Crux

None of the greatest forthcoming advancements in science and medicine will arrive in the form of a $10 generic. We need to prepare now for a world with GLP-1-like breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s, Cancer, and other major diseases that shrink families. Employers are the financial backbone of our uniquely American private healthcare system, and they are drowning in inflationary costs that jeopardize what they can afford to fund in health benefits. This affects all Americans in a world where everything new costs more. Take GLP-1s as proof and a foreshadowing: A generational breakthrough to help address an epidemic with unprecedented consumer demand. The narrative that GLP-1s are too expensive is false. It isn’t what GLP-1s cost, it’s what they cost employers. This matters for patients, where the scalable path to affordability is to combine employer and consumer dollars. Employers pay artificially inflated list prices in exchange for rebates on a mystery number, which ties up dozens of billions in working capital. This is why the legacy system sees utilization as a problem, and it has only ever had one idea on how to deal with this problem: Friction. The legacy system is now fundamentally misaligned: - 20th century funding models aren’t compatible with the pace or progress of 21st century science - Friction to discourage utilization works directly against the aligned incentives of patients and their care teams HR Tech Outlook named Crux its Specialty Employee Benefits Platform of the Year. In this interview, I lay out a better model for GLP-1s and other high-value brand and specialty medications. Because here is the real problem: None of the greatest breakthroughs in science and medicine will arrive in the form of a $10 generic. And historic breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, Cancer, and other major diseases are coming sooner than you think. We have proof that a better model works, and it is accessible right now. GLP-1s are just the beginning. Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/eSCt7pnX

Employees are asking for GLP-1 coverage. Crux gives you direct manufacturer pricing, flexible contributions, and zero markups.

Today is a big day for Crux. We announced our collaboration with Novo Nordisk this morning, and I'm thrilled to share that Wegovy® is now available on Crux in both the injectable and pill formats. More choice for employers, consumers, and their clinical providers. We're at a rare moment in healthcare. We get to choose transparency over mystery. Choice over spread. Access over friction. Which means we get to scale Yes over no. For decades, we (collectively) have put so much of the administrative and financial burden onto the shoulders of American business. It's about time we start making some of it lighter. Today deserves the glass-half-full outlook. Progress is coming. It looks brighter than it did yesterday. And there is more great news on the way. A lot of it. Thank you to the amazing team over at Novo Nordisk! It has been an absolute pleasure and I’m thrilled we have you in Crux.

GLP-1 wholesale prices have dropped and WTW got it right, employers shouldn't expect their costs to go down. Here is why. The price reductions in the headlines are reductions to list or "gross" prices. That number is inflated by design to produce a larger rebate against what employers actually pay ("net"). The 60-75% reductions shrink the gross-to-net spread, but they do not eliminate the PBM's economics. Rebates recalibrate, the PBM retains its margin, and the employer's net cost stays flat. To help employers, manufacturers have built new channels that bypass the middleware layer where price inflation lives and affordability dies. This is the structural shift that actually changes the math, and the change is significant. The middleware layer alone adds more than 27% in cost. None of it goes to care or value. All of it is gone in the new employer-centric model of Crux. Consider prior authorization. Both branded GLP-1 options are the exact same medicine. Prior auth is not a clinical safeguard, it is a PBM toll booth. And yes, employers should absolutely care about clinical integrity. No one wants to subsidize prescriptions from a med spa. That is exactly the point. Those utilization management dollars can now go toward a cardiometabolic program that improves adherence and outcomes. Spend on value. The most effective path for scaling GLP-1 affordability is to combine consumer dollars with employer dollars. We built Crux so that 100% of the employer's contribution goes toward value. Lower out-of-pocket costs. Branded medication packaged with temp tracking, delivered next-day. A simple and engaging member experience that makes cost, status, and next steps clear at a glance for consumers. Crux does not charge the employer a dime. Direct that spend toward a high-quality clinical care program from a partner you choose. No tolls. Just value. Crux is live and shipping to our first employers, who can add a coverage benefit right now. And we're working with some great care providers if you want options. The question is no longer whether employers should participate. It is, "What else can we apply this model to?"

Most benefits decisions happen once a year. Most healthcare needs don't. The real constraint for HR leaders isn't the open enrollment window — it's the planning cycle that precedes it. Vendor decisions, plan designs, and budget commitments are typically locked in by summer. Anything that didn't make it into that process has to wait another year to be reconsidered. For benefits that fit the traditional model, that timeline works. For specialty medications like GLP-1s, where employee demand is growing now and clinical evidence is evolving fast, a 12-month wait isn't a planning decision. It's a missed opportunity. Forward-thinking HR leaders are looking for solutions that don't require them to blow up the planning cycle to move. Not everything has to wait for the next budget season, the next broker conversation, or the next open enrollment. Some of the most meaningful coverage additions of the next few years will happen outside that window entirely, layered into existing benefits structures without disrupting what's already working. The shift isn't about adding more. It's about building in the flexibility to move when it actually matters. That's what Crux is built to do. Find out more at getcrux.com #GetCrux #EmployeeBenefits #FutureOfBenefits #HRLeadership #BenefitsStrategy

When employers talk about GLP-1 benefits, the conversation usually centers on weight management. But that framing misses the bigger picture and the bigger opportunity for employers. These medications are preventative care. They're investments in reducing diabetes risk, improving cardiovascular health outcomes, mitigating sleep apnea complications, and more. When employees have access to GLP-1s, you're not just offering a benefit they want. You're supporting long-term health outcomes that matter to your workforce and your bottom line. The most forward-thinking benefits leaders are reframing the conversation internally: not just as a perk to attract talent, but as a strategic preventative care investment that supports employee health and satisfaction over time. Making that shift requires the right solution. Crux gives employers more control over costs, employees more access to care, and both sides a more affordable path to GLP-1 benefits. Find out more at getcrux.com #GetCrux #PreventativeCare #GLP1Benefits #EmployeeWellness #BenefitsLeadership #HealthcareStrategy #EmployeeHealth