[February 28, 2017]

2017 ECFC Health Care Conference To Focus On Preserving and Advancing Tax Advantaged Accounts for America's Workers

ECFC, the leading nonprofit organization promoting choice in benefit solutions, today announced the lineup for its 36th Annual Conference. ECFC's annual Washington event will feature key members of Congress and professional staff, as well as Grace-Marie Turner from the Galen Institute. Over 100 ECFC members will then meet with their Congressional representatives to urge Congress to preserve and expand consumer driven benefit accounts, such as HSAs and FSAs that give consumers more control over their health care dollars and protect them against rising out-of-pocket costs.

"Congress is on a fast track to re-evaluate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and put in place new reforms to help patients gain access to affordable coverage. It is critical that our members be part of the dialogue on how to make health care affordable and accessible," said ECFC's Executive Director Martin Trussell. "There are many new faces in Washington, D.C., and now is the time to actively participate in molding the future framework of health care."

ECFC's Annual Conference takes plce March 8-10 and includes sessions from Congressional and Regulatory Agency Leaders as well as technical panels. Employers as well as professionals from all areas of health care will attend, including benefit solutions, healthcare payments, policymaking, education, advocacy, health care reform, compliance and litigation. Speakers will discuss actionable best practices, provide a deep understanding of benefit solutions, share innovative approaches to challenges and further educate on new tax-advantaged benefit programs.

In her keynote address, Grace-Marie Turner will describe Washington activity involving the Affordable Care Act and the latest legislative plans from the administration and Congress. Turner is an expert in free market ideas for health reform and is president of the Galen Institute, a public policy research organization she founded in 1995. She is an advisor to senior government officials and co-author of the book, "Why Obamacare is Wrong for America."

Another key part of the conference is to allow participants to engage with their Congressional delegations and underscore the importance of health-based accounts. Heath Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Arrangements make health care for affordable and accessible for middle-income families.

Additional session speakers will include:

Kevin Knopf, Esq., U.S. Internal Revenue Service

Bridget Tombul, Income Tax and Accounting Division at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel

Amy Wei, Income Tax and Accounting Division at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel

Ben Morris, President of UMB Healthcare Services

William Short, CEO of AmeriFlex and Chair of the ECFC board

William Sweetnam, ECFC Legislative and Technical Director

Dean Rosen and Sohini Gupta, Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas

John Hickman and Ashley Gillihan, Alston + Bird, LLP Health Benefits Practice

Jody Dietel, co-chair of ECFC's Government Relations & Interpretations Committee

The conference also facilitates an opportunity to earn 10 CE Units toward Certification Continuing Education while networking with other members. For more information on the 36th Annual Conference, go to http://www.annualmeeting2017.info.

About ECFC

ECFC is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining and expanding employee benefit programs on a tax-advantaged basis. ECFC represents and promotes employee benefit programs through effective lobbying and provides education and awareness to members, compensation practitioners, national opinion leaders and the general public to help advance health care consumerism. ECFC, which was founded in 1981 as the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation, is the single organization that focuses its efforts on preserving, protecting and defending the tax advantaged programs currently available to working families through employer plan sponsors.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170228005703/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]