16 The Self-Insurer | www.sipconline.net

Congressman’s Visit to HCC Life Illustrates “The Power of One”

INSIDE the BeltwayWritten by Dave Kirby

This report combines elements both “inside” and “outside” the Washington, DC, Beltway with a Congressman’s home district visit to a SIIA member.

The old joke poses the question “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer : one bite at a time.

The lesson can be applied to almost any kind of large, seemingly daunting problem. For us it provides a procedure to answer the question, “How do you gain good relations with Congress?” The answer : one member at a time.

A case in point is provided by the visit during the summer Congressional break of Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA 11th) to the Kennesaw, Georgia, headquarters of HCC Life, a SIIA member company specializing in medical stop-loss insurance for self-insured employer groups. Rep. Loudermilk was hosted by HCC staff including Dan Strusz, president and CEO and Jay Ritchie, senior vice-president and a SIIA director.

“We were gratified that Congressman Loudermilk chose to visit us,” Ritchie said. “And we appreciate the work of SIIA’s Washington office in initiating the meeting.” Rep. Loudermilk was a

longtime member of Georgia’s General Assembly who is now serving his first term in Congress.

Rep. Loudermilk didn’t just “stop by” HCC, which is located about a half-hour northwest of Atlanta. “He demonstrated how important he considered the meeting by including his Washington chief of staff as well as the head of his district office,” Ritchie noted.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) (center) is welcomed to HCC Life headquarters by President and CEO Dan Strusz, (right) and Senior Vice President Jay Ritchie, (left).

“This meeting illustrated ‘The Power of One,’” Ritchie said. “Members of Congress enact

laws one at a time, with each vote counting equally. And each SIIA member has the ability to acquaint their representatives with issues

that are important to their constituents and to the overall economy.”

October 2015 | The Self-Insurer 17

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*#1 independent direct writer stop-loss carrier based on the 2013 year-end Sun Life Stop-Loss premium of $915.2M and our analysis of marketshare data from various third parties. Group stop-loss insurance policies are underwritten by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, MA) in all states, except New York, under Policy Form Series 07-SL. In New York, group stop-loss insurance policies are underwritten by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Windsor, CT) under Policy Form Series 07-NYSL REV 7-12. Product o� erings may not be available in all states and may vary depending on state laws and regulations. © 2015 Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481. All rights reserved. Sun Life Financial and the globe symbol are registered trademarks of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada.

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October 2015 | The Self-Insurer 19

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The Congressman admitted to HCC leaders that his awareness of employer self-insured health plans and stop-loss insurance had been low prior to his briefing there. But both sides found common ground in Rep. Loudermilk’s expressed strategy of working to reduce government regulatory burdens in general.

Strusz and Ritchie provided a summary of HCC’s work with its client base of approximately 3,000 employers from its offices in Kennesaw, Boston, Dallas and Minneapolis. “It seemed to be an eye-opener to the Congressman that we provide stop-loss insurance to employers who provide health plans covering about five million lives, with our 185 employees here at headquarters and about 100 in our other offices,” Ritchie said.

HCC executives briefed Rep. Loudermilk on the Self-Insurance Protection Act (SIPA) which is now pending in Congress. Its objective is to prevent stop-loss insurance from being defined as health insurance for federal regulatory purposes. “The Congressman appeared to grasp the importance of that when he learned that stop-loss insurance does not pay for any individual medical benefits but protects employer plans against disastrous claims,” Ritchie said.

HCC also provided an example of seemingly misguided government regulation in the so-called “Cadillac tax” that is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “This tax on TPAs is actually an income tax inside an excise tax that doesn’t make any more sense than a mortgage broker being taxed on the value of a real estate transaction,” Ritchie said.

HCC’s meeting with Rep. Loudermilk is part of SIIA’s ongoing campaign to increase Congressional engagement opportunities for its members. “Opportunities for members to visit their Congressional representatives in Washington – or at home like HCC has been actively engaged in – are critical to addressing and understanding the issues we face,” said Ryan Work, senior director of government relations.

“SIIA members are well aware that we are facing more regulatory and legislative activities than ever before in the self-insurance and risk management industry,” Work noted in a recent message to SIIA members. “Meeting with Members of Congress back home is a great way to tell your story. Beyond just protecting our industry, these meetings help promote it on the local level

where most policymakers create their positions and listen to feedback. With so many issues demanding their attention in Congress, now is the time to talk to them, tell them about your business, your employees and your work to help the community.” ■

SIIA members who are interested in meeting with a Member of Congress in Washington or in their home districts are invited to contact Ryan Work at rwork@siia.org or (202) 595-0642.