American Benefits Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 30: All In the Families - Building a Better Health Care Engine with Families USA's Frederick Isasi Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

We talk all the time about employee benefits for the evolving global workforce, but the truth is that benefits are important for more than just workers. For example, many covered lives are those of the spouses and children of workers with job-based health insurance. The voice of these families in Washington DC belongs to Frederick Isasi and his colleagues at Families USA, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose stated mission is "the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care and improved health for all." In May of this year, Families USA launched Consumers First, a broad, multi-stakeholder alliance that seeks to address the fundamental economic incentives and design of the health care system. The American Benefits Council serves on the steering committee of Consumers First.

As Families USA's executive director, Isasi wants to make the American health care system work better for all the money we pour into it. In this episode, Isasi talks to host Jason Hammersla about ways to "build a better health care engine" instead of putting more gas in the tank.

Episode 29: The Compensation of 'Independents' - Designing Portable Benefits with the Aspen Institute's Shelly Steward Jul 18, 2019

Show notes

The independent workforce – a potent mixture of temp workers, contingent workers, "gig" workers and others – represents anywhere between 4 and 40% of the overall labor market and constitutes an interesting economic challenge: in a nation where employment is central to one's health and retirement benefits, how do we provide financial security to those who do not have long-term, consistent employment? In recent years, the Council has grappled with this question, setting forth The Five "Cs": Principles for Policymakers Regarding Benefits and Independent Workers. Others are approaching the issue from the other direction. Shelly Steward, research manager for Aspen Institute's Future of Work Initiative, recently co-authored Designing Portable Benefits: A Resource Guide for Policymakers, a paper that defines and describes benefits that are "portable, prorated and universal." In this episode, Steward talks to host Jason Hammersla about why large employers should entertain and embrace the notion of portable benefits.

Episode 28: The People Have Spoken - What Do 2018 Election and Polling Results Mean for Employee Benefits? Dec 13, 2018

Show notes

As a result of the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats will assume control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019. And while Republicans still control the White House and the Senate, this one change has the potential to derail the whole legislative process, like when one bulb goes out in a string of Christmas lights. So what does that mean for the rest of 2018 and the next two years?

That's a good question for James A. Klein, Council president and political prognosticator-in-chief. In this special podcast episode, Jim speaks with host and loyal underling Jason Hammersla about the waning days of Congress' Lame Duck session, how much gridlock we can expect on health and retirement policy and what to make of the election day polling results commissioned by the Council. Happy Holidays!

Episode 27: Cover Me, I'm Going In - Talking Workplace Health Insurance with AHIP's Adam Beck Nov 01, 2018

Show notes

On the cusp of the 2018 midterm elections, health care remains a major issue for American voters. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 71 percent say that health care policy is "very important" in their decision about how to cast their vote and a plurality – 30 percent – say that health care is the most important issue in the midterm elections. Since more than half of all Americans, 181 million people plus, are covered by health insurance through an employer, policies affecting workplace coverage are of paramount importance.

Enter America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the national association whose members provide coverage for health care and related services. They recently launched a campaign, Coverage@Work, which provides resources to educate policymakers and the public about employer-provided coverage. In this episode, Adam Beck, AHIP's vice president, employer health policy & initiatives, talks to host Jason Hammersla about workplace coverage from the perspective of the payers – insurers and the insured – and the major policy threats on the horizon.

Episode 26: Where Do We Go From Here? Talking Retirement Policy with Mike Barry Oct 10, 2018

Show notes

Retirement policy is supposed to be a bastion of stability and security, but the history of that policy is characterized by constant change: changing demographics, workforce patterns, plan designs and political priorities – to say nothing of rising financial markets and falling interest rates. The resulting story has unfolded like a drama with an uncertain ending.

Author, attorney and benefits professional Mike Barry has written a new book, Retirement Savings Policy: Past, Present and Future, telling that tale and speculating on how the story might continue. He joins host Jason Hammersla to talk about the fundamental risks of retirement savings, the trouble with tax incentives, exit ramps for employers and how The Office helps explain our idea of the workplace.

