It’s a new year, and a new type of Empowering Plans podcast! In a world full of talking heads and 2-minute news cycles, hot takes have become the norm. This is true from mainstream news media to sports talk radio. Ron Peck and Corey Crigger throw their hat in the hot take ring by speculating on what some of the biggest news stories could be in 2025. From AI to RFK Jr, join Ron and Corey as they gaze into the crystal ball and make their bold predictions of what we will be talking about all year.

On today’s episode of the Empowering Plans podcast series, attorneys Kendall Jackson and Brian O’Hara discuss the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw proposed rules that would have expanded the birth control benefits mandate. Join us in our discussion of the mandate and how it has evolved throughout the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations.

On this episode of the Empowering Plans podcast series, attorneys Corey Crigger and Cindy Merrell discuss the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, which fueled public outcry over denied claims.

In this episode of the Empowering Plans podcast, attorneys Jon Jablon and Brady Bizarro delve into the details of a recent lawsuit where BCBS of Michigan, in its capacity as a TPA, is alleged to have engaged in anticompetitive practices for charging a fee to a group that chose a stop-loss carrier other than BCBS. This case is in its infancy as of December 2024, but we expect it to have noticeable effects on the stop-loss marketplace regardless of outcome. In this episode, Jon and Brady discuss those potential effects and how a holding either way could impact self-funding as a whole.

On this episode of the Empowering Plans Podcast, attorneys Ron Peck and Nick Bonds talk through a recent Florida case addressing judicial review of IDR determinations and highlight some of the key insights and takeaways for any entity subject to the No Surprises Act.

Join Attorneys Corey Crigger and Kendall Jackson on this Halloween edition of the Empowering Plans Podcast. Corey and Kendall take a look at topics that send shivers down the spine of the self-funded industry. How do you protect your plan from the scary cost of gene therapies? What will the rapidly advancing AI sector mean for you and your clients? What is the best trick or treat candy? Tune in to find the answers to these questions and many more on the Empowering Plans Podcast.

On this episode of the Empowering Plans Podcast, attorneys Jon Jablon and Cindy Merrell explore the changing landscape of several state and federal laws that affect coverage of gender-affirming care. 

Attorneys Brady Bizarro and Andrew Silverio discuss today’s senate committee hearing on GLP-1 drug pricing and strategies that self-funded employers are using to manage the extreme costs of these drugs while we wait and hope for congressional action. 

Regulators finally announced the long-awaited MHPAEA Final Rules on September 9, 2024. Many of these changes will directly affect group health plan design and modify the NQTL comparative analysis testing requirements - many of which will be significant for plans as they prepare for 2025. Join attorneys Jennifer McCormick and Bryan Dunton for their discussion on several critical considerations for plans as renewal season approaches.

Dr. Marty Makary is a New York Times bestselling author, renowned Johns Hopkins surgeon, and globally recognized expert on medical research. In its most recent edition of the Empowering Plans podcast series (“Recognizing Our Blind Spots”), Dr. Makary was a special guest as he engaged in conversation with CEO Adam V. Russo about his new book, Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health, https://geni.us/blindspots. This is an episode jampacked with enlightening and engaging anecdotes that will leave you with new insight into commonly held assumptions about healthcare. After all, in order to fix the healthcare industry, people need to have access to correct information about modern medicine.