New tool encourages employers to take hard look at sky-high healthcare spending, discover opportunities for cost reduction

HADDON TOWNSHIP, N.J., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Health Transformation Alliance (HTA) and the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) introduced the Corporate Health Plan Fiduciary Scorecard. This free, directional, and self-administered tool will help large employers take advantage of available healthcare pricing data to demonstrate strong fiduciary stewardship over employee health plan dollars for their investors, including state and local government pension funds.

Healthcare price transparency, mandated by the federal government and critical for increasing competition and lowering costs across the entire healthcare sector, only pays off when employers act on the available data. This new scorecard will help large employers and state financial officers fulfill the same fiduciary obligation: guaranteeing that every health plan dollar is spent reasonably, verifiably, and for the people it serves.

“Employers spend billions of dollars on healthcare, and they have an obligation to understand where that money is going and what they are getting for it,” said Rob Andrews, CEO of HTA. “Having access to better information gives employers the ability to ask harder questions about their healthcare spending and demand greater value for employees and their families.”

“State financial officers are tasked with the tremendous responsibility of stewarding every dollar in each public pension fund with shares in public companies, so helping large employers bring down healthcare costs is a major priority for these elected leaders,” said OJ Oleka, CEO of SFOF. “As trusted fiscal watchdogs, they recognize that transparency and accountability are indispensable for reducing out-of-control costs, and essential elements of any employer-provided healthcare plan. This exciting new scorecard gives companies the opportunity to demonstrate to shareholders and plan participants their level of fiduciary leadership in oversight of their employees’ healthcare benefits.”

The scorecard was crafted with the employer purchasing experience of HTA members, and the perspective of SFOF-affiliated leaders who oversee public funds and invest in these companies.

“Companies that are true leaders will value price competition, cut out unnecessary third-party expenditures, welcome independent audits, and be open to cost-effective alternative care when available,” added Oleka. “Since most Americans receive their health care benefits through their employer, this scorecard is a critical tool to make sure corporations take their fiduciary responsibilities seriously and do their part to help reduce the cost of healthcare for all Americans.”

The Corporate Health Plan Fiduciary Scorecard is a directional assessment, not a pass/fail test. Employers answer, “Yes” or “No” and add comments. The 30 questions fall into three tiers that build on one another:

• Foundational Fiduciary Practices (11 questions). Does the employer control its own data and basic oversight? Examples include unrestricted access to all plan data, documented governance, annual cost benchmarking, transparency language in carrier and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) contracts, and firm caps on shared-savings fees.
• Advanced Fiduciary Oversight (11 questions). Does the employer verify what its vendors do and charge? Examples include independent plan audits, annual contract reviews, fraud, waste and abuse tools beyond the carrier’s, itemized review of claims over $50,000, safeguards on subcontractors, offshoring and AI.
• Fiduciary Leadership Practices (8 questions). Does the employer lead, not just comply? Examples include independent advisors not paid by carriers or PBMs, finding hidden (“dark money”) revenue, pre-payment integrity checks, evaluating innovative care models, reporting to the board, and a written long-term strategy.

To score, employers count their “Yes” answers, with 0–12 categorized as a “Foundational Opportunity,” 13–24 a “Strong Fiduciary Program,” and 25–30 a “National Fiduciary Leader.”

Why employers should use the scorecard:

• See the gaps: It turns the U.S. Department of Labor’s general duty to monitor vendors into 30 concrete questions an executive team can answer in one meeting.
• Prove prudence: A documented self-assessment, reported to leadership or the board, is evidence of a deliberate process.
• Find savings: Questions on data access, audit rights, hidden revenue and shared-savings caps point to where plan dollars leak.
• Lead the field: Strong results let employers show investors, employees, and regulators that they take stewardship seriously.

“There are more opportunities for employers to influence rising healthcare costs than many realize,” added Andrews. “This scorecard can help turn price transparency into action, giving them a chance to act on that influence.”

The Corporate Health Plan Fiduciary Scorecard is free, available now, requires no new technology, and takes under 15 minutes to complete. The material can be found here.

About Health Transformation Alliance 

The Health Transformation Alliance (HTA) is a healthcare buyer and a cooperative of 85+ of America’s leading employers that have come together to fix our broken healthcare system. HTA works with companies to negotiate better contracts, and track and manage medical spend. They are collectively responsible for more than 5 million lives (employees, dependents, and retirees) in the United States and 8 million globally with an annual healthcare spend of over $40 billion, saving member companies $2 billion or more annually in healthcare costs. HTA member companies have combined their resources, knowledge, and experience to transform the way healthcare is delivered. To that end, the HTA has developed value-driven solutions in data and analytics, pharmacy, medical and consumer engagement specifically designed to improve patient care and economic value. For more information, please visit www.htahealth.com.

About State Financial Officers Foundation

The State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) is a national non-profit association founded to support state financial officers who believe in promoting fiscally responsible public policies. Comprised of 42 elected state Treasurers, Auditors, Comptrollers, and Chief Financial Officers from 28 states nationwide, SFOF’s mission is to drive fiscally sound public policy, by partnering with key stakeholders, and educating Americans on the role of responsible financial management in a free market economy. SFOF ‘s core principles include: Economic Freedom, Rule of Law, Federalism, Accountability, Free Society, and Free Speech and Civil Discourse.  For more information, please visit www.sfof.com.

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SOURCE State Financial Officers Foundation