By MATT McCORD

American manufacturing is making a comeback. Driven by tariffs, supply chain instability, and shifting economic priorities, companies are reshoring production—reinvesting in U.S. labor and operations.

But there’s one major obstacle still standing in the way: the crushing cost of American healthcare.

For decades, U.S. employers have overpaid for healthcare without improving outcomes. Ballooning insurance premiums bloated administrative costs, and an opaque, middleman-driven system have left businesses with the highest healthcare costs in the world—twice as much as top global competitors.

If manufacturing is returning, shouldn’t we be demanding a more efficient and productive healthcare model to support it? The same industries that once offshored to escape labor costs must now confront the reality that the old way of buying healthcare is broken.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) & The Growing Fiduciary Risk

The game has changed. The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 imposes strict new fiduciary requirements on employers that sponsor health plans. Companies can no longer blindly trust big insurance carriers or PBMs to act in their best interest.

If businesses fail to properly manage their healthcare spend, they are now liable for excessive costs, lack of transparency, and conflicts of interest.

🔴 This isn’t just theoretical—JP Morgan Chase is now facing a class-action lawsuit over how it managed its employee health plan, with board members named as defendants.

Employers have always scrutinized office supply costs, travel budgets, and vendor contracts—yet they’ve handed over healthcare procurement to third-party insurers with zero accountability.

Now, that lack of oversight is a legal risk.

Why Employers Need a Chief Health & Benefits Officer (CHBO)

Every major business function has an executive leader ensuring strategy, efficiency, and accountability:

• CFOs manage financial health with precision.
• COOs streamline operations for maximum productivity.
• CIOs leverage technology to drive innovation.

So why do we continue to let third-party insurers and middlemen dictate healthcare purchasing without a dedicated executive overseeing the strategy?

Mark Cuban recently called for a new C-suite role: the Healthcare CEO (HCEO). A more appropriate and less confusing term may be the Chief Health & Benefits Officer (CHBO).  This leader would act as a fiduciary to the company, ensuring that its health benefits strategy delivers better outcomes at lower costs—just like a CFO does with financial oversight.

This isn’t a job for HR.