While law firm life never slows down completely, legal administrators do tend to enjoy some reprieve this time of year. Unless, of course, you work in a firm like mine with a benefits renewal date of October 1. Farewell, summer shandy; hello, open enrollment!
Like the AI landscape, the benefits landscape is fast-moving, full of new terminology and expensive. One question properly asked and answered could be the difference between a benefits package that attracts and retains talent, and a benefits package that drives talent elsewhere.
Since I’ve already compiled my list of questions for my broker this year, I thought I’d share it here and give you a head start. (P.S. Don’t forget to tell your managing partner you got this information from ALA.)
On GLP-1s specifically
- What percentage of our current pharmacy spend is GLP-1 drugs, and how has that changed over the past three years?
- If we cover GLP-1s for weight loss, what utilization management options exist short of a flat exclusion — prior authorization, step therapy (i.e., trying and failing on a cheaper drug before the health plan will cover a more expensive one), BMI/comorbidity requirements?
- What would it cost us to add, narrow or drop weight-loss coverage next year, modeled out?
- Are we exposed to any legal risk, e.g., ADA or nondiscrimination claims, based on how our current plan handles weight-loss drug coverage?
