The Changing Health Care Landscape and How it Affects Your Company

Drinker Biddle and the Association of Corporate Counsel hosted a half-day CLE program on Friday, June 24. The program, titled, “The Changing Health Care Landscape and How it Affects Your Company,” featured panels and panelists who discussed key legal and operational considerations, how to address issues when they land on your desk, and what you need to know as we all adjust to the changing landscape of health care. Panelists also discussed legal and regulatory issues and risk mitigation strategies that are critical for a successful transition to (and for maintaining an existing) self-funded health plan.

Chicago partner Doug Swill kicked off the event with Jodie Curtis, Executive Vice President of the District Policy Group, Drinker Biddle’s boutique lobbying firm, and Ahmed Elganzouri, Deputy General Counsel at Edward-Elmhurst Health, as they discussed and shared the current trends in health care.

Dawn Sellstrom, counsel in the Employee Benefits group, moderated and participated in the first panel, titled, “Making the Move from Fully Insured to Self-funded Health Plans: Business Opportunities and Legal Considerations.” Fellow panelists included Ben Wagner from Lockton Companies and Drinker Biddle’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Mark Ansorge. This panel offered perspectives from the business executive, the benefits consultant, and the legal counsel points of view, and discussed the pros and cons of self-funding, how and why companies are making the move to self-funded plans, and the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders that are involved.

Albany partner Matthew Amodeo and Allison Hofmann from QualCare participated in the second panel, titled, “Seizing Opportunity and Mitigating Risk with Employee Population Health Management Partners.” This panel provided an overview of employer-sponsored population health program components and the relationships among the major stakeholders. They discussed how to build a successful population health strategy and examined the legal and regulatory issues to be aware of throughout the planning, implementation, management, and evaluation phases.