The LEAN Benefits Roundtable
Strategic Employee Benefit Plan Management
Speaker’s Name
Title
Company Name
"The topic that the speaker is going to present on."
Steve Hamman
President
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
"COVID-19 Impact to the Health Care System and What Employers Should Be Thinking About Long-Term"
Steve Hamman
President
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
As president, Steve is responsible for the overall financial performance, long-term growth strategy and strategic planning of the state’s largest health insurance company, which serves more than 8 million members.
Steve joined BCBSIL in 1991 and has served in a variety of management roles within the company during his tenure at BCBSIL and at Health Care Service Corporation — which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. He most recently served as senior vice president, Enterprise Network Solutions and Provider Partnerships, for Health Care Service Corporation.
"The Political Landscape: Health Policy Outlook and Potential Election Outcomes"
MPP, President, District Policy Group
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Ilisa Halpern Paul
Recognized by The Hill as a Top Lobbyist for the past several years, Ilisa Halpern Paul has deep experience and command of a wide range of issues, including health care financing and delivery system reform, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the Affordable Care Act, digital health and telemedicine, home health, public health, behavioral health, and the federal budget and appropriations processes.
Ilisa partners with for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations to develop strategies to advance their federal legislative, regulatory, programmatic, policy and business goals. She works with clients to establish and strengthen relationships with elected officials and federal agencies, develop and implement government relations and advocacy programs, and craft effective grassroots campaigns. Clients value Ilisa’s strategic insight, creative ideas and ability to anticipate federal policy challenges and opportunities.
Ilisa Halpern Paul
MPP, President, District Policy Group
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Speaker’s Name
Title
Company Name
"The topic that the speaker is going to present on."
Jeff Kolker
Senior Vice President
GCG Financial
"2020 Benchmarking Results"
Jeff Kolker
Senior Vice President
GCG Financial
Jeff joined GCG 1992 and became Vice President of Employee Benefits in 1999. His responsibilities include supervision of the employee benefits resource team, product review, and the sale of new and renewal employee benefits programs including medical, dental, disability, and various other employee benefits to our clientele.
Jeff has used his accounting background and communication skills to become a leading producer in group benefits. He has been involved in speaking and advisory roles for many of the national health carriers, helping design benefit plans and providing valuable feedback on various plans’ strengths and weaknesses. His understanding and grasp of the continued pressures on businesses to remain competitive and profitable have helped make him successful in the employee benefits field. Jeff has also served on various advisory boards for insurance carriers doing business in the Chicagoland area. Jeff, along with GCG’s employee benefits division, has been recognized by several of the national carriers as a top producer and preferred broker.
Speaker’s Name
Title
Company Name
"The topic that the speaker is going to present on."
Michael Catalano
Lead Financial Analyst
GCG Financial
"2020 Benchmarking Results"
Michael Catalano
Lead Financial Analyst
GCG Financial
Michael Catalano is a Lead Financial Analyst who joined GCG in 2012. Michael’s primary responsibilities include heading up the financial analyst department and supporting GCG’s key account clients in the area of financial and data analytics. Additionally, Michael also helps to oversee GCG’s relationship with the Milliman actuary team in order to audit and interpret the deliverables they provide to GCG clients. Ultimately, Michael’s reports, observations and skills use analytics information to support the strategic goals of the advisor team and provide meaningful interpretations to GCG clients.
Karen English
Senior Vice President
Spring Consulting Group
Karen is a Partner and Senior Consultant with Spring Consulting Group, an Alera Group company. She has over 20 years of experience in the P&C and health & welfare arenas with an emphasis on product development, risk financing, process improvement and project implementation. Karen provides strategic direction, quantitative & qualitative analysis and implementation expertise for workers’ compensation, disability, absence, health and productivity programs that allows her to routinely work with alternative risk financing vehicles such as captives. Karen is committed to researching how disability, absence and health management programs can be integrated and uses that research to develop employee focused solutions that provide a cost savings for the employer. Karen is on the Executive Advisory Board for the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC), where she recently served as lead editor for the DMEC’s Tools of the Trade – Guide to Integrated Programs and DMEC’s Return to Work Program Manual. Prior to joining Spring, Karen was a Senior Consultant with Watson Wyatt’s US Insurance & Financial Services division, a risk manager with US Bancorp and a P&C broker for both Marsh and Aon.
