In the latest episode of The Health Literacy 2.0 Podcast, host Seth Serxner welcomes Maddison Bezdicek, VP of Strategic Vendor Services at Captive Resources, for a deep dive into the evolving challenges - and opportunities - employers face in workforce health literacy, cost control, and benefit strategy.

Maddison brings a decade-plus of experience in health strategy leadership across insurance brokerage, carrier consulting, and now the captive space, where groups of employers join forces to manage healthcare risk and costs together. With a foundation in exercise science and hands-on knowledge from both the vendor and employer sides, Maddison specializes in forging partnerships and guiding organizations through the complexities of benefits, wellness, vendor selection, and data-driven decision-making.

Seth and Maddison explore:

• Unpacking Group Captives: How employer collectives are creating greater purchasing power and shared strategies for better healthcare cost management.
• Managing Rising Health Costs: Why skyrocketing benefits spending is a top pain point—and how employers are seeking stability before focusing on employee wellness interventions.
• Pharmacy as a Cost Driver: Tackling the often-overlooked impact of pharmacy spend (up to 50% of total healthcare costs) through smarter PBM relationships and contracts.
• Data-Driven Decisions: The shift from limited claims data to deeper analytics - enabling tailored interventions and more effective vendor partnerships.
• Point Solution Fatigue: The reality of too many health and wellness programs - and how narrowing focus and improving communication is driving better employee engagement.
• Reframing Engagement Metrics: Moving from utilization rates to targeting the right populations, and the rise of outcome-based (“case unit”) pricing models for vendors.
• Digital Health’s Double-Edged Sword: Opportunities and challenges in leveraging digital platforms for engagement, including the importance of understanding and respecting different employee populations.
• The Health Literacy Imperative: The growing employer interest—if not frustration—around empowering employees to better navigate healthcare, and why education often remains a tough nut to crack at scale.
• Responsible Use of AI: Balancing back-end administrative efficiency with the irreplaceable value of human connection, especially in sensitive health scenarios.

With practical perspectives on everything from vendor evaluation to the human experience behind benefit designs, this episode reminds us that while technology and strategy are vital, it’s the employee’s real-world journey that should remain front and center.

Learn About EdLogics

Want to see how EdLogics' gamified platform can boost health literacy, drive engagement in health and wellness programs, and help people live happier, healthier lives?

Visit the EdLogics website: www.edlogics.com.

In the latest episode of The Health Literacy 2.0 Podcast, host Seth Serxner welcomes Wolf Kirsten - global health consultant, workplace wellness expert, and co-director of the Global Center for Healthy Workplaces - to discuss the evolving landscape of workforce health and well-being across multinational organizations.

Wolf shares his rich journey from student athlete in the US to renowned health promotion leader bridging global cultures, markets, and strategies. As founder of International Health Consulting and co-director of the Global Center for Healthy Workplaces, he’s spent decades helping multinational corporations craft holistic, culturally relevant employee wellness programs—while also advising world institutions like the World Health Organization.

Based in Germany and working globally, Wolf brings hands-on insights into the unique challenges, growth opportunities, and trends shaping workplace health around the world.

Seth and Wolf also discuss:

• Global vs. Domestic Wellness: Multinationals face unique challenges compared to US-only companies, from culture to regulations and governance.
• Evolving Employer Commitment: Companies have grown more cautious in investing in health, economic uncertainty, and shifting priorities drive more evidence-based approaches.
• Centralization vs. Localization: Attempts to “clone” US programs globally often run into roadblocks; success comes from balancing central strategy with local adaptation.
• Growth Markets: Countries like India, China, and Brazil are investing strongly in employee well-being, with local cultural nuances shaping programs.
• Pull vs. Push Strategies: When local sites ask for programs and recognition, competition and engagement increase - bottom-up enthusiasm drives progress.
• EAP as a Global Starting Point: Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are consistently a global entryway for mental health and wellness efforts, sometimes siloed but increasingly integrated.
• Health Literacy’s Role: Health literacy is gaining recognition as foundational, especially as health systems become more complex and individuals take on more responsibility for their care.
• Workplace Environment Matters: Organizational culture, work pressure, supervisor relationships, and meaningful recognition fundamentally impact employee mental and physical health.
• Champion Networks: Occupational health leaders, especially corporate medical directors in places like India, have an outsized influence in driving workplace well-being.

To build a healthier workforce, companies must combine individual health choices with supportive organizational environments - and embrace the power of cultural adaptation, collaboration, and evidence-based leadership.

Wolf Kirsten: www.linkedin.com/in/wolf-kirsten

Learn About EdLogics

Want to see how EdLogics' gamified platform can boost health literacy, drive engagement in health and wellness programs, and help people live happier, healthier lives?

Visit the EdLogics website: www.edlogics.com and wolfkirsten.com.

In this episode of The Health Literacy 2.0 Podcast, host Seth Serxner welcomes Ellen Kelsay, President and CEO of the Business Group on Health, for a timely conversation on the findings of the 2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey and what they signal for employers heading into the next phase of workforce health strategy.

The survey offers one of the clearest snapshots available of how large employers are responding to accelerating health care costs, mounting pharmacy pressure, and growing concerns about care quality.

As President and CEO of the Business Group on Health, Ellen Kelsay brings more than 30 years of experience in employer-sponsored health care, including senior leadership roles at Mercer and Aetna. Since 2019, she has led the organization’s strategy, advocacy, and research agenda, working directly with self-funded employers as they confront some of the most consequential health care decisions of the past decade.

Drawing directly on the 2026 survey findings, Seth and Ellen explore:

• Health care costs at a critical inflection point: Employers reported a 9% increase in health care costs, the highest level in more than a decade, underscoring why cost containment alone is no longer a viable long-term strategy.
• A forced reset in health care strategy: The survey shows employers actively reassessing benefit designs and vendor ecosystems, with a growing focus on integration, transparency, and coordination as levers to improve both cost control and care quality.
• Shifting from reaction to prevention: Findings point to renewed employer attention on primary care, prevention, and healthy behaviors, alongside careful experimentation with supply-side innovations such as value-based care and alternative health plan models.
• Engagement as a make-or-break factor: Survey insights reinforce that even well-designed programs fail without sustained engagement, prompting employers to simplify offerings, improve communications, and clarify shared accountability for outcomes.
• Employers as trusted guides: The survey highlights an expanding role for employers as credible sources of health information, particularly as employees navigate misinformation, complex benefits, and rapidly changing care options.
• Wellbeing investments under scrutiny, not retreat: Contrary to expectations, the findings show continued and in some cases growing investment in wellbeing initiatives, reflecting their perceived role in addressing downstream cost and productivity challenges.
• Health literacy moving to the center of strategy: While not always named explicitly, the survey reinforces the importance of equipping employees to understand benefits, evaluate care options, and make informed decisions, especially as AI accelerates access to health information.
• Preparing for longer working lives: The findings also point to the need for employers to adapt health and wellbeing strategies to support an aging workforce with evolving needs across longer career spans.

Ellen and Seth discuss why the 2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey is becoming a practical guide for employers navigating rising costs, limited options, and growing complexity.

Learn About EdLogics

Want to see how EdLogics' gamified platform can boost health literacy, drive engagement in health and wellness programs, and help people live happier, healthier lives?

Visit the EdLogics website: www.edlogics.com