John Hickman is head of the firm’s Health Benefits Practice where he leads five attorneys devoted exclusively to HIPAA privacy, flexible benefits, and other health and welfare benefit issues. Mr. Hickman has been a pioneer in the consumer-directed health care arena and has worked closely with health plans, financial institutions and employers as well as the IRS, Treasury and DOL in developing guidance for tax-favored health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs).

Mr. Hickman has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers magazine and Who’s Who Legal in the employee benefits area. Mr. Hickman has lectured widely and published articles on HIPAA, ERISA litigation, cafeteria and health plan issues. He is co-author of the Cafeteria Plans Manual, HIPAA Portability and Privacy, and Consumer-Driven Health Care (published by the Employee Benefits Institute of America). Mr. Hickman has been called upon by benefits and trade associations 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 health care privacy regulations.

Mr. Hickman is an adjunct professor of law at Emory University School of Law. He is on the editorial advisory board of the Benefits and Compensation Law Alert and the Employee Benefits Adviser, is 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 J.D. from Emory University School of Law, graduating with distinction, where he received the Order of the Coif Award.