The Benefit Whisperer

The Benefit Whisperer


Why “Good Discounts” Are Costing You a Fortune. Inside a Smarter Healthcare Model: Reference-Based Pricing with Adam Russo, Esq. (Ep. 09)

May 20, 2025

Is your PPO network actually saving you money—or just selling you a myth?

In this eye-opening episode of The Benefit Whisperer, host Ralph Weber sits down with Adam Russo, co-founder and CEO of The Phia Group, to expose the broken economics of traditional healthcare pricing. They dive deep into the real story behind Reference-Based Pricing (RBP), why most brokers avoid it, and how smart employers are slashing costs without cutting care.

✅ The truth about PPO “discounts”
✅ Why laziness—not logic—drives plan design
✅ How RBP protects patients from surprise billing
✅ What AI and price transparency mean for the future of healthcare