New England's leading provider of benefits education, resources and networking opportunities
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Get inspired professionally and personally - connect, learn, advance, succeed!
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A Message From Jim Sullivan
NEEBC Board President
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As I look at the calendar, I can’t believe we’re turning the page on another year.
When I look back on 2018, I see another tremendously successful year for NEEBC, starting with the Annual Health Insurance Market Outlook program at the beginning of the year and running through the 20
th Anniversary Best Practices Conference in December.
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Video retrospective celebrating 20 years of best practices!
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In between those two marquis events, we held over 30 other programs, sharing critical information, training and networking opportunities for our membership. Oh yeah… and the Red Sox won another World Series Championship!
2019 certainly portends to include some significant challenges that will require careful consideration for benefit professionals.
- The Affordable Care Act continues to see challenges in the courts, and the impact of these challenges are still unclear.
- Consolidation between Health Insurers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers is truly uncharted territory, and we will all need to study how these mergers affect both employers and employees.
- Changes in sick leave policies, both here in Massachusetts (Grand Bargain) and across the United States, will expand in the new year.
- On the retirement side, lawsuits continue to cause concern to plan providers, including the need to ensure investment committees are well educated, structured and transparent in their management of the 401K plans.
NEEBC will steadfastly support you by providing programming, education and a forum for benefit professionals to continue to be valuable assets for their organizations.
Finally, NEEBC is at its best when our entire membership is engaged. We need to hear from you about:
- How can we better serve you?
- What programs would you like to see in 2019?
- What are the most pressing issues you face in your job?
As always, we welcome your participation on program committees that are critical for the development of these events. We encourage you to
reach out
if you’re willing to join any of our committees. (Note: We have immediate openings for our Women in Benefits Committee.)
On behalf of the NEEBC Board and Staff, thank you again for helping make the last year so successful, and we look forward to seeing you in 2019.
Happy Holidays,
Jim Sullivan
NEEBC Board President
Principal, Mercer
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P.S. We will start off 2019 with the Annual Health Insurance Market Outlook. Don't miss out on
Early Bird Pricing.
Register Now!
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In This Newsletter:
-Members On The Move
-Member Company News
-Member White Papers
-Upcoming Programs
-Thank You Notes
-Quick Links to NEEBC.org
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Annual Health Insurance Market Outlook
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February 7, 2019
Sheraton Hotel
Needham, MA
Don't miss Early Bird Pricing (ends 12/31/18)!
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NEEBC Welcomes 40 New Members since October, 2018!
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MEMBERS ON THE MOVE - New Hires
Jeremy Doak, formerly of NutriSavings, has been hired by
Abacus Health Solutions as the AVP of Sales and Marketing.
Hooker & Holcombe has welcomed
Pam Minish, Managing Director, and
Brenda Bachman, Retirement Plan Education Specialist, to their Investment Advisory Group, and
Stephen Chykirda, Consulting Actuary, Actuarial Services.
Eric LaPlaca has been named Vice President of Sales and Client Services for
Tufts Health Plan. In this role, Eric is responsible for new business sales, key account and large group retention and growth, and business and broker development activities for the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire markets.
Eric brings to Tufts Health Plan more than 20 years of sales leadership experience and deep relationships with the New England insurance brokerage and consultant market, as well as proven expertise with employer sponsors in New England.
MEMBERS ON THE MOVE - Promotions
Boston Benefit Partners, LLC is pleased to announce the hard-earned promotion of
Laura Hasler to Senior Benefits Analyst after working with BBP for the last two years.
Hooker & Holcombe
is pleased to announce that
Steve Lemanski,
OPEB practice leader and consulting actuary, has been named an owner of the firm.
Nicole Hoxie, administrative assistant, was promoted to service center analyst, Support Services Center.
Please join
Boston Benefit Partners, LLC
in celebrating the well-deserved promotion of
Lucas Schandelmeier
to Senior Benefits Analyst after working diligently with BBP for the last two years.
MEMBERS ON THE MOVE - Designations & Distinctions
Robin Lane, Supervisor, Support Services Center,
Hooker & Holcombe, has obtained her ASPPA DC-A Certificate.
Congratulations to
Marsh & McLennan Agency’s Sara Carvalho (Rising Star), Diane Halverson (All-Star), Molly Lindert (All-Star) & Lisa Buffington, CPFA® (Rising Star) for being chosen as NAPA’s Top Women Retirement Advisors by the American Retirement Association
Congratulations
on all the new positions and accomplishments!
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Jeremy Doak
AVP of Sales and Marketing
Abacus Health Solutions
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Eric LaPlaca
VP of Sales and Client Services
Tufts Health Plan
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Member Spotlight
Send us the name, title and an accomplishment of an employee to spotlight in future communications.
