California Expanding Coronavirus Testing

California has expanded coronavirus testing. To learn more and find a testing facility near you, go here.

AHIP Annual Meeting: Why Not More COVID Testing?

The annual meeting of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) took place via Zoom recently. ThinkAdvisor’s Allison Bell offers and excellent recap. In a nutshell, one of the main focuses was COVID-19 testing, and particularly the lack of national leadership. One speaker questioned why the United States was not already testing 5 million people per day.

“In my mind, the single biggest reason is that we have not made this a priority for the federal government,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. “We’re not going to get the level of testing we need by having all 50 states competing with each other. We really need a coordinated national effort.”

INCLUSION

Guardian Releases Research & Tips on LGBTQ Workplace

Guardian Life research validates that creating an inclusive workplace culture today will help employers thrive in an increasingly diverse business environment of tomorrow. Guardian found the LGBTQ workforce segment prioritizes employers who are inclusive, flexible and empathetic. Yet while 64 percent of employers describe themselves as LGBTQ-friendly, only three in 10 extend workplace benefits to same-sex couples or to those living as married. Check out Guardian’s newly released LGBTQ infographic that includes data as well as recommendations on inclusive benefits.

Leadership In our Times

Alaina Love on SmartBrief has an excellent post up about leadership during this time of social unrest. Love says:

Within the next 25 years, the majority of the US population will be composed of Hispanic, African American and other racial minorities. That same trend is predicted for Europe by 2050. Not only are these demographic factors important to consider when developing the cultural environment inside your company, they also significantly shape the fate of your business because the complexion of your customer base is steadily changing.

Read the full post here.

LIFE

LIMRA Announces Speakers for 2020 Virtual Annual Conference

LIMRA announced that two former White House insiders—Andrew H. Card, Jr., chief of staff from 2001-2006, and Denis McDonough, chief of staff from 2013-2017—will host a general session on leadership and politics at the 2020 Annual Conference on Oct. 26-28.

Andrew Card held numerous positions at senior levels of government under three presidents, including chief of staff to President George W. Bush. Whether it is in the middle of a presidential campaign or inside the Oval Office with a world leader, Card knows how things actually work—the reality versus the myth.

In January 2018, Card became chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world.

As chief of staff for President Barack Obama, Denis McDonough led the White House for the President’s entire second term and played a definitive role in shaping U.S. national security policy. Among President Obama’s closest advisors, McDonough first joined then-Senator Obama’s campaign as senior foreign policy advisor in 2007.

During President Obama’s first term, McDonough served as principal deputy national security advisor. He is currently an executive fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, teaching a global policy seminar for graduate and undergraduate students focused on refugees and migration.

Card and McDonough will offer insights on leadership, analysis on the issues of the day, and their perspectives on what’s happening in Washington.

This year’s conference will be virtual. Register here.

MENTAL HEALTH/INSURTECH

IBH Launches Dysruption

Irivine-based IBH Population Health Solutions (Integrated Behavioral Health, Inc.), one of the nation’s largest digitally enabled mental healthcare providers,  announced the launch of a digital healthcare focused incubator and healthcare consortium, called Dysruption. The company agnostic incubator program was created as a vehicle for rapidly prototyping, evaluating and launching new evidenced-based technologies that aim to improve access to and the quality of mental healthcare. It was designed to be a catalyst for bringing together scientists, academicians, entrepreneurs, healthcare providers and employers to accelerate the exploration and deployment of capabilities that improve care. Dysruption accepts nominations for new project ideas year-round. Each application is evaluated by the Dysruption Advisory Board and chosen based upon a variety of criteria including the concept’s impact magnitude, clinical promise and feasibility for rapid development and testing. Dysruption has launched with four sponsored projects that include digital behavioral coaching, social connectedness, provider clinical data analytics, and virtual response activation. Two of its first projects have already been deployed and include digital behavioral coaching and social connectedness. The most recent program which launched in May, now known as CareGiver Plus, was designed to address loneliness in senior populations and to promote social connectedness and thereby improvement in mental health and wellbeing. It was the first employee assistance program (EAP) in the nation to introduce such a program.To learn more about Dysruption, view the video, nominate a project, or apply to participate, visit dysruption.com.

DISABILITY

DMEC Webinar – Employers and Domestic Violence Victims

June 25, 9 a.m. PT

Domestic violence, including child abuse, was a terrible issue before the pandemic.  COVID-19, stay-at-home orders and severe economic stress have created what many experts believe to be the conditions for more of it. Employees who are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, or have a family member in that situation, may be entitled to employment protections. These lesser-known protections could include the right to take a leave of absence and/or request a workplace accommodation. In this Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) webinar, experts will provide an overview of the states that have such laws, salient leave provisions, and the types of workplace accommodations that must be considered by employers. They will also share statistics from Matrix’s national database showing utilization of such protections and observations and conclusions about the data. Presenters will also examine the potential for underreporting the need for employee leave and recommendations for employers to support and encourage employees in such situations.  Register here.

PEOPLE

SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan Appoint Sachin Jain CEO

SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan announced the appointment of Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 1, 2020. Jain succeeds Chris Wing, who previously announced his departure from the organization. Most recently, Jain served as the president and CEO of CareMore and Aspire Health where he oversaw the growth, diversification and innovation of both companies. Under Jain’s leadership, CareMore grew its footprint from 4 to 12 US states and, with the acquisition and integration of Aspire, 32 states. The company rose to prominence as an innovator in care for frail and vulnerable populations, launching new home and virtual clinical care models and the Togetherness Program, a health industry-first intervention to address senior loneliness.

EVENTS

• Don’t forget LAAHU’s Zoom Happy Hour Today 4 p.m.
  

Members and non-members alike are invited! Register here.

• IICF Dialogue on Diversity

Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation is offering Dialogue for Diversity Live! June 25 at 1 p.m. PT. More info and registration here.

• NAHU Annual Convention will be Virtual in June

National Association of Health Underwriters announced its annual convention will now be virtual and take place on June 28-30, 2020. More info at NAHU’s website.

• LAAHU Annual Sales Symposium will be Virtual in July

LAAHU’s AdapTech annual conference will be virtual on Friday, July 17, 2020. Register here. More info at LAAHU’s website.

• IICF Foundation Women in Insurance Regional Forums Rescheduled
  

Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation has rescheduled the Women in Insurance Regional Forums:

• 16th Annual BenefitsPRO Broker Expo 2020 will be Virtual
  

BenefitsPRO Broker Expo 2020 will now be virtual in August. Preview the virtual experience here. Register for free here.

• CAHU Women’s Leadership Summit Now Rescheduled for March 2021

CAHU’s WLS committee announced that the second Women’s Leadership Summit has been rescheduled for March 24-26, 2021, at the JW Marriott in Las Vegas. Questions should be emailed to info@cahu.org.