Episode 25: Scenes from a Webinar: How Employers are Combating the Opioid Epidemic Sep 27, 2018

Show notes

On average in the United States, 115 people die each day from an opioid overdose. As this epidemic has touched workers, employers have sought to address it through innovative plan design and outreach. Meanwhile, Congress is poised to enact legislation designed to stem the tide of opioid abuse and addiction. Earlier this year, the American Benefits Council, in partnership with the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), hosted a webinar in which we discussed the efforts and challenges for employers working to make a difference in this area. In this week's edition of the American Benefits Podcast, we share the audio from that webinar, which is normally provided for Council members only. The webinar featured moderators Kathryn Wilber, American Benefits Council senior counsel, health policy, and Cheryl Larson, MBGH president and CEO, as well as guest speakers Dr. William Lopez, senior medical director-behavioral health at Cigna Healthcare, [12:42] talking about insurer initiatives to improve plan design and treatment strategies; Jason Parrott, manager of healthcare strategy & policy for The Boeing Company, [23:51] recounting his company's efforts to that maintain quality of care while ensuring tighter controls for dosing and quantity limits; and Sarah Bassler Millar, partner with Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, [44:56] describing the legislative, regulatory and legal landscape surrounding these issues. To participate in future webinars, consider joining the American Benefits Council, which offers programs like these at no charge as part of the member company's annual investment.

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Episode 24: "Father of the 401(k)" on the Promise and Problems of Today's Retirement System Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

The defined contribution retirement savings plan is now the preeminent savings vehicle for working Americans. DOL data tells us that two-thirds of all full-time civilian workers have access to a defined contribution plan at work, and 72 percent of those individuals participate in the plan, adding up to nearly 100 million participants nationwide. It accounts for, conservatively, more than $10 trillion in retirement assets. The most common and well-known type of defined contribution arrangement is the 401(k) plan, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. But just because a guy happens to be the putative "father of the 401(k)," that doesn't mean he's averse to issuing a little constructive criticism. R. Theodore "Ted" Benna, is a consultant, an innovator and an author, and in his new book, 401(k), 40 years later – and this episode of the American Benefits Podcast – he talks candidly about the promise and the problems with today's retirement system.

Episode 23: When You're Sixty-Four: NCOA's Jim Firman on 'Graduations,' Third Acts and Happy Endings Jul 10, 2018

Show notes

It's not just you: the workforce is getting older. Health care advances and increased life expectancies mean people are working longer and later, while low birth rates mean that there are fewer workers to succeed the ones who retire. As of 2016, the median age of the labor force was 42, up from about 38 in 1996. That puts increased pressure on the federal social safety net as well as for workplace health and retirement benefits. The unique needs and desires of older Americans, therefore, takes on increased importance for all stakeholders in the benefits system.

Over more than two decades as president and CEO of the National Council on Aging (NCOA), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people aged 60 and over, James Firman has sought to lead the conversation on on benefits access and economic security for older adults. In this episode, he speaks with host Jason Hammersla about pervasive misconceptions about aging, the evolving role employers can play preparing workers for retirement and the enduring search for "purpose."

Episode 22: EBRI Little Thing They Do Is Magic: Lori Lucas and the Role of Benefits Research Jun 27, 2018

Show notes

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (or "EBRI") describes itself as the place "where the world turns for facts on employee benefits." Founded in 1978, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, EBRI is considered the gold standard for authoritative data and research on these critical, complex issues. Today, EBRI is led by Lori Lucas, who took over just four months ago, at a societally auspicious time for the valuation and understanding of fact.

As president and CEO, Lori is responsible for leading EBRI in its mission to provide unbiased, fact-based research and data on retirement, health care, and other benefits that provide financial security for American workers. In this episode, she speaks with host Jason Hammersla about the importance of empiricism, the future of the "employee" in employee benefits and why EBRI membership is more than just good karma.

Episode 21: We Need to Talk About Millennials: Young Americans and the Struggle to Save May 01, 2018

Show notes

Millennials – roughly, those born between 1981 and 1996 – are the most well-educated, most diverse and most populous generation in the workforce today. They told us in our national poll last year that employer-provided retirement benefits would be the most important benefit to them over the next ten years. And yet, a new report suggests that they are lagging behind in their preparedness for retirement.

In this episode of the American Benefits Podcast, host Jason Hammersla speaks with Jennifer Erin Brown, manager of research for the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) and the author of a new study, Millennials and Retirement: Already Falling Short. Jason and Jennifer discuss the economic misconceptions about millennials, the challenge of student debt and how it all comes down to employer coverage. Then, Jason checks in with Ben Brown, founder and leader of the Association of Young Americans, to get his take on the report.

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