Employee Benefits Masterclass

A Strategic Approach to Recruit, Retain and Control Health Plan Costs

A Brown & Brown Whiteboard Event

EARN 2.0 SHRM & HRCI CREDITS

Learning from Other Employer’s Compliance Mistakes

  • Common compliance errors associated with the Employer Mandate and its IRS reporting requirements
  • Plan fiduciary duties under ERISA
  • Texas compliance updates: religion, politics and health and welfare benefits
  • Telehealth: How it can cause issues with HSAs beginning January 1, 2025
  • Mental Health Parity: How this can be an expensive employer health plan issue
  • 2024 compliance landscape

Myths & Misconceptions About Employer Health Plans

  • Why employers are failing at health plan management
  • Why your medical plan is managing the wrong population’s health
  • Why your spouses don’t cost what you think and why spousal programs don’t work
  • The only kind of wellness program that works and why it has nothing to do with wellness
  • Why the industry benchmarks are wrong and are driving the costs of your health plan higher
  • How to structure your medical offering to increase the value of benefits and reduce costs

When

Thursday, May 9th, 2024

1:00 – 3:30 PM

Where

Archer Hotel

3121 Palm Way
Austin, TX 78758

With over ten years of regulatory and legislative strategy experience, Christopher Bao serves as the Vice President – Regulatory and Legislative Strategy in the Employee Benefits division of Brown & Brown. In his role, Christopher is responsible for researching, analyzing, presenting and advising parties on strategies and best practices for group health plans. He also supports internal colleagues and Brown & Brown customers by reviewing and analyzing both federal and state laws that govern Employee Health and Welfare Benefit plans. These areas include HIPAA, the Affordable Care Act, ERISA and COBRA.​

Christopher has experience in employee health and welfare benefits and seven years of litigation experience. Prior to joining Brown & Brown, he worked at a large international insurance brokerage firm in the areas of compliance and Employee Health and Welfare Benefits. Prior to that role, Christopher worked as a litigator in private practice. He joined Brown & Brown in August of 2022. ​

​Christopher graduated magna cum laude from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree and earned his law degree from Louisiana State University – Paul M. Hebert School of Law, earning a dean’s list designation during his time there. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar and recently passed the bar exam in California. Christopher dedicates his free time to use his legal knowledge to assist indigent and underrepresented people and veterans.​

As an Executive Vice President, David’s role is to provide guidance and leadership that fosters each office’s ability to satisfy their growth objectives. David is a key player in defining Brown & Brown’s macro initiatives and providing the vision, tools and education to support those objectives.

David’s secondary role is the Director of Underwriting Services where his primary responsibilities include the development and maintenance of financial tools and methodologies that improve clients’ ability to effectively manage their employer-sponsored health plans. David’s role keeps him actively involved in the management of key accounts, representing more than 300,000 members.

Additionally, David acts as a national resource and the primary source of both internal and external education and support regarding efficient health plan structure. David spends much of his time traveling around the country educating consultants, employers and legislative bodies on the many counter-intuitive and nuanced components of effective health care cost management.

Previously, David worked as an Underwriting Strategist at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota where he designed pricing methodologies that satisfied Blue Cross Blue Shield’s strategic objectives. During his tenure, David acted as an internal liaison between actuarial, underwriting and sales and assisted with BCBS’s lobbying efforts to expand the HDHP marketplace.David has periodically taught statistics at Minnesota State University where he earned his bachelors degree in Finance.