This website uses cookies
Read our Privacy policy and Terms of use for more information.
For the people responsible for the plan
Benefits decisions are expensive. You should be able to see what’s behind the recommendation.
The decision test
Start with the assumptions behind the answer.
If one hidden input can reverse the answer, it belongs in the room.
The Readout · Newsletter
Latest Readout
Private equity, IDR fees, and expenses outside your quoted maximum liability.
Read Issue 04Free resources
Look up plan filings, compare costs, or work through a sample projection.
Excel workbook · Synthetic data · Visible formulas
Build a self-funded projection with sample claims and editable assumptions.
Free lookup · Nationwide · 2022–2025
Find carriers, broker pay, and filing history.
One-page PDF · The Mahoney Group
A one-page guide for working through a benefits decision.
Why this exists
After 15 years in the employee benefits and consulting space, I have learned this: the math is not the decision. But if nobody can show you the math, it is hard to know what you are actually deciding.
About ScottWhat The Readout covers
Change one, and the other two move with it.
Separate signal from noise before one number becomes the story.
Match the change to the problem, not just the quote.
Test whether the plan still works when someone has to use it.
From the Lab · Synthetic example
Work through a benefits question using sample data.
Explore the LabTwo ways in
Some questions belong in a future Readout. Others need a live conversation.
Send the decision, the options, and the part that refuses to make sense. Keep names and private details out.
Submit a caseHave a decision to make? Book 30 minutes and bring the question.
Schedule 30 minutes