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HEALTH

Lara Applauds Becerra Action

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a statement of support after U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra restored anti-discrimination protections for gender identity or sexual orientation under the Affordable Care Act:

“I applaud the Biden Administration and Secretary Becerra for restoring protections forbidding discrimination based upon the gender identity or sexual orientation of a patient, which I and other insurance commissioners strenuously fought to retain under the previous administration. By ensuring equal protection under the law for millions of consumers across our state and country, today’s action reaffirms that there is no place for discrimination in health care.”

Commissioner Lara and 17 state insurance commissioners had signed a letter to the previous administration in support of these rules.

MEDICARE

Discussion Continues on Lowering Medicare Eligibility Age

You’ve probably heard people in the industry speak about the potential risks and benefits of lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60. This is definitely one of those hot areas of discussion that shows no signs of cooling. Here’s a straightforward story on Healthline that fairly lays out some of the arguments. Look for a lot more of this type of discussion in the future.

INSURTECH

Insurance Digital Payment Provider payCloud.io Launches New Platform

To meet increasing demands for digital payment solutions, payCloud.io introduced a digital payment platform tailored for insurers and MGAs. While payCloud.io is a new name, the core systems and team have been in the insurance industry for more than two decades. Spun from insurance software pioneer, Silvervine Software, payCloud.io leverages the same digital payment technology combined with a dedicated payment focus.

PayCloud.io offers a complete suite of payment solutions, each providing a secure, convenient and intuitive customer experience. Its digital payment offerings enable insurers to receive payments as well as initiate a variety of outbound payments to insureds, claimants, vendors and others. payCloud.io facilitates premium payments online and over the phone.

INDUSTRY&CLIMATE

Insurance Industry Announces Free IDF Summit 2021 June 7-8

The Insurance Development Forum (IDF), a public-private partnership led by the insurance industry and supported by international organizations, announced the inaugural IDF Summit 2021 taking place virtually on June 7-8. The theme is “Building Resilience in a Risker world: Actions towards a climate resilient future”. The event, which is free to attend, will feature speakers from AXA, Zurich Insurance and other companies and organizations, including:

H.E. António Guterres, Secretary General, United Nations
Denis Duverne, Chairman, AXA & Insurance Development Forum
David Malpass, President, World Bank Group
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Mark Carney, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance & UK Prime Minister’s COP26 Finance Advisor
Hon. Waldo Mendoza Bellido, Minister of Economy & Finance, Republic of Peru
Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP & Co-Chair of the IDF SteerCo
Michel Liès, Chairman, Zurich Insurance Group & Deputy Chair IDF SteerCo

Get more info about IDF here. Register for the IDF Summit June 7-8 here.

MENTAL HEALTH

Headspace and Solera Health Team Up

Phoenix-based Solera Health, a tech company that provides a dynamic platform linking employees to evidence-based interventions to impact costly chronic conditions announced a new collaboration with Headspace, the meditation, mindfulness and mental training app. The Headspace app will now give Solera Health clients access to over 1,000 hours of mindfulness and mental wellbeing content. Besides mental health and stress, Solera also offers solutions for diabetes management, diabetes prevention, falls prevention, social isolation, tobacco cessation and weight management.

SELF INSURANCE

Webinar Unpacks the ‘No Surprises’ Act and ‘Transparency in Coverage’ Rule

The No Surprises Act (NSA) and Transparency in Coverage Rule (TiC) have wide ranging implications to the healthcare ecosystem. Wondering what they mean for your business? Worried about meeting the deadlines for compliance? SIIA has got your covered with a webinar June 3 from noon-1 p.m. Pacific.

Legislative and cost management experts will discuss:

An overview of the No Surprises Act and Transparency in Coverage rules including updates on recent legislative activity
The legislation’s potential impact on payers and how to prepare for it
Solutions innovation for No Surprises Act and Transparency in Coverage compliance

SIIA Offers Mentor Connection Forum

Registration continues for SIIA’s popular Mentor Connection Forum. Scheduled June 16-17, the interactive event is designed to connect younger SIIA members (under age 40) with several of the most successful senior self-insurance/captive insurance industry executives in a “speed-mentoring” format delivered through Zoom small group video chatrooms. Attendees will have access to those who can provide practical career advancement advice, including tips on how they can be more valuable to their employers. The format also encourages interaction among attendees so they can develop the professional networks necessary to further accelerate their success in the self-insurance/captive insurance industry. For more info click here.

PEOPLE

Sutter Health | Aetna Announces Two Key Leadership Hires

Sutter Health | Aetna announced two additions to the joint venture’s leadership team: Dr. Mordechai Pavlovsky, who is joining as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Operations & Innovation, and Jeremy Gallus, in the role of Head of Market Development. According to Sutter Health | Aetna, Pavlovsky and Gallus will help fulfill the goal of “providing an exceptional member experience, which encapsulates member services, overall affordability, and access to high-quality care through relationships with Sutter Health, Aetna^® and CVS Health^®”.

Gerhart Joins Gigaforce Board

Gigaforce, an isurtech provider of a SaaS-based, blockchain-optimized, claims platform, announced the addition of Nick Gerhart to the
company’s board of advisors. Gerhart formerly served as Iowa’s insurance commissioner, where he helped start the Global Insurance Symposium and the Global Insurance Accelerator before moving on to a position as chief administrative officer for Farm Bureau Financial Services. Currently, Gerhart is chief innovation officer for Homesteaders Life Insurance Company and an advisor and board member to many insurtech startups, including Harbor.ai, Carpe Data, Sureify and Gain Compliance.

EVENTS

NAAIA Agent Round Table Discussion: Why Should I Join? – Exploring the Value of Professional Trade Associations for Black Agents, May 27, Noon PT, Register here.
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Annual Meeting, Virtual, June 7-9, Register here.
IDF Forum, Virtual, June 7-8. Register here.
IICF International Inclusion in Insurance Forum, June 15-17. Register here.
SIIA Mentor Connection Forum, Virtual, June 16-17. Register here.
NAHU Annual Convention & Grow Your Business Expo, theme is “The Path Forward”, Virtual, June 27-29, info at nahu.org.
BenefitsPro Broker Expo, in person in San Diego, August 16-18. Save 15% with promo code RIGHTPLAN. Agenda here, register here.
American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance, National Medicare Supplement Insurance Industry Summit, Sept 8-10, in person at Schaumburg Convention Center, Chicago area. Info here