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PODCAST

American Benefits Podcast

American Benefits Council

Tune in for thought-provoking conversations with smart, creative thinkers in the fields of benefits, economics, government, demography and more. This show is brought to you by the American Benefits Council, a Washington D.C. trade association that advocates for employers, connecting public policy and private-sector solutions to shape employee benefits for the evolving global workforce.

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All Episodes

55:55

HSA Can You See? A Deep Dive on Health Savings...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2025/08/07

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and the high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) associated with them, still constitute a minority share of all employer-provided health offerings in the United States. But they probably also represent the most fertile area of employer innovations to reduce cost and improve health care value. That is why the American Benefits Council included in DESTINATION 2030, its long-term public policy strategic plan, one of its 20 goals (“Preserve access to defined contribution

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What'you Talkin' 'Bout, Willis? Meet the Council's...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2025/05/13

In the latest edition of the American Benefits Podcast, we meet the latest addition to the American Benefits Council's staff. Kerri Willis joins the Council as the new senior counsel, health policy, and joins podcast host Jason Hammersla for some light hazing as they discuss the wearing of various hats, the power of C-SPAN, and the meaning of "riskier will."

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42:45

Enter Your Destination: Introducing the Council's...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2025/02/12

On Wednesday, February 12, the American Benefits Council released its long-term public policy strategic plan, DESTINATION 2030: A Roadmap for the Future of Employee Benefits. In this episode, host Jason Hammersla speaks with Strategic Plan Task Force Chair Tami Simon about the plan's development and ultimate framework for advancing holistic well-being.

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38:15

Common Sense, Common Cause: Talking Health Care Value...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2024/03/22

Shawn Gremminger recently assumed the role of president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Associations -- a Council member and frequent ally on health care policy. In this episode, we discuss the National Alliance's unique structure and composition, its policy priorities and the importance of getting value for every health care dollar.

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48:15

Windows on Benefits: Introducing New Board Chair Fred...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2023/06/23

Fred Thiele, vice president, global benefits and mobility for Microsoft, will serve as chair of the American Benefits Council's Board of Directors for the 2023-2024 term. In this episode, he speaks with host Jason Hammersla about his company's unique approach to benefits, outlines his priorities for the next year and drops a few tales of questionable reimbursement requests.

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39:09

Episode 45: Bigger Data: The First Step to Improving...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/09/01

Diversity, equity and inclusion is a priority for many of the American Benefits Council’s member companies, who have in turn directed us to engage with these issues as they relate to employee benefits. Over the previous 12 months, the Council has established a task force to address social determinants of health and joined with a number of other esteemed organizations to release the research report, Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data for Use by Health Plans to Advance Health Equity. The project

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34:52

Episode 44: Follow the Leader: Getting to Know the...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/08/17

If the American Benefits Council is to be a leader in the employee benefits world, we must have strong internal leadership. The Council’s policy agenda is carefully considered and set by our Policy Board of Directors, made up of knowledgeable and dedicated human resource and benefits professionals at each of our most engaged member companies. Holding the gavel at the head of that table is this episode's special guest. Speaking to host Jason Hammersla is Tracy Watts, senior partner in Mercer’s

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34:05

Episode No. 43: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: A...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/08/03

For many multinational companies, figuring out how to scale employee benefits for a global population is a critical element of their economic competitiveness. But if providing comprehensive employee benefit programs in the United States is like playing advanced chess, doing so on a global basis is like playing advanced chess on a moving speedboat. The American Benefits Council's policy team is not only engaged with the whole wide world at the “big-picture” level, it is also focused on practical

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30:42

Episode 42: Into the Deep End: The Big Splash of...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/05/20

Even as policymakers discuss and debate the so-called "retirement savings gap," employers and others are starting to take part in a newly-minted coverage expansion tool: the SECURE Act of 2019 birthed the inception of the Pooled Employer Plan (PEP), which allows separate companies employers to team up and share plan administration for their collective employees. On this episode of the American Benefits Podcast, host Jason Hammersla is joined by Rick Jones, senior partner in Aon’s National Retirement

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47:43

Episode 41: Get Out the Map: Paid Leave and the State...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/05/05

Paid leave may not be an “employee benefit,” strictly speaking, in the same way that health coverage and retirement coverage are. But providing it has become a significant pressure point for employers, especially as an increasing number of states and localities have erected their own mandates over the last decade. In this episode, host Jason Hammersla talks about this slow-motion explosion of paid leave mandates with one of the nation's foremost legal authorities on the subject: Josh Seidman, a

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48:57

Episode 40: No Surprises, Please: The Twisty Tale of...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/04/21

