Health benefits built for cannabis employers
A Different Approach to Healthcare Costs for Cannabis Employers
Humboldt Health is a group health-benefits program built for cannabis companies with 25 or more enrolled employees. You get more control over what you spend on healthcare, a clearer view of where those dollars go, and the opportunity to keep surplus in years when claims run better than expected.
Virtual urgent care and virtual behavioral health are included for eligible members at no additional cost.
Limited Market Options
Many cannabis employers have fewer carrier and funding options than businesses in other industries.
Rising Healthcare Costs
Medical and pharmacy costs continue to put pressure on an already difficult renewal.
Little Room to Plan Ahead
When options are limited, employers are often forced to react instead of building a longer-term strategy.
How Humboldt Health works
You Set Money Aside for Claims. What You Do Not Use Can Come Back to You.
Money you spend on a traditional insurance plan is gone at the end of the year. With Humboldt Health, the dollars set aside for claims that do not happen can come back to you.
Your cost is known up front
You know your fixed cost for the year before it starts, so there are no renewal surprises to budget around.
Your worst case is capped
Insurance protection covers large, unexpected claims, so a single bad year cannot run your costs away from you.
You see where the money goes
Instead of one bundled premium, you can see the pieces that make up your healthcare spending and manage them.
Unused dollars can come back
When claims run better than expected, the money set aside for them can return to you rather than disappear.
Backed by an A-rated insurance carrier. United States domiciled. Built only for cannabis employers.
Request Program DetailsWho Humboldt Health is built for
For Cannabis Employers Facing Rising Costs and Limited Options
Humboldt Health is designed for cannabis businesses that value their benefits program but are finding it harder to absorb annual increases, maintain employee contributions, or find viable alternatives in the traditional market. Employers do not need to be self-funded today. Blackwell and the broker evaluate the financial structure, claims experience, cash-flow considerations, and readiness to make the transition.
Committed to Offering Competitive Benefits
The employer wants to maintain a competitive benefits package rather than repeatedly reduce coverage or shift more cost to employees.
Facing Limited Market Options
Traditional carriers or stop-loss markets offer few viable choices, inconsistent appetite, or difficult renewal terms.
Ready for Greater Transparency
Leadership wants access to claims and pharmacy information that can support earlier planning and better decisions.
Focused on Long-Term Cost
The employer understands that the strongest opportunity may come from controlling healthcare trend over several years, not chasing a one-year discount.
included with HUMBOLDT HEALTH membership
Risk Management and Virtual Care, Included at No Additional Cost
Every Humboldt Health participant receives the B.Well Blueprint, included in captive-management fees, plus Virtual Urgent Care and Virtual Behavioral Health through Recuro Health at no additional cost.
Together, they give employers clearer visibility into plan performance and give eligible members more ways to access care, helping protect both the health plan and the captive layer over time.
Get the B.Well Blueprint Overview
Included with Humboldt Health membership
Virtual Urgent Care and Virtual Behavioral Health
Access to care is one of the biggest cost drivers for cannabis employers. Eligible members and covered family can connect with providers 24/7 by phone, video, web, or mobile, at no cost for the visit. Additional programs are available as optional upgrades.
Virtual care is a member-access benefit administered by Recuro Health. It is not stop-loss coverage. Services are subject to plan experience, member eligibility, provider availability, and program terms.
Apta Cash: Your Business Runs on Cash. Now Your Healthcare Can Too.
Cannabis businesses already run in cash-heavy environments, and traditional benefit models do not always fit. Apta Cash brings that same directness to healthcare. It guides employees to the right provider, secures a clear price up front, and coordinates the payment, so your team is not left to fight through networks, surprise bills, and reimbursement paperwork.
Care, not paperwork
Employees are guided from the first call to the right provider, so getting care takes less time and less effort.
Prices you can see
Pricing is agreed up front, instead of surprise bills and charges that show up months later.
Little to no cost at the visit
Members who follow the guided process may pay little to nothing out of pocket, with no need to pay up front and wait for reimbursement.
For a cash-based industry, that means healthcare that works the way you already do business: direct, transparent, and built to control cost.
