7:45 AM - 6:30 PM | Registration
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM | NAHU Workshop - Employer Sponsored Plans in a Post ACA Era
Attendees participating in this preconference workshop will address the health insurance landscape before the enactment of the ACA and discuss what the ACA has changed market-by-market. The law's implementation and alterations to-date and its integration with other state and federal requirements are a key component. In addition, Jessica will discuss how national political forces, legal challenges, and the future actions of states may or may not impact the ACA and health insurance markets moving forward.
There are a myriad of requirements that impact on all employer plans, including wellness changes, HSA/FSA/HRA provisions, fees, annual and lifetime limits, waiting periods and W2 reporting, as well as the ACA's looming excise tax and nondiscrimination requirements. Attendees will learn how ACA intersects with other laws governing group benefits with special attention directed to the concerns of small employers and the employer shared responsibility provisions (employer mandate) and the related health coverage information reporting requirements, including some of the mechanics, use of vendors, and enforcement.
Course Objectives:
- Explanation of what the ACA has changed market by market
- Implementations and alterations with state and federal requirements
- Wellness Changes
- HSA/FSA/HRA provisions
- Waiting periods and W2 reporting
- Reporting and compliance responsibilities
- Individual and employer mandate penalties
Speaker: Jessica Waltman, Principal - Forward Health Consulting
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM | Now or Never: How Technology is Taking Over the Industry
Technology has been reshaping every facet of our lives, but small businesses have been left behind. Insurance agencies are the best entity in a position to bring SMBs online. They’re looking for online enrollment and carrier connectivity, HR, and payroll, in sync. David Reid, CEO of Ease, will discuss how to make technology your competitive edge to win new business, deepen your client relationships, and protect your book of business.
Speaker: David Reid, CEO, Ease
Sponsored by: 
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM | Leveraging tech + data to lower healthcare costs and increase transparency for your clients
It’s a well-known fact that healthcare is anything but transparent. So the idea of painting your clients a picture by leveraging hyperlocal healthcare data can seem impossible. However, there is a wealth of healthcare data available to the public. The trick is not just
knowing where to find it, but how to use it.
knowing where to find it, but how to use it.
Join Maestro Health for a demonstration on how brokers can leverage technology to bolster cost containment strategies for your clients.
What you’ll learn:
- How to use market and claims analyses to drill into the data that matters to your clients’ populations
- How to identify the data points that will validate provider selection from a cost and quality standpoint
- How to determine which provider markets are receptive to direct contract and reference-based pricing solutions
- How implementing care management technology can flag at-risk employees before they encounter costly medical claims, saving your clients money in the long run
Speakers:
Scott Bennett, Vice President of Access Innovation, Maestro Health
Ashley Ross, Sales Director – Southeast, Maestro Health
Ashley Ross, Sales Director – Southeast, Maestro Health
Sponsored by: 
3:45 PM - 4:00 PM | State of The Industry
Join Eric Ryles, of ALM’s own Judy Diamond Associates, as he presents findings from his latest research on total ERISA benefits spend. Subjects covered will include the growth in ERISA spending by industry and geography segmented further by the core lines of coverage; health, life, dental, vision, STD, and LTD.
Speaker: Eric Ryles, Vice President of Customer Solutions - ALM Media
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Opening Keynote: Digital Leadership: Becoming the Disruptor vs. the Disrupted
Sponsored by: 
Leaders in the Exponential Age are made—not born. We are living in the golden age of data and disruption, and the key to winning is grasping the 5 Habits that all successful leaders practice to achieve success and happiness. Embracing these habits will help you become more productive, reduce stress and drive success. With pioneering video-storytelling techniques, this motivating message from Erik Qualman is entertaining, educating, and empowering.
What you'll learn:
- Current and future trends that will impact your book of business
- Digital leadership practices that allow brokers to be cutting edge vs. bleeding edge
- The delicate harmony of offline and online initiatives for your customers, employees, and stakeholders
- Habits that will allow you to be the disruptor vs. the disrupted like failing fast, failing forward, and failing
Keynote Speaker: Erik Qualman, Keynote Speaker & Best Selling Author
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Welcome Reception In Exhibit Hall
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Benefits Pro Expo Official Networking Party Hosted By Aflac
8:30 AM - 6:30 PM | Registration
8:45 AM - 10:15 AM | The Future of Underwriting: UBI, IOT, and Emerging Business Models
The future of underwriting aims to highlight the state of the art in emerging benefits and insurance product business models, with a focus on Usage Based Insurance, how the internet of things is shaping and connecting products and risk to the customer they support in a more intimate way, and the profound effect this will have on how employers and employees approach the benefits space in the future. This is a relevant and timely topic for the audience that you won't hear in greater detail and expertise than from one of the pioneers of this space.
Speaker: Alex Frommeyer, Co-founder and CEO - Beam Dental
Sponsored by: 
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM | Networking Breakfast in Exhibit Hall
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM | Broker Of The Year Panel & Official Announcement Hosted By Aflac
Hosted by: Paul Wilson, Editor in Chief - BenefitsPro Magazine
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Morning Keynote: Exploring The Current Political Landscape & View into 2020
The current American political landscape is unlike anything we've seen before. Is this environment truly unprecedented? What should we expect as we head into the 2020 presidential election? How can Americans come together in a time of dissension and upheaval? Political experts James Carville and Mary Matalin, who have worked closely with Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, will provide expert analysis and lively commentary from both sides of the aisle.
Keynote Speaker: Mary Matalin, Celebrated Conservative Voice and Former Presidential Advisor
Keynote Speaker: James Carville, Political Icon
12:00 PM - 1:45 PM | Networking Luncheon In Exhibit Hall
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM | Afternoon Keynote - How To Breathe New Life Into The Healthcare System
Medical science has entered a golden age, but the keys to life are not all locked in the laboratory. This presentation will explore the new frontiers of medicine and science, tectonic shifts that are occurring as a result of technological advances, precision medicine, AI and consumer-centric care. Key elements of improving health in the United States will be discussed, including ensuring access to health care for all Americans, provisions of the Affordable Care Act health reform legislation, and recent actions that are affecting its implementation. Recommendations will be provided for how to put “health” back into the health care system, suggesting some innovative solutions that can be implemented to enhance the health of our nation.
Keynote Speaker: Susan Blumenthal, Former Assistant Surgeon General & Health Expert