Many trusts that do provide medical and prescription drug benefits on a self-insured basis do not have sufficient assets to absorb the impact of unexpected large claims. As a result, self-insured trusts often protect themselves against the impact of large claims by contracting with a stop-loss carrier. As fiduciaries to health and welfare trusts, trustees must understand the details regarding their stop-loss carrier contracts in order to ensure the trust is receiving the most competitive price while also receiving sufficient protection against large claims in order to maintain sufficient trust assets.