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MEDICARE NEWS
Sponsored by Applied General Agency
Medicare Guidelines Alert
When Does Permission to Contact Medicare Beneficiaries Expire?
By Patrick Rodriguez
… “Specifically, the Medicare Permission to Contact (PTC) rule outlines when it is okay to contact a current or potential Medicare beneficiary, the specific products they are giving you permission to contact them for, how you can approach them, and when you can contact them.” Read full article here.
5 Lessons Learned from Medicare 2023 AEP
Each year, Medicare makes changes to its health and drug plans that can alter the cost, benefits, coverage and network of providers. When this happens, beneficiaries often have a lot of questions. They want to know if their current plan is still the best one for them. According to Forbes author Robert W. Bache (aka “Medicare Bob”) “Every year, something surprises me or changes so vastly that it causes us as an industry to take a pause and discuss what we’ve learned that we’ll carry into the next AEP. Here are just a few lessons learned and some things I know for sure when it comes to the Medicare AEP.”
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- Get a Head Start
- Federal Regulations Can Change Everything
- Medicare Advantage is on the Rise
- Higher Quality Leads Yield Persistency
- Focus on Servicing Your Book of Business Forbes: Read the full article.
62 Studies Don’t Lie: Little Differentiation Between Medicare and MA
With few exceptions, highlights from KFF’s review reveal much parity between the programs.
In a review of 62 studies comparing original Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA), Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found “few big differences…on a variety of measures.” These measures included beneficiary experience, affordability, service utilization, and quality. KFF noted that these results were based on “strong evidence or [findings that] have been replicated across multiple studies.” Read healthleadersmedia.com article here. Access full KFF study
GROUP HEALTH
Sponsored by Word & Brown
Small Group Survey
Four industry experts share insights on California Small Business benefits
Small businesses account for 48.5% of California’s workforce — creating two-thirds of new jobs and employing nearly half of all private sector employees. We asked experts from Dickerson Insurance Services UnitedHealthcare, BenefitMall and Word & Brown General Agency to weigh in about insuring this important business segment. Read survey here.
California’s population shrinks for third straight year as high costs stress households
How will this impact your book of business?
Births outnumber deaths in California, and yet the U.S. Census Bureau says the population shrank again as more than 300,000 people moved out of the Golden State. The federal agency released these new numbers showing a third consecutive year of decline. In 2020, California’s population contracted for the first time in state history, a drop that contributed to the state losing a seat in the House of Representatives. Read more at the Sacramento Bee
GOVERNMENT PROGRAM NEWS
Record-Breaking ACA Enrollment Continues is 2023
CMS has issued its second Exchange data update for the 2023 plan year, with enrollment up 18% on the federal and state-based Marketplace combined. With 5.5 million sign-ups so far, this year’s numbers are already outpacing 2022. Read the story
CMS Wants To Limit Non-Standard Policies On Insurance Exchanges
CMS aims to reduce the number of non-standard policies offered on the health insurance exchanges while boosting the availability of providers in carriers’ networks, according to a draft regulation released Dec. 12, 2202.
According to the CMS.gov press release, “The average number of plans available to consumers on the marketplace has increased from 27.1 in [plan year] 2019 to 131.4 in [plan year] 2023. Having too many plans to choose from can limit consumers’ ability to make a meaningful selection when comparing plan offerings.
“Continuing to propose policies that help make it easier for consumers to choose and maintain the health coverage that best fits their needs is vital,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in a statement. “If finalized, this proposed rule does just that.”
Dive deeper here.
PHARMACY NEWS
Antibiotic, Drug Shortages Highlight America’s Supply Chain Problems — Again
Health systems and pharmacies are running out of antibiotics like amoxicillin and other commonly used drugs just as the worst flu season in more than a decade is colliding with RSV and a rebound of COVID-19 cases. It highlights the U.S. vulnerabilities, yet again, when it comes to its ability to supply some of the most basic health care products — even children’s Motrin. Dive deeper
MENTAL HEALTH
Small Steps Can Help You Dance With the Holiday Blues
As the winter holidays fade in the rearview mirror, many people get the blues. Here are a few creative ways to lift your mood, from Greater Good Science Center at UCLA Berkeley. Small steps can lead to an easier dance with emotional swings and dings. Explore here.
Despite New Law, California Plans Deny Mental Health Claims
More than two years after California passed a law to require more comprehensive mental health coverage, health insurance companies still appear to regularly deny claims for medically necessary treatment, a survey of state data shows.
Read full article at healthleadersmedia.com.
KUDOS
White Wing Insurance Founder Honored by Money 2.0 with Outstanding Leadership Award
Joshua Schneelock acknowledged as creative innovator
Joshua Schneeloch, founder and CEO of White Wing Insurance Services is a CalBroker Magazine author.
“I am earnestly grateful for the recognition I have received from Money 2.0 Conference for my work,” noted Schneeloch. “I have faced several challenges on my way here, but each one of them has only strengthened me to make me the person I am today; someone who sets eyes on a goal and does not lose sight of it, unless it is achieved. I can proudly hold up this award as a mark of my achievement.”
The Money 2.0 Outstanding Leadership Award honors exemplary individuals and brands who have always been proactive at leveraging legal tools, optimizing their business operations, and driving creative innovations in the insurance, legal, banking, and finance arenas. Article in January 2023 Issue
2023 INDUSTRY CALENDAR
WEBINARS
- Jan. 10, 11-2:00 pm PST OCAHU Legislative Updates from Shore to Shore, East Anaheim Community Center. More info.
- Jan. 18, 10:30-11:30 am PST, CAHIP Annual Legislative Update with Faith Borges, CAHIP Lobbyist and Dawn McFarland, CAHIP VP of Legislation. Virtual via Zoom. Online Webinar. Register.
- Jan. 19, 10:30-11:30 am GGAHU Federal Legislation Update Webinar with Marcy M. Buckner, SVP, Government Affairs, NABIP (formerly NAHU). Register.
- Feb. 9, 8:00 am PST, OCAHU Annual Sales Symposium, Spring Field Banquet Center – Fullerton. Keynote speaker, Andy Hill, motivational speaker, former president of CBS Productions, and author of the book “Be Quick – But Don’t Hurry: Finding Success in the Teachings of a Lifetime.” More info.
- Feb. 23, 11:30–1:30 pm PST by Zoom, 70th Annual Will G. Farrell Award & Leadership Recognition Event, sponsored by NAIFA-LA and FSP. Info: janet@wifs-losangeles.org
- March 4, 9:00-1:30 pm PST, by zoom: WIFS-LA Women’s Forum “Embrace Empowerment.” Info: janet@wifs-losangeles.org
CONFERENCES
- March 13-15, Ellevate Women’s Leadership 2023 Summit, JW Marriott just outside Las Vegas. Register.
January Print Issue out this week!
Advance Planning Opportunity:
Resources For Group Benefits Brokers
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