Nfp Benefits Compliance Podcast

NFP’s own Suzanne Spradley, Chief Compliance Officer, and Chase Cannon, VP, Benefits Compliance and Counsel, have dedicated the second episode of the Election Series on NFP’s Insights from the Experts Podcast to a thorough discussion of the nomination process and the impact that an open seat in the Supreme Court could have on the election and on cases currently before the Court. You can read a full analysis on this podcast on nfp.com

Helping employers thrive in an increasingly complex benefits compliance landscape In the face of more rules and regulations, employers are working harder than ever to keep up. In our latest podcast, our benefits compliance expert shares insights on tracking new developments, assessing their impact and being flexible to position your organization for continued success.

As the presidential election gets closer, our very own Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon will be regularly delivering updates and analysis you can share with clients through a new mini-series the 2020 Election Series. Check out our first episode where we dive in and compare the candidates tax proposals to current law.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon look closely at newly revised DOL regulations relating to the FFCRA. Suzanne outlines the holding in the NY court case that led to the DOL’s revisions. Suzanne and Chase outline how the DOL’s revised regulations respond to the court’s position that the FFCRA’s “work availability” requirement was unreasoned and inconsistent. Suzanne continues with an explanation and discussion on how the revised regulations reiterate that work availability and employer agreement for intermittent leave are both grounded in longstanding FMLA rules. Suzanne and Chase break down the updated definition of “health care provider” in the context of exceptions from FFCRA leave. The two then close by outlining the DOL’s revised position on employee documentation of FFCRA leave.

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley review new DOL guidance on FFCRA (emergency paid sick leave and emergency family and medical leave) leave relating to the new school year. Chase outlines a few scenarios on school re-openings, including full and partial openings and virtual learning, and how an employee might or might not qualify for FFCRA leave. Chase and Suzanne then jump into a recent New York lawsuit challenging several provisions of DOL FFCRA guidance. The two close the podcast discussing the lawsuit’s potential impact on employers in and out of New York.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon look at Joe Biden’s health care proposals, now that election season is formally upon us. Suzanne leads off by addressing the advantages and challenges of Biden’s initiative to add a public option, and how that might interact with the current private and marketplace plans. Suzanne and Chase discuss several past state initiatives relating to public options, and the challenges those states faced with affordability and solvency. Suzanne address Biden’s plan to expand Medicaid and improve the ACA, including restoration of the individual mandate. Suzanne and Chase close with a comparison of some of Biden’s initiatives in comparison to the employer-sponsored insurance market, and conclude that the employer model works well and should be preserved.

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley discuss several compliance challenges relating to remote workers in the pandemic environment. Chase starts by outlining employee eligibility – usually based on work location – in connection with state paid family and medical leave laws. Chase and Suzanne dig in to some recent guidance from Massachusetts regarding employee withholding for state paid family and medical leave for employees temporarily working both inside and outside Massachusetts. The two also discuss how other states’ rules might impact employees working remotely, and how the extension of work from home arrangements might play out with respect to state leave protections. Chase closes by addressing distribution of notices for remote workers, both at the federal and state level.

In our latest Insight from the Experts podcast, NFP's Head of Innovation, Mark Rieder, sits down with Susan Van Klink, chief revenue officer at League, to discuss their data-driven platform designed to provide a single access hub for employees to engage with their health, lifestyle and benefit programs. This new “front door” to healthcare eliminates the current sea of point solutions via an integrated ecosystem of over 100 insurance carriers, healthcare partners and HRIS systems. Customers like Unilever, Uber, Shopify and Lush Cosmetics are among the hundreds of employers currently using League to revolutionize their employee experience, drive better benefit utilization and reduce costs. Personalization is making its way into employee benefits and League is here to help revolutionize the employee healthcare experience with enterprise technology and data.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon look at the definitions and history of telehealth, and the federal and state policies that helped spur its popularity. Suzanne discusses the recent surge, both prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, of telehealth usage. Suzanne and Chase discuss the policies and rules promulgated, both at the federal and state level, that helped facilitate that surge. Suzanne closes by outlining five policy suggestions to consider post-pandemic to keep the momentum going on usage and convenience of telehealth for group health plans, employers and employees.

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley look at recent DOL FFCRA guidance. Chase outlines new DOL FAQs on how the FFCRA impacts coverage of COVID-19 testing without cost sharing and expansion of telehealth coverage. Chase and Suzanne dig in on some new guidance for wellness programs in the pandemic environment. The two discuss a new DOL field assistance bulletin on whether summer camps can be considered “places of care” for purposes of FFCRA-protected leave. Chase closes with a short recap of a recent New York order denying state-protected COVID-19 leave for individuals who take personal trips to COVID-19 hot spots.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon review policy recommendations to Congress relating to employer sponsored coverage, emphasizing ideas that would help employers get back to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Suzanne leads off discussing COBRA subsidies for those who lost or will lose employer coverage due to a furlough or layoff. Suzanne and Chase then turn their attention to direct primary care, on-site clinics and telehealth, all of which could use policy changes to help with ease of access and cost. Suzanne then dives into changes to health and dependent care FSAs and surprise medical bills that could be memorialized by Congress. The podcast closes with a discussion on coverage for COVID-19 testing and treatment, as well as recent guidance on antibody tests as a requirement for employees to return to work.