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MEMBER COMPANY - Aquisitions
On November 28, 2018, CVS Health announced:
“
CVS Health Completes Acquisition of Aetna, Marking the Start of Transforming the Consumer Health Experience.
”
The
c
ombined company brings together capabilities of two leading organizations to establish an innovative health care model. Care delivery will have a local focus that will make a complicated system simpler for all, helping people achieve better health at lower cost. The combination is expected to generate significant value for shareholders through synergies and revenue-enhancing initiatives.
Press release:
Gallagher
has increased their presence in Worcester with their acquisition of Group Benefit Strategies which allows them to be able to better serve the western part of Massachusetts. Press release:
MEMBER COMPANY - Distinctions
Gallagher's
CT office was named one of the Hartford Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers for 2018. For more details:
Tufts Health Plan was one of 145 businesses nationwide rated as "Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion" in the 2018 Disability Equality Index. In its first time participating in the DEI, Tufts Health Plan scored 100%. The DEI measures awareness and inclusion efforts across these criteria: organizational culture, leadership, accessibility, employment, community engagement, support services and supplier diversity.
Wellness Workdays has been named to
HR Tech Outlook’s
Top 10 Employee Wellness Solution Providers - 2018. In addition, the company’s CEO, Debra Wein, authored “Why Employees Dislike Wellness Programs and How to Change Their Mind-Set”, which was published in the December issue of
Benefits Magazine. Debra also wrote “The Future of Corporate Wellness: A Guide for Health and Exercise Professionals”, which appeared in the December issue of CERTIFIED, an online publication from the American Council on Exercise.
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MEMBER COMPANY - Latest News
On January 1, Massachusetts-based Neighborhood Health Plan, a member of Partners HealthCare, becomes
AllWays Health Partners. This new name reflects a commitment to finding more ways to make the health care experience better by putting people first – like introducing live member chat and offering exclusive access to virtual urgent care with Partners HealthCare On Demand.
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
has introduced its website for the
Department of Family and Medical Leave:
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-family-and-medical-leave
On the website, you will find frequently asked questions for both employers and employees.
On November 15, 2018, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care issued a press release titled "Harvard Pilgrim’s Third Quarter 2018 Results Reflect Continued Strong Performance," and reported net income of $26.2 million and operating income of $22.8 million on revenue of $775.5 million for the third quarter ending September 30, 2018.
The full press release is on the Harvard Pilgrim website:
www.harvardpilgrim.org/public/about-us/newsroom.
Brenda Stanton
, Vice President,
Keystone Partners
, recently gave a talk at Disrupt HR Boston on the topic "Abolish Pedestals & Power Trips – Create A Culture of Trust."
A video of the talk can be found at:
https://disrupthr.co/vimeo-video/abolish-pedestals-and-power-trips-create-a-culture-of-trust-brenda-stanton-disrupthr-talks/
Brenda also wrote a byline for
HR Daily Advisor which is titled "Why Do Employees Feel Inferior and What To Do About It."
The full article can be found at:
https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2018/11/09/why-employees-feel-inferior-and-what-to-do-about-it/
Beginning January 1, 2019,
Quest Diagnostics
will be an in-network, national lab provider for UnitedHealthcare®. They'll also continue as a preferred national lab provider for Aetna, making Quest an in-network lab for virtually all national, regional, and local health insurers in the US.
Congratulations on your accomplishments!
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Member Companies Give Back
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Volunteers from
Aetna’s Boston Sales
office had a blast working in area communities the week of November 12. First, they packed the fixings for several hundred holiday meals as part of United Way of Massachusetts Bay’s annual Thanksgiving Project (see photo), which supports 6,500 local families. Then, partnering with their Aetna Marketing colleagues, they provided 630 other healthy meals to people in need and beautified a Dorchester, MA, neighborhood. To wrap up the week, the Sales and Marketing teams gathered in the company’s Wellesley, MA, office to package 600 learning kits for children.
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Baystate Foundation
is a nonprofit innovator founded in 1999 and was designed to bring assistance to the many children
’
s charities within our communities. During the holiday season,
The Baystate Financial
community comes together to make the season brighter for over 700 children in need throughout New England. Associates in Baystate offices in Boston, Wakefield, Wellesley, Worcester, Marshfield, Southborough and East Providence purchase clothes and toys with the hope of putting a smile on a child’s face. "Throughout the year and through the generosity of our Associates, we are able to help thousands of disadvantaged children by volunteering and donating to the many special charities dedicated to their health and well-being. Our mission statement is all about reaching out and providing a hand to at-risk children and we are so thankful to be able to give back to the communities in which we do business." added Dave Porter, Managing Partner of Baystate Financial.
