Employer-sponsored healthcare is one of the largest—and least understood—drivers of corporate cost, workforce strategy, and competitive advantage in the United States. For many firms, healthcare spending is the second largest cost and significantly impacts margins, talent acquisition, and employee productivity. In this course, students examine healthcare not as a policy issue, but as a core strategic business challenge. MCC equips future leaders to evaluate how companies design, finance, and manage healthcare benefits in a rapidly evolving ecosystem shaped by rising costs, regulatory shifts, and disruptive innovation. Students will develop a practical understanding of: • The structure and economics of the employer-sponsored healthcare system • How leading companies make strategic decisions about health benefits, vendors, and risk • The role of insurers, consultants, and emerging market entrants • How digital health, AI, and new care models are reshaping employer strategies Through case discussions and guest speakers from industry, consulting, and startups, students will analyze real-world decisions faced by executives and advisors. The course emphasizes actionable frameworks and market insight relevant to careers in consulting, corporate strategy, healthcare, private equity, and entrepreneurship. By the end of the course, students will be able to assess healthcare strategies as a source of both cost control and competitive advantage—and engage confidently in one of the most complex and consequential issues facing modern organizations.