Rising healthcare costs, volatile claims, and growing pressure on employer-sponsored health plans are prompting many organizations to explore alternative risk-management approaches. In the May/June 2026 issue of Benefits Magazine, Steve Gransbury, President of Health Solutions at Captive Resources, discussed how Medical Stop Loss (MSL) group captives are helping employers take a more strategic and collaborative approach to healthcare financing.
In “Medical Stop-Loss Group Captives: A Primer for Benefits Managers,” Gransbury outlined how MSL group captives allow employers with self-funded health plans to pool stop-loss risk, gain greater transparency into healthcare spending, and participate in underwriting results while maintaining flexibility over plan design and day-to-day benefits management.
The article also examined the broader advantages of the captive model, including collective purchasing power, peer collaboration, and improved access to actionable data. Gransbury explains how employers within a captive can share insights on vendor performance, prescription drug trends, wellness initiatives, and cost-management strategies to support more informed long-term decision-making.
Additionally, the piece highlighted the growing importance of collaboration between HR and finance leaders as organizations work to balance employee experience with financial sustainability. According to Gransbury, employers that prioritize transparency, engagement, and long-term planning are often best positioned to maximize the value of the captive model.
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