Karen English
Senior Vice President
Spring Consulting Group
"2020 Benchmarking Results"
We brought together a group of people that have devoted their time and energy to employee benefits and the healthcare industry.
THE SPEAKERS
Three Parkway North, Suite 500
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 457-3000
Alera Group
"2020 Benchmarking Results" by Jeff Kolker, Michael Catalano and Karen English
"COVID-19 Impact to the Health Care System and What Employers Should Be Thinking About Long-Term" by Steve Hamman
"The Political Landscape: Health Policy Outlook and Potential Election Outcomes" by Ilisa Halpern Paul
Closing Statements
9:00-9:10 AM
10:20-11:20 AM
11:20-11:30 AM
AGENDA
CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and HR leaders of all industries.
This event has been submitted for HRCI and SHRM Credits.
The use of this seal confirms that this activity has met HR Certification Institute's® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.
9:10-9:40 AM
Introductions
9:40-10:10 AM
10:10-10:20 AM
Break
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
"2020 Benchmarking Results" by Jeff Kolker, Michael Catalano and Karen English
"COVID-19 Impact to the Health Care System and What Employers Should Be Thinking About Long-Term" by Steve Hamman
"The Political Landscape: Health Policy Outlook and Potential Election Outcomes" by Ilisa Halpern Paul
Closing Statements
9:00-9:10 AM
10:20-11:20 AM
11:20-11:30 AM
AGENDA
9:10-9:40 AM
Introductions
9:40-10:10 AM
10:10-10:20 AM
Break
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
Benefits of Attending the Roundtable
Join our LEAN Benefits Roundtable to gain actionable solutions for your benefits program. Share real issues your plan is struggling with and receive expert advice without any obligation to do business with us. This collaborative environment is designed to help you enhance your benefits program through better decision-making, measurable and sustainable cost savings, and the ability to align operational efficiency with employee-centric goals.
About Michael Engelhardt
Michael Engelhardt, Vice President, Benefits Consulting, Alera Group
Several years ago, Michael discovered he could eliminate the significant waste in healthcare, by utilizing the principles of LEAN and Six Sigma, to improve efficiencies and drive greater outcomes. Since then, he has focused his career delivering his LEANBenefits approach, to those employers that were interested in getting better outcomes for their benefit investment.
Michael’s development of LEAN Benefits University demonstrates his commitment to transforming the health insurance industry by empowering employers to take control of their plans, achieve better outcomes for their employees, and significantly reduce costs. By challenging the status quo and sharing the proven strategies of his LEAN Benefits approach, he aims to empower business leaders so they can make meaningful changes that benefit everyone involved, creating a ripple effect of positive impact and paying it forward to build a healthier, more sustainable system.
Other Experience & Certifications
Michael specializes in working with employers to provide their employees with the best benefits at the right cost. He is a problem-solver and provides innovative solutions that deliver his clients with the best outcomes. Michael is involved in all aspects of negotiations, plan architecture, contribution strategy, vendor selection, employee communication, and ongoing support. Michael's progressive ideas have helped many employers save millions of dollars, while at the same time improve benefit offerings and outcomes for their employees.
Michael is a certified Health Rosetta Advisor, a member of Catalyst for Payment Reform, and is devoted to the promotion, education and adoption of non-partisan fixes to our healthcare system, to grow the ecosystem of forward-looking employers that have reduced their healthcare spending 20-50% without benefit value erosion or employee value.
To learn more, contact Michael Engelhardt.
Unlocking Savings on Prescription Drugs
- Trends driving prescription drug and specialty medication costs.
- Best practices for benefit design and cost containment without compromising employee care.
- Innovative solutions for improving access, adherence, and outcomes.
- The landscape of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and how to select the right one.
