Profile: John Hickman

Employee Benefits

Biography: Employee Benefits

John Hickman leads the firm's health benefits practice, dealing with all aspects of tax, ERISA and HIPAA compliance for health and welfare benefit plans. He has been a pioneer in the consumer directed healthcare arena and has worked closely with health plans, financial institutions, and employers as well as the IRS, Treasury and Department of Labor in developing guidance for tax-favoured health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs).

Mr Hickman has lectured widely and published articles on HIPAA, ERISA litigation, cafeteria and healthplan issues. He is co-author of the Cafeteria Plans Manual, HIPAA Portability and Privacy, and Consumer-Driven Health Care, publications of the Employee Benefits Institute of America. Benefits and trade associations have called upon him to testify before the IRS and DOL on issues affecting health and welfare benefit plans including HIPAA, cafeteria plan regulations, DOL claims procedures, and the HIPAA healthcare privacy regulations.

Mr Hickman is also on the editorial advisory board of the Benefits and Compensation Law Alert and the Employee Benefits Adviser. He is also on the board of the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC) and is on the publications committee of the Self Insurance Institute of America.

He received his law degree from Emory University School of Law, graduating with distinction, where he received the Order of the Coif Award. Mr Hickman is also an adjunct professor of law at Emory University School of Law.

Mr Hickman serves as counsel to large employers with regard to health benefits and HIPAA privacy issues and to financial institutions and card associations with regard to health benefits issues.