Health Reform & The Employer 

Now that both the Senate and House of Representatives have passed health care reform bills, it seems increasingly likely that some sort of bill will emerge from a conference committee and be sent to President Obama for his signature. Any such bill is certain to have a substantial impact on employers – whether or not they sponsor a health plan for their employees. Although most of the provisions in the pending bills would not be effective for another one to three years, others will apply right away. And even those provisions with deferred effective dates may require years of preparation. So it’s not too early to take a look at how health care reform might affect employers.

About the Speaker 

Kenneth A. Mason is a partner in the law firm of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP. Ken is the head of Spencer Fane’s Employee Benefits Practice Group and has spent many years advising clients on issues relating to health plans. He is a Past-Chair of both the Employee Benefits Committee of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and the Employee Benefits Institute of Kansas City. He has been on the faculty of the American Bankers Association National Retirement Trust School and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Ken's lecture subjects have included executive deferred compensation, 401(k) nondiscrimination testing, COBRA compliance, benefit plan aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act, employee leave-sharing programs, and long-term care insurance.

He has published several articles, including "Automatic Enrollment: The New Norm," "Leave-Sharing Programs: Everything Doesn't Go," "New COBRA Regulations: Good News for Plan Sponsors and Administrators," "Trends in ADA Litigation Affecting Employee Benefit Plans," "Should a Tax-Exempt Employer Adopt a Section 401(k) Plan?" "Deferred Compensation Strategies for Executives of Tax-Exempt Employers," and "The Source Tax Law: Issues for Employers and Practitioners."

Registration Fees

SHRM-KC Members - $25
Non-Members - $40
SHRM-KC Student Members - $20

HR Certification Institute Credit

This program has been approved for 1.0 hours of HR Certification Institute (www.hrci.org).

Schedule

10:45 a.m. - New Member Orientation
11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Registration & Networking
11:30 a.m. - Noon - Buffet Luncheon
Noon - 1:00 p.m. - Program

Sponsor

MassMutual Financial Group. MassMutual is a global, growth-oriented diversified financial services organization and offers supplemental disability income insurance to employees to enhance the benefit package offered through their employer. Supplemental coverage helps bridge the gap between current earnings and benefits available through a group long term disability plan at no cost to the employer. When you choose MassMutual as your carrier, you are choosing one of the strongest insurers in the industry with expertise in providing supplemental disability income insurance.