EVENT

Employee Benefits course: An Oxford style debate

Tue, Dec 12 2023, 11:50am

Location
By Zoom
 

To watch by Zoom: https://umn.zoom.us/j/93694411070

Andy Whitman teaches an Employee Benefits class.  Learn more about employee benefits by viewing the  upcoming debate on four current topics. The debate follows the Oxford Style Debate Format. The class members will vote on all four propositions before the debates, and vote again after each debate. The team that moves the vote the most in their position wins; winning or losing does not affect grades.

During the debate a Board of Distinguished Professionals questions each Team, and finally comments on Team performance after the end of the debates.

Eight Student Teams Debate The Following Four Current Propositions: 

Team #1 Argues FOR & Team #2 argues AGAINST: That Uniform and price limiting laws be imposed on the costs of pharmaceuticals. (e.g. The FAIR Drug Pricing Act) including limits on use of patents, and same price in the U.S.A. as in foreign countries, and authorizing Medicare to set pharmaceutical prices, and make medicine to prevent drug addiction deaths available as a generic without a prescription. 

Background: Inflation Reduction Act Continues to Lower Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Costs for Drugs with Price Increases Above Inflation

Team #3 Argues FOR & Team #4 argues AGAINST: That underfunding of public pensions be resolved by a combination of decreasing benefits, increasing employee contributions, reducing or eliminating COLAs, and put in a Defined Contribution plan, to avoid insolvency. Effect under and unwinding of COVID -19.

Background: Accounting for Pensions

Team #5 Argues FOR & Team #6 argues AGAINST: That a type of national health care framework be enacted, such as a uniform care for all, including existing plans employer sponsored and individual plans qualified under the ACA; Effect under COVID -19

Background: Is single-payer the best solution for America’s health care conundrum?

Team #7 Argues FOR & Team #8 argues AGAINST: That private health plan take-over of Traditional Medicare Plus, by Private Medicare Advantage, be stopped.

The recording of this debate will only be available to students.

Debate Review Board: Shawn Deluhery, CPA, MBA, Manager Consultant – Health Care, Eide Bailly LLP. Greg Thurston Director of Student Health Plans, Boynton

~Andy Whitman



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