Challenges of the Affordable Care Act Elucidated by Chuck Kiskaden at University Club’s Business Growth Workshops

In the liveliest session so far of the monthly Business Growth Workshops at the University Club in Pasadena, Chuck Kiskaden elucidated the challenges presented by the Affordable Care Act at the end of April. The founder of the Health Benefits Advisors Insurance Agency, Chuck Kiskaden found himself answering questions and battling opinions from slide one. The engaging back-and-forth between the knowledgeable presenter and his audience showed how truly uncomfortable the law makes business owners.

With an extensive background as an executive in the healthcare industry, Chuck Kiskaden was prepared to field the dozens of questions about PPACA that were asked during the presentation. Although enrollment through Covered California stands at 1.4 million, this number also represents the problems that the health insurance exchanges throughout the country have been experiencing. Healthcare enrollment is far behind what was expected while the new regulations and requirements are causing serious headaches for companies across the board.

In addition, the offerings of the new healthcare marketplace are more expensive and less flexible that what seemed to be available in the past. With so many looming question marks, it’s hard to know what exactly will happen, even by the end of year. Chuck Kiskaden did his best to provide quality informational support, even going over the tax implications of PPACA, but pulling a rabbit out of a hat is not enough when your audience expects an elephant.

Although he recommended a focus on plan design and utilization management, risk management and data benchmarking, there were no magic slides in his presentation that could provide all the answers. With a bevy of delays and tons of choices to be made, no presenter or presentation could possibly have satisfied the needs of the worried business owners. How can you provide answers that nobody has or will have anytime soon? That is a real challenge.

Pasadena Now respects how the University Club is adding to the entrepreneurial spirit of Pasadena by providing a true educational and networking resource through the Business Growth Workshops. As the new President of the Board of Governors, James Harwood of Total HR Management is building an impressive track record of quality service to the club. Through the support of ongoing events that provide value to the community, the University Club is connecting to the root essence the club’s founding charter in 1922.

The timely and intrepid presentation about PPACA by Chuck Kiskaden is one more perfect example of what business networking should be all about. Yet, despite his proven expertise and obvious experience, even Chuck Kiskaden could not quench the frustrations that the new rules and regulations are generating for business owners. In the end, it was fascinating to watch a presenter on a conflicted subject become the surprising target for much of the conflict because the actual reality of healthcare reform remains such an elusive target.

About the Author

Growing up in New York City as a stutterer, John Lavitt embraced writing as a way to express himself when the words would not come. After graduating from Brown University, he lived on the Greek island of Patmos, studying with his mentor the late American poet Robert Lax. As a writer, John Lavitt’s published work includes several articles in Chicken Soup For The Soul volumes and poems in multiple poetry journals and compilations. Today, John Lavitt works at Open Interactive as the Director of Content Development. As a journalist, he is a Regular Contributor to The Fix where he writes investigative reports about the latest issues in the world of addiction and recovery.