The Self-Insurance Institute of America has cancelled its Self-Insured Health Plan Executive Forum due to COVID-19.
The conference was due to take place in Charleston, South Carolina on 16 to 18 March.
SIIA said: “While we have remained confident in our ability to produce a safe event for attendees, fast-moving developments over the past 48 hours have unfortunately prompted this cancellation decision by the association’s board of directors.”
“We understand that this late notice decision is likely to be disruptive for many who were still planning to attend. Please accept our apology for this, but developments have been highly fluid.”
It added: “We understand this cancellation notice will prompt questions regarding SIIA’s refund/credit policy/procedure. In this regard, please watch for follow-up communications addressing this matter soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through a highly complicated situation.”
The conference was scheduled for 8 to 10 March at Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, however, concerns around health issues continued to grow.
The association said the decision was made "out of deep concern for the health and well-being of members, attendees, and stakeholders as they are always our top priority".
At the time of the announcement, Dan Towle, president of CICA, said: “We want to thank all our members, colleagues, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors for their support, open communication and encouragement. We appreciate that the CICA Conference is valued by so many. We hope to reschedule the conference for later this year, if feasible.”