Join us for an interactive, in-person session exploring the evolving stop loss landscape and the growing impact of high-cost claimants on employer-sponsored health plans. We’ll begin with a snapshot of key market trends, cost drivers, and emerging risk factors shaping today’s stop loss environment.

Instruct human resources professionals on the ever-changing immigration landscape following the H-1B cap lottery.

AI is rapidly transforming how self-funded benefits teams manage workforce health, engagement, and plan performance. Today’s platforms automate routine tasks and simplify complexity—guiding employees 24/7 to better understand their coverages and steering them toward higher-quality, lower-cost care. These tools reduce friction and boost engagement with virtual care, wellness and preventive programs. Next, conversational analytics and autonomous agents will enable employers to predict cost trends and optimize networks. Imagine a CFO asking a Plan Financial Agent which spend categories will spike next quarter, then handing a sophisticated report to an Employee Health Guide Agent to launch targeted, cost-saving campaigns to get ahead of that spend trend. Soon, a team of AI agents will proactively engage employees and take action on their behalf. It won't be perfect, but over time, the promise of personalized healthcare journeys will be a reality—improving employee satisfaction while giving employers more control over long-term spend.

practical, actionable ideas to simplify your return-to-work strategy, improve coordination and deliver better outcomes for both employees and your organization. What we’ll cover: • Key risks and inefficiencies impacting return-to-work programs today • How to improve operational alignment across stakeholders • Strategies to reduce delays and manual intervention through automation • Best practices for strengthening governance, communication, and role clarity • Approaches to enhance compliance and the employee experience throughout the return-to-work process

Come join us as we discuss some of the latest topics related to the regulatory and legislative environment surrounding health and welfare benefit plans. These updates are intended to keep you informed of some of the most relevant changes that occurred in the last quarter, and what group health plans may face from a regulatory perspective in the near future.

Participants will walk away with: Understand how budgets are built and aligned – Gain a clear view of key financial terms, what makes up the budget, and how the business plan connects to budget decisions. Learn the role of workforce planning in budgeting and position management – Understand how positions and compensation impact the budget and how we define and manage positions within our systems. Strengthen Finance & HR partnership – Recognize the importance of collaboration between HR and Finance, and identify practical ways HR can engage locally for greater business impact.

When an employee elects benefits upon hire or the start of a new plan year, those elections typically cannot be changed until the next plan year. However, Internal Revenue Code Section 125 and HIPAA Special Enrollment rules allow employees to make mid-year benefit changes when certain life events occur. Employers must consider multiple factors when an employee requests a mid-year change to their benefit elections, including whether the change is permitted or required under certain laws, and whether the terms of their Section 125 cafeteria plan and the underlying benefit plan documents allow such a change. Additionally, employers must review the facts and circumstances of the request, the type of event, the timing of the request, and when a mid-year change can take effect. During this webinar, we will dive into the specific events in the regulations that allow employees to make a mid-year benefit election change, and whether those changes are required or dependent on the terms of the employer’s plan. We will also flag key administrative and procedural issues that often arise when handling employee requests.

In this webinar, you will learn: New utilization review timelines and when determinations must be issued How missed deadlines can result in automatic treatment approvals Updated dispute timelines and L&I’s role in resolving treatment-related questions Practical implications for employer compliance, claims oversight, and risk management Walk away with a clear understanding of how these regulatory changes will impact your day-to-day operations—and what steps you can take now to prepare.