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In support of the firm’s charitable initiatives and community outreach program, nearly 25 percent of the employees at
Hooker and Holcombe recently volunteered their time doing a variety of jobs at both Foodshare CT and Fidelco (see photo). The firm supports over 30 local non-profit groups annually.
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It is a piece written for employee benefits/HR professionals. It aims to shed light on what employees do and don't understand about Health Reimbursement Accounts by answering the following questions:
- What is an HRA?
- How do HRAs work?
- What are the pros and cons?
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Upcoming NEEBC Programs
Get inspired professionally and personally - connect, learn, advance, succeed!
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Register Now for Winter Programs:
January
Februa
ry
March
Additional 2019 programming information coming soon. Please check back:
www.neebc.org
*****
Save The Date!
2019 Benefits Summit & Trade Show
May 23, 2019
Newton Marriott | Newton, MA
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20th Annual Best Practices Conference
The 20th Annual Best Practices Conference on December 11 was a HUGE success, as determined by your feedback and responses!
89% of survey respondents said they would attend next year;
an additional 10% said they might attend next year.
"
Great speakers, topics, and content [was] very relevant." Anonymous
At this 20th anniversary of the conference, we celebrated new and old best practices.
Please enjoy this 20-year retrospective video unveiled at the conference.
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Congratulations to all the Best Practices Award Winners and Rising Stars!
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Best Practice Award Winners
Blount Fine Foods Corp.
Lahey Health System
CVS Health
Sullivan & Worcester LLP
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Wellness Excellence Winners
Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA
Aetna
Nuance Communications
National Fire Protection Association
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Rising Stars
Sarah Coderre,
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Sara Dwyer,
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
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Thank you to all the attendees, speakers, program committee!
And, thank you to all the sponsors and exhibitors who help underwrite this program!
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Need more reasons to register for a NEEBC program?
Hear testimonials from 2018 attendees!
How to become a great place to work, featuring
Boston Globe editor
“It highlighted some of the things we are already doing but could be doing better...especially analytics.”
Modernizing Wellness for Today’s Workforce
“The importance of wellness is much more accepted by decision makers. Even though it's hard to tie ROI to plans, they are becoming more accepting of the need for this.”
“Individualized programs, and the use of data and AI to further customize programs.”
“Ensure that wellbeing programs have measurable outcomes and are actually producing the intended results.”
Health and Welfare Plan Compliance
“The all-important legislative updates provided.”
“A [safe] way to understand just how out of compliance we are.”
What Your CEO is Reading, featuring the President & CEO of
The National Business Group on Health
“The ‘black box’ of pharmacy that is on the mind of the CEO and CFO.”
Opioids in the Workplace – What Employers Can Do
“How pervasive MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment) will become per the CDC which is disconcerting, and [what otherwise] little education there is in the employer community.”
Learn Expat Benefits from the Experts
“The emphasis and affirmation on acquiring experts when dealing with international employees. We don’t pay enough attention to these small groups or provide sufficient resources. Different regions of the world have different benefit challenges.”
What’s the Prescription for Managing Pharmacy Costs?
“The PBM market is consolidating and changing rapidly. The reasoning behind recent insurer/PBM mergers.”
Annual Washington Update
"G
ave me an in-depth understanding of benefits, particularly [in the] changing atmosphere in our government."
20th Annual Best Practices Conference
"Great speakers, topics, and content [was] very relevant!"
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Thank You Notes
Thank You Sponsors of
20th Annual Best Practices Conference
Premier Sponsor
The Floss Bar
Reception Sponsor
HealthEquity
Luncheon Sponsors
Aon
Lockton Companies
Breakfast Sponsors
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Perq for Work/MBTA
Exhibitors (includes many of our Annual Corporate Partners)
Acelleron
Archway Health
Atrius Health
CareHere
Hanscom Federal Credit Union
MedImpact
Shields Health Care Group
Wildflower Health, Inc.
Spotlight Sponsors
Hooker & Holcombe
KGA, Inc.
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
Strategic Benefit Advisors, Inc.
The Segal Group
VSP Vision Care
Thank You Annual Corporate Partners
NEEBC welcomes Optum and Lockton Companies
as Annual Corporate Partners in 2019!
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And, Thank You to the NEEBC Board, Committees, Members and Supporters!
Interested in becoming more involved in NEEBC?
We currently have openings for our Women in Benefits Committee.
We will be publicizing more openings soon. Please check our website.
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Join The Conversation...
#NEEBCHealth19
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New England Employee Benefits Council
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