Issue A fixed employer budget moves plan choice from the employer to the individual market

Summary

A fixed employer budget shifts the choice of health plan from the company to the individual employee. Under the ICHRA model CB Insights describes, the employer sets a set amount and reimburses workers tax-free for individual insurance they buy on their own. Traditionally, employers selected a single bundled group plan that covered all staff. The new approach replaces that with modular, fixed-budget benefits infrastructure. In effect, a benefit defined by the employer becomes a contribution that employees spend in the individual insurance market. This gives workers more flexibility but also moves decisions and potential complexity onto them, creating demand for platforms that help manage the process.