In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon discuss a September 2025 presidential announcement regarding tariffs on pharmaceutical products. Suzanne provides some background on the announcement and what it might mean for the U.S. and other countries. Suzanne and Chase explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of a new website relating to prescription drugs. Suzanne closes the podcast by outlining the potential impact on employer-sponsored group health plans and drug plans.

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley discuss a few HIPAA lessons that employers can glean from recent Health and Human Services (HHS) enforcement settlements. Chase begins with an outline of HIPAA’s obligations in the group health plan context and HHS enforcement trends. Chase and Suzanne discuss three different cases that resulted in monetary penalties, highlighting the importance of responding timely to participant requests for their personal information, running a risk assessment on internal systems, and protecting against and timely responding to cyberattacks and other breaches. The podcast winds down by highlighting the top five issues seen in HHS enforcement cases in recent years and includes a short discussion of NFP resources that can assist employers in complying with HIPAA.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Carol Wood discuss the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and the recent proliferation of state laws that regulate PBMs. Next, Suzanne explains how these state PBM laws interact with federal laws, which are supreme. Suzanne reviews ERISA preemption and the U.S. Supreme Court Rutledge case, and how state lawmakers continue to test the boundaries of their authority with PBM legislation. The conversation then turns to a controversial Arkansas PBM law and the related litigation that has gained national attention. Suzanne and Carol end by providing employer takeaways and explaining why it’s important for employers to continue to monitor developments in this complex benefits area.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon discuss the No Surprises Act (NSA) and its impact on out-of-network (OON) billing, with the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process at its core. Suzanne starts with an outline of the NSA and OON billing, how surprise bills arise, and how the IDR process is meant to help with carrier and provider disputes on bill payment amounts. Suzanne and Chase discuss CMS’s involvement and the data gathered, shedding light on how IDR entities are selected, how disputes are handled, who’s winning, and the amounts being paid. The two close with a discussion of the fairness of the process and the impact on healthcare costs for employers and their group health plans.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon break down the Senate’s version of the One Big Beautiful Bill, released on June 16, 2025. Suzanne outlines the budget reconciliation process and how the so-called “Byrd Rule” comes into play. Suzanne and Chase discuss the similarities and differences between the House and Senate versions of this bill and how the two can align on those differences. Suzanne outlines one major difference relating to the Senate’s exclusion of certain benefit-related provisions (HRA/CHOICE/ICHRA amendments and HSA expansions and flexibilities, to name a few) that were in the House’s version. Suzanne and Chase conclude with thoughts on what employers can expect in the coming weeks as the legislative process plays out.

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley outline the latest proposed bill from the U.S. House of Representatives, potentially up for a vote in the coming weeks. Chase outlines a key element missing from the proposed bill ‒ caps, cuts, or elimination of the so-called employer tax exclusions for health insurance ‒ and explains why it’s important for employer health plan sponsors. Chase and Suzanne spend the rest of the episode describing potential changes to HSAs and HRAs, including flexibility with HSA eligibility, increases on HSA contribution limits, and a new vehicle (called a “CHOICE arrangement”) for reimbursing an employee’s individual policy premium.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon review a recent industry focus-study on the economic impact of capping or eliminating the tax benefits associated with employer-provided health plans. Suzanne begins by providing a background on the employer-sponsored insurance tax breaks, their impact on employers and employees, and why Congress is considering a potential cap or elimination of those tax breaks. Suzanne and Chase discuss a recent study that addresses the negative downstream impact of such a cap or elimination, including detrimental economic, health insurance coverage, and health outcomes. Employers should be aware of these impacts and outcomes as Congress continues to view healthcare tax benefits as a source of revenue to offset other tax credits and breaks, including those that Congress wants to extend as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (which is set to expire at the end of 2025).

In this episode, Chase Cannon and Suzanne Spradley discuss some interesting questions relating to health savings accounts (HSAs), including basic eligibility, impermissible coverage, and employer responsibility when determining an individual employee’s HSA eligibility. Chase jumps in on a response to a question about HSA eligibility regarding a health FSA grace period. Chase and Suzanne conclude with a discussion about Medicare enrollment and HSA eligibility and whether employers should automatically terminate HSA contributions when an employee turns 65.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon discuss recently published proposed regulations relating to HIPAA’s Security Rule. Suzanne leads off with an overview of the HIPAA privacy and security rules generally, focusing on security — the usage of personal health information in electronic form. Suzanne and Chase discuss potential changes in definitions under HIPAA’s Security Rule, how the risk analysis requirement might be impacted, and what employers should be considering with their internal benefits, technology, and IT teams. Suzanne closes the podcast with her thoughts on the process and timeline for finalizing the proposed regulations.

In this episode, Suzanne Spradley and Chase Cannon discuss the debate relating to employer-sponsored group health plan coverage and insurance tax exclusion. Suzanne describes what is meant by employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) and the background on the tax breaks that employers and employees receive when it comes to ESI. Suzanne and Chase walk through the two sides of the debate on keeping or remodeling the ESI tax exclusion, which could become a bigger issue in 2025 with respect to tax and health policy under the constantly changing legislative environment in DC.