Benefits Executive Roundtable

Host Dorothy Cociu welcomes once again Marilyn Monahan of Monahan Law Office on Federal and State Legislative Updates for fall, 2021. Marilyn will discuss the ACA Transparency Rules, the CAA’s No Surprises Act & Transparency, and how grandfathered health plans are affected. In addition, she provides updates on ARPA COBRA Subsidies, FFCRA & ARPA wrap-ups, Long COVID & disabilities, and...

In Part 2 of our 2-Part Series on Surprise Billing Legislation, host Dorothy Cociu interviews Ryan Day, President, and Collen Dempewolf, Director, Strategic Product Development, of HS Technologies, a Referenced Based Pricing Vendor, on the No Surprises Act’s impact on health plans. They discuss how plans without networks will be treated under the Act, how referenced based pricing plans are impacte...

Host Dorothy Cociu and special guest Marilyn Monahan, of Monahan Law office, discuss the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) interim final rule for the No Surprises Act, Part 1, as well as some ACA Transparency in Coverage rules that relate to the CAA. The No Surprises Act focuses on surprise billing for emergency services, as well as billing practices in certain non-network situations by limiti...

In Part 2 of this 2-Part Podcast, Host Dorothy Cociu continues her discussions with Ted Mayeshiba and Ted Flittner, Principals of Aditi Group, an IT Security/HIPAA Security/Cybersecurity firm, and Bruce Benton, a life and health and P&C agent, and Vice President, Public Affairs of the California Association of Health Underwriters on how to be better protected against Cyber Attacks. We discuss...

In Part 1 of this 2-Part Podcast, host Dorothy Cociu interviews Ted Mayeshiba and Ted Flittner, Principals of Aditi Group, an IT Security / HIPAA Security / Cybersecurity firm about the importance of Cybersecurity and how employers can protect themselves. Bruce Benton, a life and health and P&C agent, and Vice President, Public Affairs of the California Association of Health Underwriters is al...

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) 2021 and Other Legislative Updates – Spring, 2021 – A Special Off-Season Release! Host Dorothy Cociu and Guest Marilyn Monahan of Monahan Law Office discuss the details of the $1.9 trillion relief package called the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) 2021, as well as the changes to the Outbreak Period, which threw the health insurance industry into turmoil.  D...

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews principals of Aditi Group, our Technology Partners, on cybersecurity in the workplace and home. Dorothy sits down with Ted Mayeshiba, Ted Flittner and Steve Saitman to discover what can be done to protect your business from cybersecurity threats, whether your employees are in the office or working remotely from home. We discuss the differences between threats at the h...

Dorothy and Marilyn discuss details of the new Transparency Rules for Employers and Health Plans; Cost Transparency for Hospitals; ACA IRS Reporting Forms 1094/1095 Reporting Updates (including California FTB requirements); Grandfathered Health Plans Final Rules; Other Federal Legislation; California Updates, including FSA Account Notices under AB 1554, Cal Savers, Paid Family Leave, Harassment Tr...

In part one of a two-part podcast, host Dorothy Cociu and Marilyn Monahan of Monahan Law office discuss important updates for employer plan sponsors. In Part 1 - Dorothy and Marilyn will discuss What the Future May Hold in Washington; COVID-19 updates, including an important update on the Outbreak Period that applies to COBRA and other timeframe extensions; the New CAA Stimulus Bill and How it Imp...

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews Jacquelyn Thorp, CEO and Founder of Train Me Today, a California-based Human Resources Consulting and HR Training Organization. Jackie discusses the complexity of COVID-19 workplace applications, policies and procedures, and how to get people back to work safely. We discuss the most important things CEOs and CFOs need to know about the role of HR in this complex envir...

In this last of our 3-part series on the non-benefits side of COVID-19, host Dorothy Cociu interviews Deena, a Registered Nurse, who was hospitalized for her own emergency surgery in the fall of 2020. Listen to what it's really like in the hospital during COVID; the isolation, the fear, the emotional toll on the patients and their families. Deena is an RN working in a hospital, but in this pod...

Host Dorothy Cociu continues her 3-part series on the real-world effects of COVID-19 on the community. In part 2 of this mini-series, she interviews Ruth Tello-Di-Leva, MS, BCBA, founder and president of Familias First, an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy provider in Los Angeles county. In this candid interview, they discuss the emotional impact of COVID on kids and adults with disabilities...