Ask about Apta CashApta Cash is a guided cash-pay care benefit provided through Apta Health. Out-of-pocket cost depends on plan design and eligibility, and the lowest member cost applies when the guided care process is followed.
What Blackwell handles for you
We Build and Run the Program. You Keep Your Focus.
You do not need to find other cannabis businesses, recruit members, or manage the structure. Blackwell builds and runs the program, so you can keep your focus on your business and your people.
From the first evaluation through day-to-day operation, Blackwell provides the underwriting, implementation, and ongoing program management. Your current benefits advisor is welcome to work alongside us.
Request Program DetailsFinancial Evaluation
We review your current premium, projected claims, fixed costs, collateral, and the range of possible outcomes before recommending anything.
Ongoing Reporting
You get regular visibility into your claims, the program's financial performance, and developing risk.
Implementation Support
We coordinate the administrator, pharmacy program, stop-loss coverage, data feeds, and participating partners.
Program Development
We use information across participating cannabis employers to spot shared cost drivers and add resources to the program over time.
On Cannabis Radio
Scott Byrne on Building a Health Captive for the Cannabis Industry
Blackwell President Scott Byrne joins Blunt Business to walk through how Humboldt Health approaches benefits and cost management for cannabis employers.
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Is Humboldt Health a fit for your business?
Humboldt Health is built for established cannabis employers that want more control over what they spend on healthcare and are ready to think beyond a one-year fix.
A strong fit often looks like
A health plan renewal coming up, or rising costs and few good options in the traditional market.
25 or more enrolled employees and enough claims history for an underwriting review.
Stable operations, active licensing, and leadership that plans beyond the next renewal.
A willingness to look at what is actually driving your healthcare costs, not just the premium.
This is not the right move for every employer. We help you evaluate the fit before recommending anything.
Common questions
Humboldt Health FAQs
What size employer is a fit?
Humboldt Health is built for cannabis employers with 25 or more enrolled employees. That is usually the point where a business has enough claims history to evaluate and enough scale to benefit from sharing risk with other cannabis companies.
Can groups with a January 1 renewal participate?
Yes. Employers can join at their renewal, and January 1 is a common effective date. Because the review looks at your claims history and plan design, it helps to start the conversation a few months before your renewal so there is time to evaluate the fit and put everything in place.
Does my company need to be self-funded already?
No. Many employers that join are coming from a traditional fully insured plan. Blackwell and your benefits advisor walk through the move and handle the setup, so you do not need prior self-funding experience.
How predictable are the monthly costs?
Your fixed costs are set before the year begins, so you know your baseline up front. Everyday claims are funded as they come in, and an A-rated insurance layer covers large, unexpected claims, which keeps a single bad year from running your costs away from you.
What is collateral?
Collateral is a financial commitment that shows your company can meet its share of claims. It is not a fee, and it is not money that disappears. Humboldt Health uses defined cash collateral rather than a traditional bank letter of credit, which is often a better fit for cannabis businesses given how the industry banks. It sits on your balance sheet, can earn interest, and is returned when the program unwinds.
What happens if another company in the program goes out of business?
Large, catastrophic claims are covered by an A-rated insurance carrier rather than by other members, so one company situation does not expose you to their major claims. The amount of risk shared among companies is defined and limited, and Blackwell manages the structure so that no single company can destabilize the others.
Can Humboldt Health help me keep a strong benefits package?
That is the goal. The aim is to control what you spend on healthcare so you can keep offering competitive benefits, rather than repeatedly raising deductibles or shifting more cost to your employees. Strong benefits are part of how cannabis employers compete for good people.
When should I expect savings?
There is no guaranteed savings figure, and any real proposal will be specific to your company. The value comes from control and visibility over time. You can see what is driving your costs and act on it, and in years when claims run better than expected, the dollars set aside for them can come back to you rather than disappear. It is a multi-year approach, not a one-year discount.
Ready to see if Humboldt Health fits your business?
Share your current plan and renewal timeline, and we will help you see whether Humboldt Health is a fit. Built for cannabis employers with 25 or more enrolled employees.
Talk with Our TeamA Blackwell Captive Solutions Program