Chapter Meeting - March 31, 2026

Chapter Meeting - March 31, 2026

Seville, OH

Join us for an IN PERSON/Bring Your Own Lunch (on us!) Chapter Meeting
Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

Tom Mobley will be presenting "The History of Insurance in the U.S. — and Where Are We Headed? "

Cost: $25 for Members; $35 for Non Members.
This is a "BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH" event and each attendee will receive a $15 gift card that is valid at a variety of area locations. You choice - bring your favorite lunch to the meeting!

Schedule:

Lunch / Networking from 11:30am - 11:55am

Announcements from 11:55am - 12:00pm

Presentation from 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location:
The Educational Service Center of Medina County
275 Center Street
Seville, OH 44273

Session Description: This session is a follow-up to my earlier presentation, “The History of HR—Employment Laws…Where did they come from?” and continues the story of how U.S. employers became the default “delivery system” for major social benefits—especially health insurance—and what that means for the next decade of work.

We’ll trace the key milestones that shaped American health care and employer-sponsored coverage, from early community care and employer sickness funds to industrialization, World War II wage controls, and the tax incentives that made employer coverage the norm. We’ll also examine how plan designs evolved (HMOs, PPOs, HDHPs) and how cost shifting has moved more financial risk to employees through deductibles and out-of-pocket exposure.

Then we’ll confront the affordability crisis ahead. Without major changes, employers and employees face escalating tradeoffs—and in a severe scenario, family premiums could exceed $70,000 within seven years, with premiums potentially surpassing average annual wages within the next 14 years.

Learning Objectives:

Explain the major historical and policy milestones that led to employer-sponsored health insurance becoming the dominant U.S. coverage model, and describe at least two unintended consequences for employers and employees.

Interpret how common plan designs (HMO, PPO, HDHP) and cost-sharing mechanisms (deductibles, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximums) shift financial risk, and assess the impacts on talent attraction/retention, wages, and total rewards strategy.

Apply scenario thinking to project future affordability pressures and identify three employer levers (e.g., funding approach, plan design, navigation/advocacy, chronic condition management, vendor strategy) to manage costs while protecting employee experience and organizational competitiveness.

Speaker Bio: Thomas “Tom” Mobley, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, is a Professor in Miami University’s Farmer School of Business and an HR practitioner, consultant, and educator with 40 years of combined experience. Tom teaches across the HR curriculum and is playing an active role in establishing an HR Center of Excellence designed to strengthen student development and expand real-world, client-facing HR learning. His work consistently connects HR theory to the realities leaders face in today’s workplaces—helping HR professionals build practical capability they can apply immediately.

Tom’s teaching and speaking expertise spans employment law, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiations, training and development, and safety and security. He is known for an engaging, application-driven style that blends case studies, simulations, and experiential projects to develop job-ready HR talent and strengthen organizational decision-making.

Through Mobley HR Consulting, Tom partners with organizations to deliver HR certification preparation, HR and leadership training, and keynote and workshop programming for HR and leadership audiences. He has taught HR certification preparation for more than 20 years, and since developing his SHRM and HRCI prep courses, more than 200 test-takers have achieved an 88% pass rate—reflecting his ability to translate complex HR knowledge into clear, test-ready understanding and workplace-ready practice.

Tom has taught at the college level for more than 30 years and has also taught graduate courses for Dalian University of Technology in China. He was recognized as a Top 25 Professor at Miami University by the Associated Student Government, underscoring his commitment to student success and excellence in teaching. In addition to his instructional and consulting work, he served as Technical Editor for Sandra Reed’s aPHR/iaPHR study guide.

Tom brings a blend of deep HR expertise, practical tools, and real-world perspective—helping HR professionals strengthen their impact in organizations while preparing the next generation of HR leaders.