In part one of our 3-part series on the effects of COVID-19, host Dorothy Cociu interviews an elementary school teacher in Orange County, California to discuss how remote and hybrid learning is affecting teachers, students and parents. In an interview with Jennifer, a 5th grade teacher, we will hear first-hand what it was actually like during the spring of 2020, when schools were closed, and stude...

If you received a PPP loan, this podcast is a must-listen! Host Dorothy Cociu interviews tax accountant John Piekarski, who discusses the PPP loan forgiveness process, the application options, and what to have ready to apply for forgiveness. John provides helpful tips and clarifications about what forms to use in each situation, and reminders of what to do in advance to prepare for your forgivenes...

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews Chris Brown, Director of Business Development of RX Benefits, a national prescription drug optimizing firm, who shares the best ways to keep costs down in your RX plan. They discuss how to design your RX plan, implement the best cost containment provisions in your contracts and how utilization management and data analysis can help employers to understand and mitigate...

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews Ryan Dorigan, a Medicare and Senior Care expert, who will walk you through everything you need to know about enrolling in Medicare for the first time, what you can do during the annual open enrollment, types of plan options, the pitfalls you can face, and penalties that you could be hit with if you don't do it right. This is a must-listen for those struggling to decid...

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews Marcy Buckner, VP of Government Affairs of NAHU on the legislative successes in 2019, COVID-19 Legislative Updates, Trump Executive Orders, the Biden-Harris democratic ticket, and her thoughts on whether Harris' liberal views on healthcare will sway Biden's health care policy. This is Part 2 of a 2-Part podcast. This is a must-listen before you vote in November!

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews Marcy Buckner, VP of Government Affairs of NAHU on the legislative successes in 2019, COVID-19 Legislative Updates, Trump Executive Orders, the Biden-Harris democratic ticket, and her thoughts on whether Harris' liberal views on healthcare will sway Biden's health care policy. This is Part 1 of a 2-Part podcast. This is a must-listen before you vote!

This podcast examines Telemedicine from a provider's perspective and a vendor's perspective. Host Dorothy Cociu interviews Dr. Wendy Coling from Kaiser Health on the effectiveness of telehealth, how it affects the doctor-patient relationship, the ability to diagnose conditions virtually, patient response and technology concerns. We also discuss the future of telemedicine and its cost-effectiveness...

This special event podcast will update our listeners on current State of California legislative activities, including the upcoming elections and the election process in California. We'll also delve into a recent report prepared by the Health California For All Commission, which looks into a "Unified Financing" system for California, which many believe is a road map or blueprint to Single Payer hea...

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews once again attorney Marilyn Monahan of Monahan Law office. In part 2, we will start with an update from Part 1, where we discuss the newly signed California law AB 1867, which expands paid sick leave similar to FFCRA for California employers with 500 or more employees, then we discuss several California state and federal legal updates, including AB-5, the independent...

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews attorney Marilyn Monahan of Monahan Law Office. In part 1, we will discuss recent COVID-19 legislation and how it affects employers, the documentation and communications employers must be aware of, about FFCRA paid leaves and how California laws and other laws wrap around the federal law, and employer consideration regarding employees working from home.

Host Dorothy Cociu interviews Larry Thompson, Chief Revenue & Strategy Officer for Advanced Medical Pricing Solutions (AMPS), one of the pioneers in reference based pricing and medical bill review that has been in business since 2005. Starting as a medical bill review company, AMPS takes a unique approach to cost savings for self-funded employers. Their basic reference-based pricing package includ...

Host Dorothy Cociu and Technology Consultant Ted Flittner, Principal of Aditi Group, team up to talk about how HIPAA applies to COVID-19 disclosures, other laws involved, and the challenges of employers with employees working from home. We address risks to employers, how to deal with employees and "the kid factor", the importance of both technical and physical security while working at home, and h...

Host Dorothy Cociu shares an overview off the Families First Coronavirus Response Act - An Employer Guide Part 2, which summarizes an overview of the law, what size employers it applies to, and an overview of the provisions of the Paid Sick Leave and expanded Family Medical Leave requirements under FFCRA. She discusses the number of hours/days required for the leaves, pay levels, how the tax credi...