Health Benefits A partner that cares as much as you
Our clients rely on our deep industry expertise and experience to help them fulfill their role as fiduciaries and achieve their trusts’ goals.
Health Benefit Plan consulting and actuarial services
We offer creative solutions for providing benefits, controlling costs, and supporting participant health and well-being, offering the following solutions:
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Benefit design and plan coordination
We work closely with our clients to design, implement and evaluate innovative and cost-effective benefit programs. This includes consulting on insured and self-funded benefit plans, health and wellness initiatives and retiree benefit plan options.
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Financial analysis and projections
We provide detailed review of the financial health of your Plans and ongoing trends, budgeting, and benefit cost modeling; reserve projections forecasting and liability estimates; and analysis of the impact of eligibility changes.
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Strategic consultation
We take a creative approach to solving your most complicated problems – including managed care solutions, healthcare coalition options, and merger feasibility studies if warranted.
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Vendor procurement and oversight
Our services include carrier and vendor negotiations and contract review, provider renewals and analyses, and request for proposals and analysis of bids.
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Compliance support
We provide legislative and regulatory compliance support in conjunction with your legal counsel, helping clients understand and comply with federal and state mandates and regulations, and financial reporting standards and disclosures.
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Pharmacy Benefit Management consulting
We provide consulting on drug pricing and PBM contracting to optimize fully insured and self-insured pharmacy benefits programs.
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Retiree Health consulting
We provide financial disclosures, benefit cost analysis, and general consulting for multiemployer and public sector retiree health plans.
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Communications consulting
We provide full-service employee benefits communications consulting designed to increase engagement and improve participant experience.
Communications Consulting
Why Rael & Letson for health benefit plans?
With the cost of health care rising every year, managing a benefits plan that provides participants with the best coverage while keeping costs low requires an advisor who understands your plans.
Independent
Our reports are based on thorough and objective analysis of data, and our recommendations are focused solely on meeting the best interests of our clients. We are not part of an insurance, administration or brokerage company.
Knowledgeable
Our team is highly trained with deep industry expertise and experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of health & welfare benefit plans.
Responsive
We are dedicated to establishing trustworthy client relationships, delivering timely, dependable client service and clear, transparent client communications.
Flexible
We are flexible in the way we approach each client. As a result, our clients enjoy a tailored approach that best meets their needs.
Employee-Owned
As an employee-owned firm, Rael & Letson is a desirable place to work, allowing us to attract and retain a talented staff of actuarial, consulting, and support staff. Our clients benefit from the efficiency and institutional knowledge that consultant continuity brings.
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Read morePractice Leaders
Wes Yoder
Consultant and Co-Health & Welfare Practice Leader
Wes Yoder has 28 years of experience working in health & welfare benefits consulting. For the last 23 years Wes has worked exclusively with multiemployer funds throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. During that time he has served a diverse set of clients ranging in size from 500 employees to over 15,000. Wes’ clients include construction, retail, service and transportation/trucking industries. He is a 1995 graduate of Gonzaga University with a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science. Wes started his career at a worldwide consulting firm working in a group dedicated to actuarial and underwriting services, including underwriting of self-funded plans, reserve calculations and retiree medical liability valuations. In 2001 he turned his focus to multiemployer plan consulting. Although financial analysis and plan underwriting continues to be a passion, Wes has been in a client facing consulting role for the last 15 years. Clients appreciate his attention to detail, technical expertise and ability to communicate complex issues. Wes joined Rael & Letson in September 2011.
Kirsten Shaffer
Consultant and Co-Health & Welfare Practice Leader
Kirsten Shaffer began her career in the employee benefits field in 1977. Kirsten has over 41 years’ experience in the health & welfare benefits field and has served as consultant to multiemployer Taft Hartley trusts and public entity clients. Prior to joining Rael & Letson in 2000, she worked for several major national consulting firms and has extensive experience and expertise in benefit program underwriting, evaluation and negotiations of insurance carrier and HMO premiums, financial projections, funding alternatives, benefit plan designs and legislative compliance issues.