The 2020 enactment of legislation to eliminate “surprise” medical billing was not just the most significant health care coverage legislation since the Affordable Care Act. It was also the culmination of a remarkable show of (relatively) swift and bipartisan lawmaking. Since that enactment, however, the story has taken dizzying twists and turns, with more to come as the regulatory implementation phase gives way to nationwide litigation over the Biden administration's rules. In this episode, host

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38:52

Episode 39: Plumbing and the PBGC: How Plans and...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/03/24

Even casual observers know that, over the past several decades, the nation's retirement system has evolved from a predominantly defined benefit system to a predominantly defined contribution system. That said, there are still nearly 47,000 defined benefit plans in the United States, (half of which are insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or PBGC), covering almost 33 million people and totaling more than $3.2 trillion in assets. On this past New Year's Eve, the PBGC’s Participant and

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46:26

Episode 38: Nontraditional Workers and Barriers to...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/03/10

The current labor market is in flux, with many industries still in pandemic recovery while the "great resignation" creating a talent vacuum. Contingent or "nontraditional" work may not be as trendy a topic as it was five years ago, but it could represent a resource for companies seeking to fill important roles. In this episode, host Jason Hammersla speaks to John C. Scott, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts Retirement Savings Project, about recent research on the retirement preparedness of

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46:04

Episode No. 37: Still V.B.I.D.: Chronic Disease and...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2022/02/24

According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 in 10 adults in the U.S. have at least one chronic disease, while 4 in 10 have two or more. The CDC also estimates that 90% of the nation’s health care expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions. And it’s very likely that the pandemic has exacerbated chronic disease by disrupting access to chronic disease treatment and control services. If we have any hope of lowering health care costs and

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49:04

Episode 36: Polak's Republic: A Dialogue on Working...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2021/03/31

Over the past year, the American workforce has undergone a forced evolution, with work environments and habits thrown into chaos. But even before the pandemic, human resources strategy had shown signs of strain under a rigid definition of "productivity." In this episode, host Jason Hammersla speaks to internationally respected HR consultant Richard Polak, who thinks there is a better way. Polak explains the philosophy behind his new book, Work Smart Now: How to Jump Start Productivity, Empower

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54:39

Episode 35: Law and Order with Meaghan VerGow

American Benefits Podcast ·

2020/12/08

With the nation in the throes of a lame-duck congressional session and slow-motion presidential transition, the judiciary is the only branch of the federal government that is working smoothly at the moment, even in the wake of seismic change in the U.S. Supreme Court’s personnel. And, as it happens, employee benefits policy hangs in the balance. On November 10, the high court heard oral arguments in California v. Texas, the latest lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care

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35:59

Better Know a Council Colleague: New Health Policy...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2020/01/28

The American Benefits Council is known for its staff continuity, with seven of our 15 staff members having been here for at least two decades. Occasionally, however, the employee benefit gods require new blood and new energy. The most recent addition to the Council family is Katy Johnson, who succeeds the newly retired Kathryn Wilber as Senior Counsel, Health Policy, directing the analysis and advocacy of health policy regulation and litigation. In addition to her tireless work ethic, Katy brings a

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40:30

Episode 33: Benefits Calling: The World of Church...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2019/12/18

While we often focus on the Fortune 500 companies that dominate the world economy, another group of employers plays a fundamental role in the daily lives of millions of Americans: the churches, religious institutions and affiliated organizations that employ hundreds of thousands of clergy, lay workers, and their family members. This is a population with very typical health and retirement needs but also very unique practices and perspectives. Ably representing these perspectives in the advocacy world

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49:18

Episode 32: It’s a Big World After All: Going Global...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2019/12/03

The American economy crosses borders, oceans, time zones, cultures, languages and great walls. And therefore, compensation and benefits has gone global, too. For many multinational companies, figuring out how to scale employee benefits for a global population is a critical element of their economic competitiveness. Here at the Council, we’re engaged on global benefits in numerous ways, from functioning as the U.S. chapter of the International Employee Benefit Association (or “IEBA”) to serving as a

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37:46

Episode 31: All Debts, Public and Private - Helping...

American Benefits Podcast ·

2019/10/08

Retirement benefits are obviously one pillar of employee health and financial security, but despite all that employers do the “retirement savings gap” between what people have and should have, continues to grow. One of the biggest barriers to savings is student loan debt, which now exceeds 1.5 trillion in the U.S., while tuition rises 8% year over year. In an effort to help their employees, more companies are now seeing value in helping to allay this burden. The American Benefits Council is part of

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