There are some amazing events coming up that focus on Medicare. Please check them out!
Virtual Event Coming Up
The California State Medicare Expo will be virtual August 26-27. Register here. The theme is “Unmasking Medicare.”
In Person at Pechanga
The Senior Summit groups (IEAHU, OCAHU and SDAHU) will be hosting their 9th Annual event August 31st-September 2 LIVE at Pechanga Resort Casino. Register now for 2021 Senior Summit: Chart Your Course & Navigate into the Future.
DCAHU Summit is Back
Desert Cities Association of Healthcare Underwriters have announced they are back for their in-person medicare conference on September 16! The event will take place 9am-3:30pm a the Villa Portofino Clubhouse in Palm Desert. Lots of CE, networking, prizes and more! Register here.
The Los Angeles Association of Health Underwriters will hold its Medicare AEP Kick-off Summit in person Sept. 30 at Skirball Cultural Center. Guest speakers so far include: Paul Bauer – Region 9 CMS, Brad Miles, Barry Sikov and Paul Davis. Sponsorship info here. Register here.
FOOTBALL
Aflac announced its new partnership with football legend and coach Deion “Prime” Sanders to celebrate the return of college football this fall! Coach Prime, with help from some friends, will remind people that Aflac helps close the gaps for customers with unexpected medical bills that health insurance doesn’t cover, while also supporting a shared commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Nice job, Aflac!
MEDICARE
AHIP Says Benchmarks Need to Change
Congress is considering adding dental, vision and hearing benefits to Medicare. America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) warns, however, that the MA benchmark, which determines the payments for plans, needs to be adjusted if this happens. AHIP contracted Wakely consulting to analyze the proposed changes. You can read more about Wakely’s full analysis and recommendations here.
MENTAL HEALTH
Suit Gives Boost to Mental Health Parity
The nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealth, was recently ordered to pay $14.3 million in restitution to insurance consumers nationwide who were denied or given reduced coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatments. Both New York and federal behavioral-health parity laws underpinning this federal suit require coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatments to be no more restrictive than coverage for physical health issues. The restitution payments agreed to by UnitedHealth will include $9 million to be paid to more than 20,000 New York residents who received denials or reductions in reimbursement from the company for outpatient treatment of behavioral health conditions. In addition, the health insurer will cease internal policies that led to a disparity for coverage between those receiving more traditional medical treatments and those receiving behavioral treatments.
INSURTECH
Crawford Adds AccessibilityNow Validator
Crawford Technologies, provider of document solutions that streamline, improve and manage customer communications, adds AccessibilityNow® Validator, a new tool for testing document accessibility compliance, to its comprehensive AccessibilityNow platform for the creation and management of accessible documents. With document accessibility regulations increasing, AccessibilityNow Validator brings to market a highly detailed automated solution for fully checking PDF documents to determine a document’s level of compliance to WCAG 2.0/2.1 and PDF/UA requirements. AccessibilityNow Validator can be used as a stand-alone tool or in combination with any of Crawford Technologies’ document remediation solutions, as well as with other remediation tools.
Insurtech Leader FastTrack Makes the Prestigious Inc. 5000 List
FastTrack, a provider of Automated Risk Management Solutions and Services tailormade for Life & Disability Insurance Claims Operations, has announced that they have made the prestigious Inc. Magazine 5000 List as one of the fastest growing private companies in America. Driven by a nucleus of life and disability insurance experts, developers, analysts, and claims operational staff, FastTrack has been able to consistently expand its customer base and drive significant revenue growth through its SaaS based technology platform.
GAMBLING FOR GOOD
IICF Announces Virtual Casino Night!
Mark Thursday, Sept. 9, from 4:30 – 6:30p.m. PT on your calendars. That’s when the 2021 IICF Western Division Virtual Casino Night will convene the insurance community for a live virtual gaming event including blackjack and roulette, along with industry networking, with the goal of raising more than $100,000 for nonprofit organizations supporting children at risk, education and human services. The top chip winner of the evening will be offered the opportunity to direct a $1,000 grant to the nonprofit of their choice. The event will also feature a Peloton Bike+ Raffle. Valued at $2,500, donations to win a Peloton Bike+ are: 10 for $100; 3 for $50; 1 for $20. Winner will be announced live at the event (individual need not be present). For tickets or sponsorship information, please contact Melissa-Anne Duncan, Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Western Division Executive Director, at: maduncan@iicf.com or (714) 870-1084 or visit https://give.iicf.org/ge/casino21.
DENTAL
This is a little concerning… A recent survey found that dentists are seeing increased rates of stress-related oral issues such as teeth grinding (up 76%), cracked teeth (up 69%) and chipped teeth (up 68%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, dentists say they are seeing increases in cavities and gum disease, likely as a result of changes to people’s hygiene and eating habits during the crisis. Now for the (sort of) bright new: Covered California announced today the statewide weighted average rate change for dental coverage in 2022 will be a decrease of 1.0 percent. The decrease continues the trend of holding costs steady for consumers. Of course, the standard health benefits for children on Covered California include dental coverage. Adults can purchase optional family dental coverage as an “add-on” to their plan. The family dental coverage is offered on a “guaranteed issue” basis, regardless of any pre-existing oral health conditions.
COVID
Harvard Public Health Presents: ‘The Delta Variant & Children’s Health’
The folks from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will discuss the delta variant and children’s health on Tuesday, August 31, 9am PT. Presented jointly with The World from PRX & GBH. There is no registration required to watch the event online. Live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and The Forum site.Send questions for the panelists in advance or during the Q&A: theforum@hsph.harvard.edu or post them to Facebook @ForumHSPH.
NAIC
NAIC Forms Working Group to Thwart Deceptive Marketing
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) announced it formed a new working group to address the improper marketing of health plans. The working group will address the deceptive marketing of health plans and other products that lead consumers to believe they are purchasing comprehensive health coverage when they are really purchasing coverage that does not cover all pre-existing conditions or hospital care. The Working Group is part of the National Antifraud (D) Task Force, which provides guidance and resources around tracking and analyzing fraud related trends and works with insurance departments, as well as state, federal and international law enforcement agencies.
EVENTS
- 9th Annual Senior Summit: Chart Your Course and Navigate Into the Future, in person at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, August 31-September 2. Online registration is open through August 19. Register here.
- California State Medicare Expo: Unmasking Medicare, virtual, August 26-27. Register here.
- American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance, National Medicare Supplement Insurance Industry Summit, Sept 8-10, in person at Schaumburg Convention Center, Chicago area. Info here.
- DCAHU Senior Summit, in person September 16, Register here.
- LAAHU Medicare AEP Kickoff, in person September 30. Sponsorship info here. Register here.
- SIIA 41st Annual National Educational Conference & Expo, In-Person & Virtual, October 3 – 5, JW Marriott, Austin, TX. Register & secure room NOW! Hotel is nearly sold out. Info here.
