Washington Legislative Update

It’s been 50 years since the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). This session will look at what has been achieved for plan participants and the employee benefits industry over time and what the future holds given the current legislative and regulatory environment.

This cross-sector panel discussion will address how single employer, multiemployer and public sector plan sponsors are dealing with issues relating to ERISA preemption as state and federal initiatives intersect. Topics may include state cost control initiatives, action in the courts, reproductive rights and why it’s so important for each sector to understand what others are dealing with.

Many conference participants use their time in D.C. to meet with their elected representatives and the regulatory community. This session will help you maximize your engagement efforts as you hear from the experts on:

• Why you need to know this
• The details of the legislative process
• The players who impact benefits
• How to communicate with legislators, regulators and plan participants.

Join your peers to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities facing multiemployer plans today.

Join your peers to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities facing public sector plans today.

Join your peers to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities facing single employer plans today.

Jessica Looman serves as administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor and has been invited to share their latest initiatives to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation’s workforce.

Representatives from the key agencies (including the DOL, IRS, PBGC and HHS) responsible for enforcement and oversight in the employee benefits industry have been invited to share updates on their initiatives and address issues of concern.

This session will consider recent changes to labor law and provide insight on:

• NLRB activity
• Changes to salary thresholds for salaried vs. hourly workers
• Benefits implications resulting from recent labor action
• How labor issues are playing out in the current election cycle.

The world is watching and much is at stake with the clash of geopolitical, economic and judicial influences. Get the inside scoop on the upcoming election cycle. This session will provide insights on the key issues driving the campaigns and consider down-ballot implications. Stay informed so you are prepared to adjust your strategic plans to the evolving climate.

This session will bring you up to speed on the legislative and regulatory environment surrounding health plans, including:

• Legislation in the pipeline
• How the election will impact health policy in the near term
• Compliance issues: the No Surprises Act, MHPAEA and Consolidated Appropriations Act
• Questions you should be asking.

Retirement plan designs continue to evolve as a result of marketing conditions, legislative and regulatory initiatives, and consumer behavior. This session will look at the drivers of change, how plans are changing, and what it means for plan sponsors and participants. Topics include:

• Lifetime income-based plans
• Cash balance
• Hybrid plans.

Medicare is often a target of legislative and regulatory activity. The program is also a huge driver of price and design in the employer-sponsored markets, which is why understanding the program gives insights on the direction of health care in the near future. Topics include:

• Medicare history, from Risk to Plus Choice to Advantage
• How the Inflation Reduction Act and other recent legislation impacts Medicare
• New plan designs.

There is currently an initiative for a consortium of private organizations to build an infrastructure system (the Portability Services Network) that would allow for efficient and secure movement of dollars and data. This would create a major expansion of auto-portability that could drastically impact the retirement system in the United States. This panel discussion will address:

• The impact on plans
• Options for workers
• Missing participants
• The role of Congress.

Lisa Gomez, assistant secretary of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) of the U.S. Department of Labor, has been invited to share the latest initiatives and enforcement activity as well as address issues of concern to the employee benefits industry.

This session will look at federal and state legislation and regulation with consideration given to:

• The interplay between Medicare and Medicaid
• Constraints on manufacturing and pricing
• Out-of-country supply—Rx tourism
• Litigation.

This session will address hot topics in the oversight of investment assets, including:

• SEC guidance
• China
• ESG (environmental, social and governance) Investing
• Pending regulations.

Technological advances and the evolution of AI are creating more opportunities for criminals and more risk exposure for organizations. The amount of dollars invested in benefit plans combined with their volume of private participant data make benefit plans a ripe target to cybersecurity threats. This session will address:

• Hacking schemes
• Your fiduciary responsibility
• Legislative and regulatory activity
• What you should be doing.