The Benefits Brief

Latest Episodes:

State-Level Activity You Need to Know About May 28, 2021

Show notes

Last month, NAHU began publishing the State Update, a member-exclusive newsletter highlighting all the relevant political and regulatory health insurance news at the state level. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by Husni Abdelaziz, NAHU’s director of government affairs. Husni monitors legislative and regulatory issues in 30 states, and works closely with NAHU’s Northeast, Midwest and Southwest chapters and their lobbyists. We discuss why NAHU is publishing the State Update and all of the pertinent legislative issues we are seeing at the state level throughout the country.

IRS Releases ARP COBRA Guidance May 21, 2021

Show notes

The Treasury Department and IRS released long-anticipated guidance regarding the full subsidization of COBRA premiums that was included in the American Rescue Plan Act. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, our friends from Compliance Corner -- COO & Compliance Officer of Kirby Employee Benefits Carol Taylor and CEO of MZQ Consulting Jennifer Berman – join us to provide an overview of this new notice and what you and your clients need to know.

Over 1 Million Consumers Enroll During SEP May 14, 2021

Show notes

In January, President Biden established a new special enrollment period via executive order from February 15 to April 15, since extended to August 15. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are highlighting the milestone of 1 million consumers covered on the ACA exchange since the beginning of the SEP. In addition, we preview the next episode of the President’s Perspective podcast, hosted by NAHU President Dane Rianhard and Membership Council Chair David C. Smith. The forthcoming episode will feature Jerald Tillman, founder of the National African-American Insurance Association. Dane, David and Jerald have a fantastic conversation about how Mr. Tillman got his start in the industry, why he feels associations are vital to the industry, why he established an association for black insurance professionals, and the work that they have done. Make sure to listen to the full episode on Tuesday May, 18.

BAN's Perry Braun Joins NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein May 07, 2021

Show notes

On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein sits down with Perry Braun, executive director of the Benefit Advisors Network. The two discuss President Biden’s first 100 days in office, the impact of the pandemic on our industry, current and future industry trends, NAHU’s advocacy efforts and more. Benefit Advisors Network is comprised of agencies in the employee benefits space that work collaboratively to bring solutions to the complex issues employers are faced with today. BAN has clients in 45 states, the territory of Guam and recently expanded into Canada. Perry Braun leads BAN and has worked in the insurance and healthcare space for 35 years.

Special Guests Discuss NAHU’s Mental Health Task Force Apr 30, 2021

Show notes

The pandemic has made it more evident than ever how important it is to focus on mental and behavioral health. Along with other legislative working groups, NAHU’s Mental Health Task Force, which was first created last year, explores legislative and regulatory developments as they relate to mental health parity in the market. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Dede Kennedy and Tracey Pal Izzi from the task force join us to discuss the task force, the work they’ve done thus far, and the results of an important all-member survey.

What Are Democrats Planning? Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

Democrats were able to pass the American Rescue Plan Act last month using their razor-thin majority in the Senate by utilizing budget reconciliation. Now, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that Democrats could use the reconciliation process again if they so choose. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss what could be passed as a result of this ruling.

The Department of Labor Releases ARPA COBRA Guidance Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Last week, the Department of Labor released guidance regarding the COBRA subsidy provisions of the American Rescue Plan, offering much-needed answers to some frequently asked questions agents, brokers, employers and consumers have had over the last month. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner reviews this guidance, what it answers and what it doesn’t answer. To learn more about this COBRA guidance, register for our Compliance Corner webinar on April 29 at 1:00 pm where we will go into greater detail. Please submit your questions about ARP and COBRA to legislative@nahu.org, and we will address it during the webinar.

Special Guest Dr. Daniel Kraft Discusses Innovations in Healthcare Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

Congress is out of session this week, but while they are on recess the Healthcare Happy Hour is focused on innovation. On this week’s episode, we are joined by special guest Dr. Daniel Kraft, a Stanford- and Harvard-trained physician and scientist, and the host of CVS Health’s new podcast Healthy Conversations. Dr. Kraft discusses the many innovations in technology that will hopefully bring down healthcare costs and increase positive outcomes for patients, the potential for the FDA to expedite drug approval following the success of Operation Warp Speed, and much more. CVS Health's Healthy Conversations podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

Special Guests Discuss Transparency in Healthcare Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

“Transparency” is the word on this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, as we are joined by special guest Cynthia Fisher, founder and chairman of Patient Rights Advocate, a nonprofit organization focused on transparency in healthcare. In addition to Cynthia, we are also joined by NAHU Legislative Council Vice Chair and staunch transparency advocate Mark Gaunya. The two have a conversation about recent hospital price transparency rules, how transparency can lower healthcare costs and more.

Compliance Corner Reviews the American Rescue Plan Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law a few weeks ago, and with it came an abundance of compliance concerns. Last week, NAHU hosted a Compliance Corner webinar presented by Vice President and Director of Employee Benefit Compliance for First Insurance Group Barb Gerken. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Barb joins us again along with Compliance Corner Committee members Carol Taylor and Deanna Sizemore to discuss things in greater detail. This episode is focused primarily on the portions of the legislation that impact the ACA marketplace and COBRA subsidies. If you’re looking for a broader overview of the law, please listen to the March 12 edition of the Healthcare Happy Hour.

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