009: Jared White, Vice President of Stephens Inc.’s Public Finance Practice
Release Date: 12/20/2017
Dr. Joseph Sanford and Dr. Kevin Sexton, Leaders of the Medical Claims Analytics Teams at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Dr. Joseph Sanford and Dr. Kevin Sexton on employer wellness programs. They explore the data sets that are available between self-funded and fully-insured plans, the changes in healthcare visits since the start of the pandemic, the kinds of nudges that work to help employees to choose healthy behaviors and participate in wellness visits and screenings.
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Brian Chance, Senior Vice President, Cost Based Efficiency Claims & Risk Manager at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Brian Chance on the complexities of the workers' compensation system, a state-regulated system that varies by state. They discuss how employers can obtain and manage state-compliant coverage, whether by buying a policy from an insurance company or third-party administrator, self-insuring, or buying a large deductible and acting as a self-insurer.
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020: David Keisner, Vice President, Associate Pharmacy Benefits Analyst at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Dr. David Keisner on the meaning of the recent Supreme Court ruling for PBMs, how increased prescription costs may be passed along to employers and insured patents, how other states may act as a result of this ruling, and the potential ramifications of this ruling on other states’ regulation of healthcare providers, regardless of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
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019: Dr. Geri Bemberg, Vice President & Pharmacy Benefits Analyst at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Dr. Geri Bemberg. Geri specializes in prescription drug formulary and pharmacy benefit management solutions. Geri explains what a pharmacy benefit manager does. She covers the types of contracts PBMs make with plans, pharmacy groups and drug makers, and the differences between traditional and pass-through plans. Geri explains the benefits of having Stephens Insurance get involved between the plan and the PBM, and also offer formulary management and pharmacy benefit auditing.
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018: Prentice McIntosh, Vice President of Risk Management at Stephens Insurance — Part 3
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Prentice McIntosh, continuing and concluding the conversation on hurricane preparedness in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Prentice and Frank discuss steps businesses should take after a hurricane. They focus on getting back to the property and meeting the claims adjuster as quickly as possible, putting in place temporary fixes to mitigate future losses, and revisiting the disaster recovery plan to make sure all aspects of the business are protected.
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017: Prentice McIntosh, Vice President of Risk Management at Stephens Insurance — Part 2
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Prentice McIntosh, continuing the conversation on hurricane preparedness, in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Prentice and Frank discuss steps businesses may take to cover the business disruptions that come with a hurricane. These can include a storm safety plan, disaster recovery plans, business interruption coverage and contingent business interruption coverage
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016: Hurricane Preparedness — With Prentice McIntosh, Vice President of Risk Management at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Prentice McIntosh is interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Prentice and Frank discuss the steps businesses should take to plan for hurricanes and other disasters, how to recover from disasters, how to drill the disaster plan, and how to obtain appropriate property insurance.
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015: Workplace Health — With Todd Whitthorne, President of ACAP Health Consulting and Tom Kane, Executive Vice President and Director of Life & Health at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Todd Whitthorne, President of ACAP Health Consulting, and Tom Kane, Executive Vice President and Director of Life & Health for Stephens Insurance, are interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Todd, Tom, and
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014: Kara Trott, Founder and CEO of Quantum Health and Walker Bowden, Director of Self-Funded Marketing for Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Kara Trott, Founder and CEO of Quantum Health and Walker Bowden, Director of Self-Funded Marketing for Stephens Insurance, are interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Kara, Walker and Frank discuss innovations in engagement that allow members to navigate much better the healthcare maze.
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013: Olin Wage, Senior Vice President and Long-Term Care Advisor for Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Olin Wage, Senior Vice President and Long-Term Care Advisor for Stephens Insurance, is interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Frank and Olin discuss why long-term care insurance should be considered as part of a prudent retirement plan, the options available, and options for providing for long-term care needs and expenses.
info_outlineFrank Thomas interviews Jared White, Vice President of Stephens Inc.’s Public Finance Practice in North Carolina, in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Frank and Jared discuss North Carolina’s public finance. Communities are investing in Minor League baseball stadiums, public transportation in light rail lines and bus lines, and in innovative high schools, attracting commerce to downtown and growing their populations.
Key Takeaways:
[:43] In the North Carolina market, and in public finance in general, Jared is seeing a strong attraction to building Minor League baseball stadiums, especially in second-tier markets, to help revitalize downtown communities. North Carolina is the second-most populated state in terms of Minor League ballparks.
[1:22] Communities looking to attract a Minor League team first need to allocate land for a stadium. Land use is a top consideration. Charlotte had a team, but their stadium was in South Carolina. Building a stadium in downtown Charlotte brought their attendance from one of the nation’s lowest, to breaking minor league attendance records.
[2:28] Stephens Public Finance usually comes to the table after a baseball consultant, such as Hardball Capital, who works with the municipality to design the stadium, works with architects to lay it out on the plot, and takes the presentation to the ball club. At that point, Stephens comes in, having a general idea how much it will cost.
[3:19] From there, Stephens will work with the issuer on tailoring a financing plan that meets all of those needs at the lowest cost of capital. Stephens also looks at taxable bonds for this type of project, although upcoming Federal legislation may change that.
[4:11] Sports stadiums are being used as a magnet to attract development to downtown areas in other communities. Baseball is America’s pastime, especially at the affordable price of Minor League tickets for a family outing. There are four stadiums being built in North Carolina. NASCAR stadiums are being repurposed for teams when not in use.
[5:25] Stephens has a lot of stadium experience dating back to the Superdome financing in New Orleans. Stephens does a lot of college and university football and baseball stadium and sports complex financing. Stephens knows the small markets.
[6:08] Over the last 17 years, North Carolina has seen some of the strongest population growth. Most of the growth is in the downtown areas of communities. They are investing in public transportation with Lynx light rail lines and bus systems. Cities are turning high schools into innovative bridge-to-work programs, attracting industry to downtown.
[7:15] Jared says this downtown focus is definitely a trend. The six largest cities in North Carolina are seeing growth in their downtown area and they all have a Minor League presence. This activity attracts restaurants, hotels, other commerce, and really revitalizes and grows the downtown area.
[8:26] For more information on this topic, please contact Stephens Public Finance at 1-800-643-9691. To listen to more Stephens Viewpoints, check out our website.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Securities offered through Stephens, Inc., Member NYSE, SIPC.
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