51. Your Benefits, Your Risk: Why Fiduciary Duty Can’t Be Ignored

In this high-impact episode of  The Business of Benefits Podcast, we're cutting through the legal jargon and post-lunch drowsiness to bring you the most engaging conversation you’ll ever hear on fiduciary compliance. Hosts Chelsea and Donovan Ryckis pull back the curtain on what it really means to be a fiduciary under ERISA, especially in today’s healthcare landscape, where misaligned incentives are costing employers and employees big.Chelsea shares her personal journey from NCAA athlete to healthcare advocate after a traumatic brain injury exposed the broken realities of the American health system. Donovan breaks down the parallels between fiduciary standards in financial services and the gaping lack of those same protections in health benefits—until now.From health plan lawsuits and PBM fraud to RxDC reporting and compensation disclosure, this episode arms employers with the truth, the data, and the questions you must start asking.You’ll learn:What fiduciary duty actually looks like in practice (and in court)Why the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 is a game-changer for employer-sponsored plansHow to identify and eliminate conflicts of interest across your benefit ecosystemWhat brokers aren’t telling you—and why that mattersPractical steps you can take today to realign incentives and protect your peopleStick around for the debut of special guest Bryan Orr, whose real-world results show what’s possible when employers take back control.If you’re ready to rethink your role, reclaim your data, and radically improve your health plan decisions, this one’s for you.Connect with Chelsea and Donovan:Website: https://businessofbenefitspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethoseffectpodcast/Chelsea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/Donovan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanryckis/Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here: https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education SHRM: Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. HRCI: Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.