State Legislative Overview

• What can the dental benefits industry expect considering the passage of the dental loss ratio (DLR) initiative in Massachusetts? 
• Will the passage of the MA initiative impact potential ballot initiatives and legislation in other states? 
• What has the industry been doing to address DLR and the problems it creates?

Join this moderated discussion of (a) what our industry expects to see across the country as legislation is introduced, (b) lessons learned in the MA debate, and (c) potential impacts if DLR is implemented. 

Richard Jones
Vice President, State Affairs
Guardian Life Insurance

As vice president for state affairs, Richard manages a multi-state legislative and regulatory agenda primarily supporting Guardian’s Group Benefits business unit. Before joining Guardian, he held executive positions at GE Capital, Mastercard, and several global public relations consultancies. Richard is a board member of the National Association of Dental Plans, the Association of California Life & Health Insurance Companies, the Utah Life & Health Guaranty Association, and the California Association of Dental Plans, for which he also co-chairs the association’s Legislative and Regulatory Committee. He serves as chair of the American Council of Life Insurers Dental Working Group and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Wooster School in Danbury, CT. Richard holds a master's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in communications, both from Ohio University.

Crystal McElroy
Vice President, Group Benefits Contracts and Compliance
MetLife

Crystal McElroy is the vice president of the Group Benefits Contracts and Compliance team at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and is based in Irvine, CA. She oversees all contracts, compliance, and regulatory issues for MetLife’s Group Benefits products. Crystal is currently a member of the NADP Board of Directors, the Chair of the NADP Commission on Advocacy Policy, and a member of the Government Relations Workgroup.  She also volunteers on topics focused on NADP workgroups, such as the Medicare and Dental Loss Ratio Workgroup.  She also serves on the CADP Board as the Secretary and co-chairs the CADP Legislative and Regulatory Committee. Before joining MetLife in October 2013, she served as a senior attorney with the California Department of Managed Health Care in the Office of Plan Licensing for seven years. She was responsible for reviewing dental and health plan licensing documents related to plan benefits, disclosure documents, networks, and mergers and acquisitions. Crystal graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in Biochemistry and a minor in Political Science in 2003. She obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in 2006.

Jaci Strube
Advocacy Lead for the Specialty Benefits Division
Principal Financial Group

Jaci Strube is the advocacy lead for the specialty Benefits division at Principal Financial Group and lives in Des Moines, Iowa, where the company’s global headquarters are located. She oversees advocacy efforts for all group specialty benefits products – dental, vision, short and long-term disability, paid family and medical leave, life, accident, critical illness, and individual disability. Jaci has 14 years of industry experience at Principal. She has held roles in claims, business operations and IT project management, giving her a well-rounded understanding of our business. Jaci is a current member of CADP’s Board of Directors, the Legislative and Regulatory Committee, as well as NADP’s Government Relations Workgroup and Commission on Advocacy Policy, and sits on ACLI’s Dental Committee.  Jaci holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Media and Journalism from the University of South Dakota. She serves in several volunteer roles with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), including the National Leadership Council, and she is the Foundation’s emeritus National Advocacy Co-Chair. Jaci led the formation of the Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus, a bipartisan organization of the U.S. Congress, by working with Senator Chuck Grassley to co-chair the group with Senator Ed Markey. In 2017, Jaci spoke at a Congressional briefing on healthcare policy. In Des Moines, Jaci is a current CFF Iowa chapter board member and the Blank Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Board. 

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