From the April 2010 issue of Consumer Driven.
A stoic nun silently opens the door to her convent to greet two unknown callers. The act itself is seen as a complete mystery. She seems not to be touching the door at all; instead, she wills it open with divine purpose. During the visit with "the Penguin," a dire need is revealed. At the insistence of Cab Calloway, the men attend a church service. The sermon, given by the Godfather of Soul himself, is transformative. Jake and Elwood Blues were no longer just musicians. They were on a mission from God.
Employee benefits attorney John Hickman also has a mission. He wants to save people from the perils of benefits noncompliance.
For more than 20 years Hickman has worked tirelessly to help people stay on the right side of the law, and to understand and better implement the myriad complexities of the health insurance world. Instead of raising money, his goal is to raise his audience's awareness of benefits compliance issues that make even the most pointy-headed policy wonks shake with fear. Through the morass of benefit acronyms come digestible doses of COBRA, HIPAA, mental health parity, nondiscrimination testing, and even health care reform that are not to be feared, but rather serve as valuable tools that distinguish the enlightened few who truly add value to their clients' business from the noise, clutter and confusion of benefits compliance.
Hickman does this in much the same way Jake and Elwood did through entertainment. Admit it, you've been to a seminar where the material presented was crucial to your professional life, but all you could think of was "If this person doesn't shut up in the next 30 seconds, I'm going to leap across this water pitcher and commit a capital offense." But Hickman and his colleagues have figured out that if they make the material entertaining, people will actually enjoy it enough to learn something.
Hickman's been known to eschew the "pointy headed lawyer" for that of one of the Blues Brothers. Literally. At a recent ECFC benefits conference in Chicago (how appropriate) he dressed as Jake Blues and performed an original number, replete with white socks, screaming harmonica and fancy footwork. Sure, "She Caught the Katy" was cool, but this groove helped explain the inner workings of HRAs and avoiding the "Benefits Compliance Blues."
Indeed, while the reports that a bright light shown down from the ceiling directly on him were unconfirmed, the house was clearly rockin', and all of the conference attendees left with a better understanding of an otherwise complex topic, a smile on their face, and some really cool sunglasses.
It worked so well that his rhythm and blues review sparked a long series of public appearances. So that next year, Hickman dressed as one of the original "crash test dummies" of consumer driven health care to safely walk (or is that drive) his adoring fans through the new HSA requirements.
In Reno 2005, he became the gambler, and Hickman (aka "Kenny Rogers") sang his audience through the ins and outs of cafeteria plan compliance with a rendition of "The Auditor."
But Hickman's stage career took an abrupt turn in 2006, as he set aside song and dance to focus on the more dramatic arts. He believed that in order to properly address the new age of health FSA debit-card processing, there was no better artistic vehicle than the beloved character of Dr. Evil. Conference attendees report only imperceptible differences between him and that Canadian guy with all the funny voices.
When asked about his selection of material for the Dallas conference, Hickman quickly quipped that the choice was obvious once he realized how bad he and his colleague looked in Dallas Cowboy cheerleader outfits. Needless to say, the audience cheered with delight when Hickman and his "Mini-me" sidekick, Ashley Gillihan, brought "laser" focus to an otherwise complicated (can we say mundane) set of electronic processing rules. He really should have had the opportunity to thank the Academy.
As health care reform raised its ugly head, Hickman and his merry band of health care cohorts figured out a way to incorporate an impersonation of Santa Claus into a criminal justice proceeding. Santa's workshop has never been the same since the elves, furious about benefit cuts, sued their employer and put "Health Care on Trial." And the aftermath? Well, let's just say that the next year's event saw John "pounding sand" outside New York after the holocaust of health care reform as astronaut George Taylor in "Planet of the TPAs." Monkey business and benefits? Makes perfect sense.
Of course, none of this would be possible without a true love for what he does (and an innate sense of humor that is constantly in overdrive). According to Hickman, benefits is truly an area where, "if you don't laugh you cry" and let's face it, we'd all rather laugh.
Yet, when asked about the reasons for his success, Hickman gives all of the credit to those around him, especially his wife and family. Ranging in age from 10 to 22, Hickman's children benefit from the same level of attention (and antics) paid to his professional pursuits. Incidentally, the "crash dummy" concept for his consumer driven health care presentation came to him when he donned a crash dummy mask to help his daughter "learn how to drive safely and always wear a seat belt." Hickman's also coached all four of his children through soccer leagues of every age, bringing two of them around the state of Georgia as part of a traveling league.
Professionally, Hickman continues his service as an adjunct law professor at Emory University. He is also a board member of ECFC and chairs its Legislative and Technical Advisory Committee. He is a frequent speaker for a variety of benefits associations, including NAHU, SIIA and SPBA.
He also has published leading compliance manuals on cafeteria plans, HIPAA and HSAs and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today and NPR. Plus, he's published more than 500 articles in industry trade journals and is a partner in Alston & Bird, a leading national law firm with a client list that includes major employer/plan sponsors and leading health plans, TPAs, agents and brokers.
It's true, Hickman says, he thoroughly enjoys grappling with difficult compliance issues and then teaching others how to offer benefits the right way. Even Jake and Elwood would admit their mission seemed easy by comparison.