Discover innovative programs designed to reduce prescription drug costs outside the traditional medical plan. Learn about programs that can significantly lower out-of-pocket expenses for employees, which provide immediate savings without compromising quality. These strategies can help you manage your pharmacy spend more effectively and ensure your employees have access to the medications they need.
Solutions and strategies discussed:
Life Insurance
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Supplement
Dental
Short-term Medical
Accident, critical illness or other fixed benefit plans
Affordable Care Act Plans
Vision Insurance
Exploring Direct Primary Care (DPC): Understand the benefits and implementation of DPC to enhance your healthcare delivery.
Unlocking Savings on Prescription Drugs: Discover innovative programs outside your current health plan, to reduce Rx costs.
Managing High Cost Claimants: Learn how value-based care can help mitigate costs and improve outcomes for high-cost claimants.
Life Insurance
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Supplement
Dental
Short-term Medical
Accident, critical illness or other fixed benefit plans
Affordable Care Act Plans
Vision Insurance
Discussion Topics Include (click titles for more information)
Managing High Cost Claimants
- Understand the drivers behind high-cost claims and their financial implications.
- Explore innovative strategies leveraging value-based care, and the positive impact they can have on the workforce.
- Learn how to leverage plan design to improve outcomes for members without sacrificing benefit value or budgetary constraints.
High-cost claimants can significantly impact your benefits budget. Learn how value-based care can help manage these claimants more effectively by focusing on outcomes. Discover strategies to improve care coordination, enhance patient engagement, and implement preventive measures that can reduce the frequency and severity of high-cost claims. By adopting a value-based approach, you can mitigate costs while improving the quality of care for your employees.
Additional takeaways:
Exploring Direct Primary Care (DPC)
- Learn the questions you should be asking to determine if Direct Primary Care could positively impact your population
- Understand which Key Performance Indicators(KPIs) will most successfully help you quantify and mitigate future underlying risk
- Explore how to create a dashboard of key metrics, for reporting health plan initiatives and results to executive teams or private equity partners.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is becoming a more commonplace healthcare model that offers a more personalized and cost-effective approach to primary care. Understand how DPC can enhance your healthcare delivery model without sacrificing access to specialty care, only with better health outcomes, and lower overall healthcare costs.
Learning Objectives
Tracking Your Plan's Health
Measuring and monitoring the health of your benefits plan is crucial for making informed decisions. Gain insights on how to create and utilize a comprehensive metric dashboard that tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) such as claims data, employee satisfaction, and cost trends. Learn how to interpret these metrics to identify areas for improvement, optimize your benefits strategy, and ensure your plan is delivering value to both your organization and your employees.
- Customized Plan Grader™ Evaluation Document: A customized analysis of the most important factors and practices of high-performance health plans. This Opportunity Summary provides custom recommendations across eight health plan components to be a roadmap to improve health outcomes.
- Cost-Saving Action Plan: Identification of specific tactics to manage costs related to the actual prescription drugs, high-cost claimants, and general plan expenses present.
- Confidence in Renewal Preparation: Participants will leave with a holistic perspective and actionable insights, better prepared to navigate the specific healthcare complexities that could be facing their unique benefit plan.
Takeaways
Life Insurance
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Supplement
Dental
Short-term Medical
Accident, critical illness or other fixed benefit plans
Affordable Care Act Plans
Vision Insurance
Click here to view/download our White Paper: Purchaser Hurdles to Regaining Control of Cost and Quality of Care
Life Insurance
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Supplement
Dental
Short-term Medical
Accident, critical illness or other fixed benefit plans
Affordable Care Act Plans
Vision Insurance
Tracking Your Plan's Health: Gain insights on measuring and monitoring your plan's performance with effective metrics.
About LEAN Benefits
LEAN Benefits leverages the methodologies of LEAN and Six Sigma to create a data-driven framework for a benefits program that produces streamlined processes, reduces waste and costs, and ensures value is delivered to employees.
Participating in a roundtable will provide you with the opportunity to identify inefficiencies in healthcare delivery, claims processing, and vendor management. You'll gain a competitive edge in employee retention and satisfaction through better decision-making, measurable and sustainable cost savings, and the ability to develop a benefits program that aligns operational efficiency with employee-centric goals.