefits, Global CHRO Thomas Plath joins the show to confront one of the most overlooked — yet most consequential — challenges facing employers today: the true complexity of healthcare and the enormous responsibility placed on HR leaders to navigate it. Thomas shares a candid look at what it feels like to inherit a benefits ecosystem that can represent hundreds of millions of dollars in spend, yet remains confusing, fragmented, and structurally misaligned with employee outcomes. His journey from “intimidation” to clarity offers a window into the broader awakening happening inside the C-suite as executives realize how deeply healthcare impacts culture, productivity, and long-term organizational strategy. With perspective shaped by global leadership, Thomas explores why employers must shift from passive purchasers to active stewards of care — and why adopting a new playbook is no longer optional. If you’re a CHRO, benefits leader, or executive wrestling with rising costs, broken systems, and pressure to drive better outcomes, this conversation delivers the insight you’ve been waiting for. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 2:10 - Healthcare benefits are complex. Plain and simple. 7:22 - What separates healthcare from other industries 16:20 - Supply chain reform efforts 27:11 - Using savings to directly benefit the rest of your organization 36:55 - Creating importance behind the incentive structure 44:48 - Using outside sources and independent parties 50:02 - The biggest risks on the horizon 57:30 - Closing remarks

    59 min
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5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

Whether you are the benefits manager or CEO of your organization, one of the biggest drivers of organizational performance, that most get totally wrong, is the health and benefits strategy. We spend billions on benefits, yet healthcare is unaffordable and complicated. More than half of Americans don't even take their paid vacation, yet people are burning out faster than ever and remote work is scrambling company cultures. It doesn't have to be this way! Great benefits can attract and retain top talent, communicate your values, rejuvenate your productivity, move your stock price, and even save lives. Lee knows this because he advised and learned from many Fortune 100 employers on how to create wildly profitable and popular benefits programs that enhance all areas of the business. Lee created this podcast in the hopes that together we can save lives, save dollars, and save our talent. Join us, each episode, on YouTube or your favorite podcasting platform for some great conversation with some of the world's leading experts in this space.

Information

  • Creator
    Lee Lewis
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Lee Lewis
  • Show Website
    Broken Benefits

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