Summertime - typically a little quieter at work as vacations commence and a lot quieter in Washington, D.C. Not so much this summer. Chill out because this episode is packed as full as a station wagon ready for a family road trip!

Is the latest employee benefits news a light read or a page turner? We're going with the latter. This one has all the makings of a good novel... suspense, conflict, interesting characters, unexpected plot twists, and even a few cliffhangers!

May the Fourth be with you! We celebrate Julie's favorite "holiday" by going to a galaxy far, far away. Impossible to see, the future is. But Julie, Kelli and Justin provide insights on what the future might bring as they discuss the latest developments in the American Health Care Act, the insurance industry and exchanges and cost-sharing subsidies and what tax reform might mean for your 401(K). Plus, we rally the Foundation staff to put a benefits spin on our favorite films!

Baseball season is in full swing . . . and the benefits industry is being thrown curveballs left and right!

In this episode, we're giving a play-by-play on all the action:

• American Health Care Act—What went wrong, what next?

• State-sponsored Retirement Programs—How they work, lineup of states offering

• Opioids—what employers can do to fight the epidemic

In just one month, the day-to-day for employee benefits professionals went from “in limbo” to “it’s complicated!” Listen in as Justin gets you up to speed in record time, and Kelli and Julie tell us a bit more about some other complex issues like the President’s address to Congress, provisions of the newly proposed American Health Care Act, new state paid leave laws, and a Fiduciary Rule status update. Plus our special guest shares why you need to celebrate on April 3!

New administration, new rules – benefits professionals feel like they’re in limbo! Julie, Kelli and Justin dive into the issues that have us bending over backwards. Get straight talk about:

· Supreme Court Nomination

· Department Nominations – Secretary of Labor, Treasury Secretary, HHS Secretary

· ACA Status –What now?

· MPRA and PBGC Developments

Welcome to Talking Benefits! Every month we share the biggest news in benefits, hottest industry trends and legislative developments. We cover everything from retirement to health care reform and whatever else the benefits industry throws at us! We'll take a quick detour for this first episode to get to know the hosts - Justin, Julie and Kelli.