Dear ABA Members,
Our August newsletter features articles and slides based on the two excellent presentations we had at our June meeting. From Lauri LoQuercio and Jonathan Schwartz of New York Life, we have an infographic piece about long-term care planning. Their June presentation defined long-term care as services that help you perform everyday tasks. Seventy percent of Americans will require such care at some point. They discussed the high cost of long-term care and the heavy impact on family caregivers. Health insurance and Medicare do not cover long-term care, and Medicaid has strict asset and income eligibility requirements. Long-term care insurance is a strategy one may wish to pursue, and from a cost standpoint, the earlier such coverage is obtained, the better.
From Sandy Navarro and Connor White of Medefy, we have their June meeting presentation slides and two additional infographics that help illustrate their central thesis. Their point was that to achieve wise member engagement in your benefit offerings, you need to engage your members differently. Behavior change happens when “trigger” — a prompt at the right time — “motivation” — a reason strong enough to act — and “ability” — action that is simple and accessible — come together. Their concept is that unmanaged engagement in your fund’s health benefit offerings leads to a cluster of high-cost actions or events. In contrast, when participants receive guidance at the time they need it, they make wiser decisions, improving their well-being and reducing your Plan’s costs.
We look forward to seeing you on September 15!
Next Meeting
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
RWDSU
370 7th Ave — 5th Floor Conference Room
(aka 7 Penn Plaza), New York, NY
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
In Solidarity,
The Board of the Association of Benefit Administrators
Highlights from the June Meeting
Long-Term Care Planning
Jonathan Schwartz, New York Life, discussing long-term planning and the benefits of long-term care insurance.
Member Engagement in Benefit Offerings
Sandy Navarro and Connor White, Medefy, shared with the group the importance of member engagement in benefit offerings and different ways to achieve engagement.
September Meeting Presentations
Presentation #1
Harnessing AI Fundamentals to Improve Fund Operation
Learn how AI can save time and money by optimizing every area of fund operations, from claims and eligibility to reporting, compliance, and member support.
Presented by:
Laurent Laor, CEO, Viveka Health
Presentation #2
Beyond Navigation: Why Taft-Hartley Funds Need an Oncologist-Led Cancer Strategy
When a union member faces a potential cancer diagnosis, administrative phone advice and care coordination are not enough to prevent months of diagnostic friction and escalating stop-loss claims. This educational session challenges Taft-Hartley Fund Administrators to reframe cancer strategy from a fragmented benefit perk into a bottom-line financial lever.
Presented by:
Courtney Campbell, Regional Vice President of Labor, Color
June Meeting Photos
