NFP's Insights from the Experts

In this podcast, Beth Allen and Chase Cannon discuss the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. Beth highlights the last major retirement legislation that's passed and briefly discusses what has taken place to bring the SECURE Act to this point. That discussion leads into a conversation about what all the SECURE Act entails, including what the act would mean for retire...

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Carol Wood, in her podcast debut, discuss updates and considerations regarding state family and medical leave laws. The two discuss leave protections that have been enacted in new states in the past few years, as well as states that previously had such laws and protections in place. Chase outlines, at a high level, some of the differences in duration of leave, ben...

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Lauren Fischer discuss criminal enforcement actions by the DOL and IRS involving employee benefit plans. Specifically, the two discuss the latest development in the action involving The Total Financial Group, Inc., which promoted the Classic 105 program. Suzanne and Lauren then discuss other enforcement actions involving an HRA administrator, an internal emplo...

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Jill Brooking discuss surprise medical bills and what laws have been enacted or proposed at the state and federal level. The two address situations in which surprise medical bills occur, the two ways that the individual is financially impacted, polling and claims data concerning the extent of this issue, and which states are taking a comprehensive approach to...

Continuing discussion of single-payer system proposals, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon review the recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on a single-payer system in the US. Suzanne starts off by describing the purpose of the report and some high-level takeaways, including that the report does not specifically address funding of a single-payer system (one of the major challenge...

In the fifth part of the single-payer system mini-series, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley look at single-payer systems at the state level, specifically reviewing Vermont’s failed attempt at establishing a single-payer system. Chase walks through the political environment leading up to the passage of the state’s single-payer bill, the proposed plan, and the events that transpired in the years fol...

In the fourth part of this mini-series on single-payer systems, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon look at four versions of single-payer system legislation introduced by the Democrats. The two walk through the four versions from least to most intrusive to the current system, which is based on employer-provided coverage. The four versions are a Medicaid buy-in (also called a “State Public Option”),...

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley break down last week’s D.C. district court ruling that invalidates the DOL’s 2018 rules on association health plans (AHPs, which are also considered multiple employer welfare arrangements, or MEWAs). Chase gives a high level outline of the original and 2018 DOL AHP rules, and how the two differ. Suzanne and Chase discuss the lawsuit filed by a coa...

In the third part of this mini-series on single-payer systems, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon focus on the challenges of funding a single-payer system, with a focus on the single-payer proposal put forth by Senator Bernie Sanders. Suzanne explains that the Sanders plan is a comprehensive first-dollar government-financed health insurance plan for all Americans, and is therefore very expensive. S...

Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley focus on the parts of the US system that are working well, focusing on the employer-sponsored group health insurance market. Chase orates a brief history of the employer-based insurance model, including why employer groups were originally (and still today) the ideal group market target for insurance companies. Chase explains that between 180 and 185 million people...

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon announce a three-part mini-series aimed at better understanding the challenges facing a single payer system (sometimes called “Medicare for All”) in the US. In the first part, Suzanne re-sets the discussion on single payer systems and describes some of the different arrangements and titles that fall under that general term. Suzanne describes the c...

In this episode, Jill Brooking joins Chase Cannon to discuss the impact the government shutdown may have on employer group health plans, particularly for governmental contractors, whose employees may be out of work due to the shutdown. Jill breaks down the benefits issues employers should look at for employees that are out of work or on furlough as a result of the shutdown, including plan eligibil...

In this episode, Suzanne and Chase review the recent district court ruling that the individual mandate is unconstitutional and, as a result, the entire ACA is invalid. While the ACA remains in place pending appeal, Suzanne outlines the basis for the case, the reason why intervening states had to step in for the DOJ, and why the individual mandate may or may not be “inseverable” from the rest of th...

In this episode, Suzanne and Chase review the Office of Civil Rights (OCR, a subdivision of HHS) list of HIPAA violation settlements that occurred in 2018. To lead off, though, Chase breaks down the purpose of the HIPAA privacy and security rules, and what the basic HIPAA requirements are for employers. Suzanne and Chase then discuss several OCR investigations of employer HIPAA violations that eve...

In this episode, Suzanne and Jill discuss year-end considerations for employer plan sponsors. Many employers are currently in or have just completed their open enrollment process. Jill and Suzanne answer the question of whether an employer should accept enrollment requests after open enrollment has ended. They also remind employers about which notices need to be distributed, including the frequent...

In this episode, Suzanne and Chase look at the benefits compliance environment since the midterm elections. The two start off with a recap of election results and then immediately dive into the impact a divided Congress could have on the ACA. There could be bi-partisan support on simplified reporting and on repeal of the Cadillac tax. The two also discuss the Texas v. United States case involving...

In this episode, Suzanne and Chase address the advantages and disadvantages of medical tourism, and how an employer’s compliance obligations may be impacted if they incorporate some type of medical tourism into the group health plan. Suzanne leads off with a definition of ‘medical tourism,’ including travel for medical services and procedures both within and outside the US. Suzanne delves into som...

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon discuss different delivery methods available to employers when distributing health plan notices and disclosures to employees. The two address hand delivery, delivery by mail, email and intranet delivery, and building the notices into online enrollment systems. Chase outlines which notices are best suited for electronic delivery, and how electronic...

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley hit refresh on the single payer health care discussion in the US. Suzanne breaks down the different terms that are used in the discussion, including ‘single payer system,’ ‘Medicare for all,' ‘universal health coverage,' ‘national health plans’ and ‘socialized medicine.’ Chase and Suzanne describe the importance of understanding those terms and th...

In this podcast, Beth Allen and K.C. Barner discuss some of the current events on the retirement side of employee benefits. They’ll talk about the recent IRS private letter ruling that may allow employees to receive 401(k) matching contributions that coincide with their student loan payments. They’ll also review Pres. Trump’s recent executive order on retirement plans and comment on the retirement...

In this episode, Podcast originals Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon discuss wellness and other employer programs that advertise big employment and income tax savings to employers and employees. Suzanne and Chase discuss the various names and iterations of these types of programs – including the Classic 105, Freedom Plan, Section 105 Reimbursement Plans and Premier 105 – and how they vary in plan...

In this episode, Mark Rieder, NFP’s SVP of HR Technologies and Benefit Administration Services, makes his Benefits Compliance podcast debut. He joins Suzanne Spradley to discuss various hot tech ideas and applications in the HR and benefits administration space. Mark describes NFP’s Innovation Lab and then discusses recent technology applications, including mobile apps, that are available to emplo...

Join Jill Brooking and Suzanne Spradley as they discuss the new joint venture among Amazon.com Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and JP Morgan Chase & Co. — a company that was formed to develop ways to improve health care for their employees and to make those innovations available to other employers.

In this episode, Beth Allen and K.C. Barner discuss the different changes to the ACA imposed by the Trump administration, Congress and the courts. They’ll highlight the major policy shifts, like the upcoming repeal of the individual mandate and the issuance of new regulations on association health plans (AHPs). They’ll also talk about possible changes to come. By the end of the podcast, listeners...

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon work through benefits compliance issues that arise as a result of common ownership and controlled groups. Suzanne grills Chase on the different types of controlled groups under Internal Revenue Code Section 414 — and how those rules impact employers’ obligations under the ACA's employer mandate, nondiscrimination testing, Form 5500, FMLA and other...