PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Value-based benefit design using the 4 Ps
Let’s take a closer look at these four key areas that show how benefits advisors and employers can create a healthcare benefits suite that is personal and valuable to their workers.
People are fed up with their health insurance benefits, and for good reason. It is estimated that 1 in 4 dollars spent on health care is not making us any healthier, amounting to nearly $1 trillion in waste annually. The trend of shifting some of that cost to the patient in the form of rising deductibles and other out of pocket spending may help limit plan spending increases, but also leads many to avoid necessary care. This creates intense pressure on employers to offer benefits that deliver on the promise of clinical value — that is, better health at lower costs.
Health Chains Could Bring 3 Bankrupt California Hospitals Back to Life
Three California hospitals that declared bankruptcy earlier this year are hashing out deals that could bring back or save much-needed health care services for their communities.
Defunct Madera Community Hospital in the San Joaquin Valley, cash-strapped Beverly Community Hospital east of Los Angeles and Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in rural San Benito County are trying to clinch lifelines in deals with health chains that have a reputation for revitalizing distressed hospitals.
Blue Shield of California drops CVS, taps Amazon: What’s behind the PBM shakeup
As lawmakers scrutinize the nation’s pharmacy benefit managers, the California insurer expects to save $500 million in annual drug costs by replacing most of CVS Health’s PBM services by January 2025.
Blue Shield of California expects to save $500 million in annual drug costs by replacing most of CVS Health’s pharmacy benefit manager services with five different partners by January 2025. The insurer serves about 4.8 million members.
MEDICARE
Sponsored by AGA
Prep for AEP 2024 Success With This Checklist
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is right around the corner, and as an independent insurance agent, you know just how overwhelming this time of year can be. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be. AEP begins October 15, meaning there’s still time to set yourself up for success if you take action now and prepare ahead of time.
Medicare Advantage Insurers Will Collect at Least $12.8 Billion in Federal Bonus Payments in 2023—a Nearly 30% Increase from 2022
New KFF Analyses Highlight Trends in Enrollment, Benefits and Cost-Sharing, and Bonus Payments for Medicare Advantage Plans
Federal spending on bonus payments to insurance companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans will reach at least $12.8 billion in 2023, according to a new KFF analysis. That is a nearly 30% increase from 2022, and more than quadruple the spending in 2015.
A New Medicare Proposal Would Cover Training for Family Caregivers
Even with extensive caregiving experience, Patti LaFleur was unprepared for the crisis that hit in April 2021, when her mother, Linda LaTurner, fell out of a chair and broke her hip.
LaTurner, 71, had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia seven years before. For two years, she’d been living with LaFleur, who managed insulin injections for her mother’s Type 1 diabetes, helped her shower and dress, dealt with her incontinence, and made sure she was eating well.
GROUP BENEFITS
Sponsored by Word&Brown
3 Signs It’s Time to Expand Your Insurance Portfolio
If you’ve been selling health insurance for a while, you’ve probably lost an occasional sale to a competitor. It could happen for a variety of reasons. However, if it’s happening with greater frequency, it might be time to expand your portfolio.
Consider the following signs.
Self-insured vs. Fully insured: What it takes to customize healthcare plans
As employers watch healthcare premiums rise each year, many are questioning whether their health plans are sustainable or a liability to their employees and business.
That brings employers to an age-old benefits question: to be self-insured or fully insured?
A majority of employers are fully-insured, meaning they pay a monthly premium to a health insurance company in exchange for their employees’ healthcare coverage. A self-insured employer takes on the financial risk of directly providing healthcare benefits that are unique to their workforce, paying for a share of their employees’ appointments, treatment and medication. Self-insured employers often work with a third-party administrator (TPA), which specializes in handling the administrative side of healthcare benefits.
EXIT PLANNING FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
Sponsored by Strazzeri/Mancini
FEATURED PRESENTATION
Choosing Your Fork in the Road
We all have processes in our practice (whether documented or not) to engage our favorite client and get the work done. However, at what step in your process do you stop and determine if you are going to do the work yourself or if you need to call your favorite collaborative partner(s)? What things should you consider about your firm that may be limiting continued growth and expansion – and can those obstacles be overcome with your in-house talent and resources?
Presented by Joe Strazzeri, Esq., CEPA and Shelley Lightfoot, CEPA
Gain access to the presentation, supporting video, audio and documents through the
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COMMISSION COACH
Sponsored by Commission Solutions
Have You Considered Selling Some of Your Commissions — But Not All?
By Phil Calhoun
A growing trend for health insurance professionals is to look at off-loading some commissions. This is when a broker looks at the value of their book of business, the time required to retain commissions, and the opportunity to sell some of their book of business but not all.
When selling some commissions, brokers desire to either spend time enjoying other pursuits in partial retirement or gain the “new” available time to build other lines of insurance business.
The cases below involve two actual situations where health insurance professionals made the move to exit the MAPD business; one where a complete exit was the final decision and the other where only MAPD/PDP was sold, and Medicare supplements were protected with a Successor agreement.
People are individuals and so are health insurance professionals. When offered only one solution, it may not be the best for you — it is possible there are other solutions you have not yet uncovered. Shop around for more options.
INDUSTRY CALENDAR
EVENTS, LEARNING, AND NETWORKING
- Aug. 31@ 4:00–7:00 pm PST. NAIFA-LA KICK OFF THE CELEBRATION — SEPTEMBER IS LIFE INSURANCE AWARENESS MONTH, Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ, Woodland Hills, CA Register
CONFERENCES
- Aug. 30, @ 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, SAHU Business and Medicare Expo, Citrus Heights Community Center, 6300 Fountain Square Drive, Citrus Heights, CA Register
- Sept. 6 @ 9am–5:30 pm PST. AGA Accelerate Las Vegas, Adorn Events 9555 Del Webb Boulevard Las Vegas, NV Register
- Sept. 12 @ 9:00 am PST. CAHIP-OC, Annual CE Day, Lake Forest Community Center, Lake Forest, CA Register
- Oct. 5-6, NAIFA-California’s 2023 Career Advancement Conference, e3, to EMPOWER, ENGAGE, and EXPLORE, Humphreys Half Moon Inn, 2300 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, CA Register
- Oct. 8-10, 2023 SIIA National Conference, JW Marriott Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ Register
- Oct. 22–24, LIMRA Annual Conference, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, MD Register
- Oct. 31- Nov. 2 ITC InsurTech Connect, Las Vegas, NV Register
WEBINARS
- August 28 @ 7:00 – 10:00 am PST, Humana – Email Plan-specific Sales Materials to Prospects using the Digital Marketing Materials tool, Register
- Sept. 13 @ 9:00 am PST Warner U | Group Benefits vs Medicare Benefits, Register
- Sept. 21 @ 11 am PST NAIFA Live: Practice Growth and Success, Register through the NAIFA Member Portal
2024
- March 25-27, 2024, Ellevate Women’s Leadership Summit 2024, JW Marriott Las Vegas, 221 N Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas , NV Register
- May 6-8, 2024, CAHIP, Capital Summit, Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, 500 J Street, Sacramento, CA Register
