Covered CA: 2022 Looks Good

Covered Cal announces its rates and carriers for the upcoming 2022 coverage year today. The new year will include the first full year of new and expanded financial help through the American Rescue Plan. Expect a low rate change and more carriers in the exchange. For the latest, follow Covered Cal on Twitter @CoveredCA.

UnitedHealthcare Offers Millions of Members Year-Long Access to Peloton App

Gosh, if insurers keep going in this direction the public is actually going to start liking them… UnitedHealthcare just announced that it will provide nearly 4 million of its members with free year-long access to the Peloton exercise app starting September 1. Users will be able to access live and on-demand classes  for a year using their Peloton bike or by accessing a variety of classes that don’t require special equipment through Apple or Android devices, Fire TV, Roku TVs etc. Eligible UnitedHealthcare members will receive details via email about activating their Peloton membership starting Sept. 1 or thereafter depending on the health plan’s effective date. At the end of the 12-month membership, UnitedHealthcare plan participants will have the opportunity to renew the Peloton Digital Membership at the market rate directly through Peloton; UnitedHealthcare members will not be automatically enrolled beyond the 12-month offer.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

UnitedHealthcare Introduces Predictive Analytics

UnitedHealthcare says they’re welcoming in a new era of ‘predictive analytics’. The company says predictive analytics, a form of artificial intelligence that has been used with Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, will will now help improve well-being, lower costs and drive engagement in clinical-intervention programs by addressing social determinants of health for people in some employer-sponsored benefit plans. The resource is currently available to employers that select UnitedHealthcare’s Advocate4Me Elite or Advocate4Me Premier product offerings, with plans to introduce a customized version for employers with fully insured health benefits later this year.

2021 Outstanding CSR Of The Year State Winners Announced

Each year, a group of exceptional insurance professionals are chosen by The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research to compete for the National Outstanding CSR of the Year Award.  To be eligible for this award, candidates must be an insurance customer service representative or have primary responsibility for insurance customer service duties. Celebrating the 30^th Anniversary of the Outstanding CSR of the Year Award, the competition started in 1991 to honor customer service representatives and account managers who have made significant contributions to the insurance and risk management industry. This year’s winner from California is Marcella R. Beasley from Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research is the nation’s premier provider of educational opportunities for insurance and risk management professionals.

Second Quarter U.S. Annuity Sales Jump Nearly 40%, Marking the Highest Sales in More than a Decade

LEADERSHIP

Women’s Leadership Summit Announces ‘Save the Date’

Organizers for the CAHU Women’s Leadership Summit recently announced there will be a WLS 2022. Save the dates of March 14-16 for the summit at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa in Las Vega. Stay tuned for more details and follow WLS on Instagram @cahuwls. If you have questions, or would like to get involved, reach out to WLS@cahu.org.

LTC

Have LTC Prices Increased?

Jesse Slome, executive director of American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, invites you to  find out if LTC prices have increased. His organization has been producing an LTCI Price Index for many years, which makes possible an ‘apples to apples’ comparison.  Want to see the findings for a 55-year-old man /woman?  Click here.

BTW, 54% of all LTCi buyers (last year) were between 55 and 64.