InsuranceQuotes.com just released the 2021 Porch Pirates Report: A Study of Stolen Holiday Packages. We know, kind of bah humbug that there’s a yearly porch pirates study but, nonetheless, this year’s survey shows:
Reported package theft has spiked from 18 to 30% of Americans since last year
40% of people say their holiday shopping will be done via online delivery
41% of people say they are anxious about Porch Pirates
72% of Americans believe convicted Porch Pirates should go to jail
HOLIDAY
Guess What’s Happening Tomorrow Evening?
That’s right…it’s LAAHU’s holiday party! Dec. 9, 5pm, at Ceremony Bar in Studio City. More info here. There’s going to be live music and a lot of fun! We will see you there!
And on Dec 14
And don’t miss Golden Gate Association of Health Underwriters (GGAHU) holiday party on Dec. 14, 4-7pm, at Lafayette Library on Mt. Diablo in Lafayette. More info here.
TOY DRIVE
SAHU Toy Drive 2022- Give a toy today!
Sacramento Association of Health Underwriters is seeking donations from the local community for their 2022 Toy Drive to support River Oak Center for Children. You can buy a toy on Amazon and donate. Bravo to SAHU for doing this. Here’s a link to the Amazon wish list.
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Vote Now for You Powered Symposium Awards
The You Powered Benefits Symposium will take place Feb 6-9 at the Camby Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Naama O. Pozniak will lead meditation for the opening of the symposium. But right now voting is open for the You Powered Symposium Awards! You’ll certainly recognize some of the nominees. Click here to get your votes in! Categories include: most innovative health care consultant, most influential industry personality, most creative social strategy, most outspoken advocate, most valuable health plan partner, industry emerging leader, newcomer of the year, and most influential organization. You Powered is also taking votes for best-dressed, which we think Naama will win hands down (no offense to the others)! Vote here. Info on the Feb symposium here.
HEALTH
A Push for Audio Health
Okay, no surprise here. Physician groups are pushing for the ability to bill insurers for audio-only telehealth, which essentially means they are pushing to be able to bill for every phone call they make. There’s been a billing code formulated during the pandemic that has allowed docs to bill for phone calls. Kaiser Health News reports:
Robert Berenson, an Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute, who has spent much of his career studying payment methods, said if insurers pay too little, doctors — now accustomed to the reimbursement — might no longer make the follow-up calls they might have made for free pre-pandemic
Check out the full story here.
WOMEN
CAHU Women’s Summit Registration Open
Registration is now open for the much delayed (thanks to COVID, of course) CAHU Women’s Leadership Summit! It will be at Green Valley Ranch near Vegas, March 14-16. More details and registration right here. We hear there are going to be some truly fabulous speakers!
MEDICARE
The Rundown on Medicare Bills
You already know how much we love ThinkAdvior’s many, many lists! Well, now they have Top 10 Medicare Bills Introduced in 2021. It’s worth a look.
VISION
SP Vision Care Outperforms Other Vision Plans in Lowered Healthcare Costs
A new study released today indicates that VSP® Vision Care is doing a great job. The company’s members are generally healthier and incur fewer healthcare costs linked to chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension when compared to members of other vision plans nationwide, according to a study by Workpartners, a data–based risk management firm that helps employers reduce waste in health benefits and increase human potential. According to the study, on a per–person basis, VSP members with hypertension showed a $2,633 cost avoidance in the first year after identification versus members of other vision plans. For diabetes, VSP members showed a nearly $1,800 cost avoidance. In general, having a good eye doc helps people manage their health. We’ll definitely agree with that! Check out the details of the study here.
FUN
It’s All About Fluid Intelligence!
This is kind of fun…here’s a story about how to increase fluid intelligence, which is basically your ability to take knowledge and adapt it to new scenarios often in creative ways. The only way to increase this form of intelligence, also called working intelligence, is keep changing things up. That is, keep doing things that are difficult for you. Once you master a new skill, it’s time to move on. So keep challenging yourself and never get complacent. From the story:
So if you like brain training games, master one and then move on to another. And another.
PEOPLE
EVENTS
- SIIA Crowdsource Forum, in person, December 6 – 8, Charleston, SC, Info here.
- Future of Health, online, Dec 8-9, Save $150 with code CALBROKER. Register here.
- You Powered Benefits Symposium, in person, Feb 6-9, Phoenix. Info here.
- CAHU Women’s Leadership Summit, in person, March 14-16, 2022, Green Valley Ranch, Las Vegas, Info and registration here.
- LAAHU Annual Symposium, in person, April 26, Pasadena Convention Center. Info here.
- BenefitsPro Broker Expo, in person, May 23-25, 2022, Austin, TX. Request more info here. Register here.
