I’ve been presenting about health care reform (as any good adviser would) to many different groups, ranging from HR executives to CFOs to business owners. Rather than blog about the impact of reform on the benefits business, here are some reflections on what is happening at these presentations:
1) Engagement is high. For folks who present a lot there seems to always be a nagging doubt whether anyone will listen to what you have to say. Perhaps one of the unintended consequences of reform is that individuals have been very engaged in the discussion. Not surprisingly, engagement varies from complete disdain with reform to complete acceptance of the bill. Overall, the individuals who I’ve presented too are taking an “active, not-ready-to-do-anything yet” perspective on reform. I’ve encouraged my audiences to do three things: 1) understand how reform will impact your company specifically; 2) complete the financial analysis as you consider “paying” rather than “playing;” and 3) start to build a post-reform benefits strategy. The third one is the most difficult for sure, but I believe a must for companies.
