Cigna offers prescription price transparency after facing scrutiny

Cigna Group is offering clients a clearer view of how much they pay for drugs through its prescription plans, as the industry responds to rising Washington scrutiny and competition from smaller rivals touting greater transparency.

The insurance giant’s pharmacy-benefit management unit will market a “fully transparent” option charging a flat monthly fee for each member, with more visibility into manufacturers’ prices and discounts. The unit, Express Scripts, will also offer a plan that caps patients’ out-of-pocket costs from $5 to $45 per prescription, depending on the drug.

CVS Health names new president of Aetna

CVS Health has hired Brian Kane as president of its Aetna health insurance unit and an executive vice president, effective Sept. 1.
Kane replaces Daniel Finke, who is stepping down for health reasons, the company said Monday.
Kane most recently was a strategic consultant to several private equity firms focused on healthcare services. Before that, he was CFO of Humana, where he played a key role in forming the company’s strategy and oversaw its primary care businesses. Kane also previously spent 17 years in investment banking at Goldman Sachs.

GROUP BENEFITS

Sponsored by Word&Brown

Dental Insurance Market-Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023-2028)

Dental Insurance Market has generated a revenue of USD 165 billion in the current year and is poised to achieve a CAGR of 9% for the forecast period.

Dental insurance is coverage protection for dental treatments. A dental insurance policy is designed to pay a portion of the costs associated with the treatment of dental conditions and preventive dental care. It helps in paying for unexpected dental emergencies that may be expensive to fix.

Developing economies are now getting concerned about oral health and the demand for dental care is emerging.

A Change for Next Year: Get Health Insurance Information Using California’s Tax Form

Starting next year, California will join at least 10 states — including Colorado, Maryland, and Massachusetts — using tax forms to point people toward the lower-cost coverage available through state insurance marketplaces.

“We all file taxes, right? We all know we’re filling out a bazillion forms. So what’s one more?” said Antoinette Kraus, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, who advocated for Pennsylvania to create a program modeled on the one in use in Maryland.

About 800,000 nurses planning to leave the profession by 2027

Nearly 100,000 registered nurses were estimated to have left the field during the COVID-19 pandemic and almost 800,000 intend to follow them out by 2027, according to a survey analysis released Thursday by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).

Responses to the poll of more than 50,000 nurses suggest a net nursing workforce decline of 3.3% in the past two years, and a 2.7% decline in registered nurses (RNs) specifically, according to data published in the Journal of Nursing Regulation.

EXIT PLANNING

Sponsored by Strazzeri/Mancini

Southern California Institute (SCI.)

2023 Thursday Insights

Every Thursday, the Institute presents training sessions for independent attorneys, CPAs, bankers, financial planners, investment advisors, and individuals working in the real estate and insurance industries.

Learn from independent CPAs, bankers, financial planners, insurance experts, real estate agents, and attorneys who conduct training courses every week. Attend this event to find out more about business succession planning.

Southern California Institute meeting (SCI.)

Weekly Thursday Insights Schedule and Registration:

www.SCInstitute.org/ThursdayInsights

For additional information call:

Shelley Lightfoot

Executive Director

Email: sl@scinstitute.org

858-200-1900

“Special Offer for California Broker Magazine Readers”

The SCI Academy is the digital extension of SCI’s Thought Leader Community providing resources, education, and advice via collaborative think tanks, events, programs, online content, and introductions.

As a Basic Member you will have special alerts and access to live events such as Thursday Insights, Community Insights, and select recordings. You will also enjoy discounts for select conferences, programs and products. Additionally, you will have access to Thought Leader Connections and Monday Practice Builders. For increased discounts and access to other areas of the system, we encourage you to explore Premium Membership. We look forward to helping you grow your practice. Thank you for being a member!

To sign up for the Free Basic Membership (normally $49/month) Click here:

Click “ Sign up Now” button to add to cart. In the cart window enter Calbroker23 in the “coupon code” to apply coupon field.

Then “proceed to check out” Complete the checkout process, create an

Account username * and Create account password *.

Now enjoy the content from Southern California Institute

If You Have No Plan, Then Your Plan is to Fail

By Paul Wirth

2023 has begun, and if you haven’t created a strategic plan, now is the time! Don’t waste another second — your competition may already be planning your demise. I write this “tongue in cheek,” but there is a lot of truth to the fact that your competition is devising ways to gain market share and crush 2023. Shouldn’t you?

Read more

COMMISSION COACH

Sponsored by Commission Solutions

When to Sell, When to Retire

BY Phil Calhoun, MBA

If you think your book of business is too small or perhaps too large for buyers consider this: in 2018 over 10,000 businesses were sold. For insurance agencies, deals averaged $104,000 in annual commission and the buyers considered mid-sized agencies ranging from $1.2 to $5 million. With the average annual commission total at around $100,000 it is likely you will find a buyer even if your annual commission totals less than $100,000. Any amount higher becomes highly attractive to mid- sized buyers.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Special thanks to Russ Williams for his new Professional Development contributions twice a month for California Brokers. His “Letters on Integrity” will explore the themes of Integrity. Readers may explore these themes directly with Russ as he offers a mentoring opportunity through

The Clarity Conversation

“Letters on Integrity”

“Integrity and firmness are all I can promise. These be the voyage, long and short, never shall forsake me”

George Washington

Washington’s words were compelling and relevant when written nearly 235 years ago. They remain so, today. It was early April, 1789 when the 57-year-old President-Elect wrote to his friend, John Knox, commenting about the task that was set before him as he assumed the Presidency of a fragile Republic. His mission? Integrity!

Few American professionals are called to national leadership; but all professionals are called to their own Integrity Mission at home, at work, in the community.

May 4 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, NAIFA Los Angeles, LET’S PLAY POOL! Billiards Night in Pasadena. Register
May 16 @11 am-1:45pm CAHIP-OC Anti-Fraud CE Presentation Register

CONFERENCES

April 21-23 @ 2:00-6:00 pm PST, Dancing With the CAHIP-SD Stars, Four Points by Sheraton San Diego. Register
April 25 @ 7 am-5 pm PST, LAAHU 2023 Annual Symposium, Pasadena Convention Center. Info: 800-676-1628. Register
May 8-10, CAHIP Capitol Summit, Sacramento. Register
May 16 @ 8:00 am-3:00 pm PST, 32nd Annual IEAHU Sales Symposium E3: EARN; ELEVATE; EVOLVE. Register
May 16-17 @ 9am-5pm, Digital Health 2023, San Diego, Register
May 18 @ 7:30 am-2 pm PST, CAHIP Desert Cities Health Care Summit, Palm Valley Country Club Palm Desert, CA. Register