In our latest Insight from the Experts podcast, NFP's Head of Innovation, Mark Rieder, sits down with Jason Hellickson, CEO of Regenexx, to discuss their proprietary orthobiologic procedures that have created a new medical specialty platform called interventional orthopedics. This orthopedic healthcare innovation is less costly, less invasive and less risky than traditional orthopedic surgery. Planned orthopedic surgery costs have increased 44% in eight years and are constantly in the top 10 of employer spend within their health plans. Interventional orthopedics can offer employees a choice and greatly reduce orthopedic spend on individual procedures that they choose a majority of the time.

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley recap the 10-year extension of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) fee, which is now set to run through 2029. Chase digs into the background of the PCOR Institute, the non-profit organization funded by the PCOR fee, which supports clinical effectiveness research, including studies on treatments and outcomes for a wide variety of conditions and illnesses. Chase and Suzanne discuss several examples of studies and spotlights on the PCOR Institute webpage, including several studies relating to diabetes treatments. The two also discuss the revival of the PCOR fee and the IRS’s recent announcement of the adjusted fee amount, and then close by addressing several questions that have arisen from employer failures to pay the fee in past years.

We all agree that our greatest assets are our people. So, are you providing the value-creators in your organization with the programs that will keep them coming back? Are you ensuring that you can recruit top talent? Are you helping your highly-compensated population prepare for a successful retirement? Are you providing them with benefits that are proportional to the compensation they earn? Learn how to build programs that help lock in the key talent your company needs to weather the current storm and thrive in the future.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon revisit the single payer debate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Suzanne starts by exploring whether support for a single payer system in the US has waxed or waned during the pandemic. Chase and Suzanne then discuss articles from experts, and comparisons across different countries, regarding governmental versus private company response to the pandemic. Suzanne dives into the history behind US governmental stockpiles of protective gear and ventilators, and draws comparisons between the US and other countries in pandemic preparedness. Suzanne and Chase close with a review of presidential nominee Joe Biden’s views towards single payer system and how Congress’s potential Phase Four legislation might impact access to coverage.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was quoted at a recent White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing emphasizing that in the “sea of new treatments” we need to connect “the right drug to the right patient at the right dosage at the right time. As an example, we may have the right drug, but it may not be in the appropriate dosage form right now, and that may do more harm than good. Those are the things that that’s our job to look at.” In our latest Insight from the Experts podcast, NFP's Head of Innovation Mark Rieder sits down with Joe Spinelli, chief marketing officer of MedTek21, to discuss how risk management using genomics can bring personalized medicine to every patient.

In this episode, special guest Geoff Seibel, VP of NFP Actuarial Services, joins Chase Cannon to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on fully and self-insured plan costs. Geoff starts by addressing the cost impact for fully insured plans, including differences for small and large group markets. Chase and Geoff then discuss actual COVID-19-related costs, including the difference in costs for COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized, and those who are placed in the ICU. Geoff explains the differences in averages across the general populations versus employer groups, and the differences between explicit and implicit costs (and how both impact overall costs). Geoff and Chase close by discussing best methods for tracking changes (since models and costs change daily) and how modeling tools and other resources can help employers better understand impacts on their own populations and plans.

Employers across the country are busy crafting their Return to Work strategies. Strategies which include things like PPE, office spacing, testing, assessments and vital sign monitoring. But what about planning for an increase in workplace violence? These are unprecedented times and “business as usual” has been replaced by fear, uncertainty and doubt. In our latest Insight from the Experts podcast, NFP's Head of Innovation, Mark Rieder, sits down with Ty Smith, founder and CEO (and Retired Navy SEAL) of Vigilance Risk Solutions, to discuss how fear, uncertainty and doubt could lead to violence in the workplace, and what VSR is doing to help organizations ensure the safety of their employees as they return to work.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon look at benefits issues relating to returning to work, as companies begin mulling reopening and bringing back employees. The two start with a discussion of benefit eligibility, COBRA and premium payments relating to furloughs and layoffs, as the employer’s decisions then impact issues to consider upon returning to work. Suzanne then outlines some issues employers should consider when collecting premium payment from employees in arrears, how to handle waiting periods for rehires and what to do with employee FSA (both health and dependent care) elections upon return. The two close with a short discussion on plan amendments and employee communications.

One Key Takeaway: Status matters when deciding whether to furlough or terminate employees during this pandemic. SME/Speaker: Chase Cannon and Kyle Healy