Must. Do. Jan 20. | California Broker Magazine

Cal Broker pal and CAHU VP legislation Dawn McFarland reached out today to make sure Insurance Insider readers are all aware of an extremely important CAHU legislation update webinar happening tomorrow Thursday, Jan 20, 10a.m. Straight from Dawn:

We are going to go over AB 1400 (single payer) and the real concern of it moving forward as well as tools to help educate why this is not the right plan for CA as written. This is impactful for our entire industry. Non-members are welcome for a small fee.

Here is a link to the flyer, here is the link to the Operation Shout and here is the link to register. PLEASE CONSIDER ATTENDING THIS WEBINAR! Thanks!

AB1400 Backers Say Stuff May Be Missing

Do you want to get the perspective of backers of single payer? Not really? Well, sometimes it’s wise to know. Read this story by ThinkAdvisor’s Allison Bell. Backers are concerned about lack of consumer protections and revenue issues.

Vaccines

Vaccine Mandates, Exemptions & Accommodations

What is the latest on state and federal vaccine mandates? What are the exemptions to them, and how are those exemptions being granted or denied? How are employers accommodating employees granted exemptions? All of this will be covered in the next Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) webinar on Jan. 20, 9am PT. Expert presenters from ReedGroup include: Ashlee Brennan, JD, senior compliance counsel; Robert Dawes, MD, chief medical director and Katarina Niparko, JD, compliance counsel. Go here to register.

Nursing Home Industry Reacts to Supreme Court Ruling on Health Care Worker Vaccine Mandate

The American Health Care Association (AHCA), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the country that provide care to approximately 5 million people each year, had something to say following the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the vaccine mandate for health care workers. In a written statement, Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA, expressed concerns over the worker short and how a vaccine mandate might impact it. Parkinson said:

We respect the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court but remain concerned that the repercussions of the vaccine mandate among health care workers will be devastating to an already decimated long term care workforce. When we are in the midst of another COVID surge, caregivers in vaccine hesitant communities may walk off the job because of this policy, further threatening access to care for thousands of our nation’s seniors. We continue to ask that CMS and state surveyors show leniency during this critical time as well as consider a regular testing option for unvaccinated staff members to prevent worsening staff shortages.

MEDICARE

MedPAC Votes No on Hikes

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which makes recommendations to Congress and the federal government on Medicare issues, voted recently to not recommend new payment hikes for acute care hospitals or doctors for 2023, stating that targeted relief funding has helped blunt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As usual, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will publish updates to the current payment rates this summer.

CAHU Medicare AEP Webinar

CAHU Medicare Advisory Co-Chairs Rosamaria Marrujo and David Garcia will be presenting a Medicare AEP webinar on Jan. 26 from 10-11am PT. The webinar, which is FREE to all, will cover the following:

Medicare OEP 1/1 – 3/31
Medicare Advantage OEP 1/1 – 3/31
Blue Shield Underwriting Holiday
Medicare Supplement Bonus Programs Available
Current SEP’s Available
DSNP SEP Opportunity

FINANCIAL PLANNERS

Register for NAIFA-LA’s Will Farrell Award Event
Okay, not that Will Ferrell. You don’t have to be funny to attend! The Will Farrell in question here was actually Will G. Farrell, co–founder of the Life Insurance Committee of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce. We had to look into that. Anyhow…NAIFA-Los Angeles & Financial Service Professionals-Pasadena are gearing up for the 69th Annual Will G. Farrell Awards event on February 24, 2022. The event will be via Zoom from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm PT. Go here for more info.

ACQUISITIONS

Connectiv Holdings and Insurance Forums Acquire National Medicare Insurance Industry Conference

Connectiv Holdings and Insurance Forums announced they have combined forces to acquire the National Medicare Insurance Industry Conference created by the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.

The annual conference is recognized as the leading national event for the Medicare Supplement industry. First held in 2006, the conference brings together those active in the pricing, administration, marketing and selling of Medicare insurance solutions and in recent years has included many important companies in the broader Medicare ecosystem.

The National Medicare Insurance Industry Conference will operate as Medicarians and moves to Las Vegas for the first time, taking place June 7-8 at the MGM Grand.

LIFE

The Shape of Things to come

LIMRA announced its 2022 Distribution Conference for Financial Services will be held March 1 – 3, in Miami, Florida. This year’s conference, “The Shape of Things to Come,” will focus on the forces shaping insurance distribution and how distribution professionals can manage the transition. Keynote speakers for this year’s event include:

Host of The Bregman Leadership podcast, CEO of Bregman Partners, and best-selling author Peter Bregman will use his 30 years of experience to help executives and teams develop leadership skills, overcome organizational obstacles, and collectively drive meaningful results.
Founder of Radical Resiliency and author of The World at My Fingertips, Steve Welker will combine resiliency research and his tragic personal story to equip distribution professionals with actionable takeaways to be more successful personally and professionally.
Former Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion at Starbucks, Dr. Tony Byers will bring his experience of revitalizing DE&I efforts for some of the most respected and successful companies and share his key strategies to increase personal, professional, and organizational success.

More info here.

PEOPLE

AP Keenan Hires Darm, Carpenter

AP Keenan, an industry-leading California insurance brokerage and consulting firm for public schools, public agencies, and health care organizations, has named Bordan Darm and Scott Carpenter as public agency strategic benefits consultants for the Municipalities, Colleges, Schools Insurance Group (MCSIG), San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group (SMCSIG), and other clients in the Monterey County and San Mateo County region.

EVENTS

CAHU Webinar on proposed single payer legislation (AB 1400), Jan 20, 10am, Info here.
You Powered Benefits Symposium, in person, Feb 6-9, Phoenix. Info here.
NAAIA, National Black History Month Program, Feb 18, 8-10am PT. Info here.
NAIFA-LA & FSP-Pasadena Will G. Farrell Awards Event, online, Feb 24, Info here.
LIMRA’s 2022 Distribution Conference, in-person, March 1-3, Miami, FL, 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.