Events
2011 and Beyond: Aligning health care benefits to support your business strategy
Thursday, March 31, 3:00 PM
UST Minneapolis Campus
Thursday, March 31, 3 p.m.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will have been law for just over one year. However, the path forward for many employers facing strategic decisions prompted by this law, as well as the fate of the law itself, remains unclear.
The University of St. Thomas is convening this symposium to help attendees:
- Understand the current state of the PPACA health reform legislation and its potential impacts on the future of employer-provided health care benefits
- Explore how employers can make benefits decisions that support the business strategy and corporate culture of their organizations while addressing the cost of health care.
The program will feature keynote speaker Paul Fronstin, Ph.D., director of the Health Research & Education Program of EBRI, the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, D.C., whose task is “to provide objective information regarding the employee benefit system and related financial security issues, to achieve its primary goal: that policy and design decisions be based on verifiable facts." Researchers, policymakers and the media rely heavily on EBRI research. Among many accomplishments, in 2010, Dr. Fronstin was appointed to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Determination of Essential Health Benefits. He is also the associate editor of Benefits Quarterly. He will discuss the current state of the PPACA legislation and his views of the key implications and considerations for businesses.
The keynote address will be followed by a panel of prominent business and health care leaders, each of whom will share insights into the strategic considerations that employers must evaluate in making decisions such as “pay or play” (whether to maintain, modify, or discontinue health benefits), to self-insure or not, and other issues of concern for the participants. Presenters include:
- Julie Brunner, JD, Executive Director of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans: Minnesota’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act – administrative and legislative update
- Steve Friedman, JD, LLM, Chair of the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group, and Bruce J. McNeil, MA, JD, LLM, Shareholder, Littler Mendelson, P.C.: Preparing for Reform—Decision points and key legal and cost considerations
- Tony Massey, MD, Medical Director, Cigna Behavioral Health: Beyond the ROI of wellness
- Bill Blazar, Senior VP, Public Affairs & Business Development, MN Chamber of Commerce: What are smaller employers thinking?
- Mick Sheppeck, PhD, Professor of Human Resources, University of St. Thomas: Implications for HR strategy and organizational culture
- April Todd-Malmlov, State Health Economist at the Minnesota Department of Health and the Health Insurance Exchange Director at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, will provide concluding remarks.
The afternoon symposium will be followed by an optional dinner discussion designed to provide an opportunity for in-depth interaction with the panelists and with fellow attendees. This discussion will be moderated by Bruce McNeil of Littler Mendelson, P.C. and allow participants to dig further into the issues of most concern.
Schedule and Fees
Symposium: 3-5:30 p.m. $20 registration; UST students & affiliates may attend for free
Small group dinner discussion: 6-8:00 p.m. $30; available to those who attend the symposium.
*A full-course dinner will be served with a chicken main dish or a stuffed mushroom option for those who indicate a vegetarian dietary restriction.
Recertification Credit Hours
This program has met the HR Certification Institute's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit.
Recertification Credit Hours Awarded: 2.5
Specified Credit Hours: Specified - Strategic Business
Event Details:
Thursday, March 31, 3:00 PM
University of St. Thomas
Opus College of Business
1000 LaSalle Ave
Thornton Auditorium
Terrence Murphy Hall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
