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Millennials and Benefi ts

What the Elections Mean for Healthcare

Matching IDI Policies to Your Clients’ Life Stages

benefitspecialistmagazine.com | ABS 1

3 Letter from the Editor

6 M&A

8 What They’re Saying:

The Elections and

Healthcare

11 Product News

14 COBRA Conundrums

Five Years Later, COBRA

Stands Strong

By Robert Meyers

15 Industry Events

16 State of the Internet: 10

Takeaways That Matter

for Insurance Marketing

By Heather Sloan

20 Noteworthy

26 People on the Move

28 Pharmacy Predictions

By Scott Vogel

28

8

YOUR INDUSTRY

32

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 8

32 Three Things to Know

about Millennials

and Benefits

By Chip James

34 How to Avoid

Losing Customers to

Competitors

By John Graham

YOUR SALES

2 ABS | benefitspecialistmagazine.com

41 CPC Quiz

44 Welcome to NAHU

45 Association Events

46 NAHU’s Board

of Trustees

47 Your NAHU Staff

48 The Final Word

We Can’t Survive

Without You

By Rusty Rice

YOUR ASSOCIATION36

37

39

36 Voluntary Disruption

Three Easy Ways to Succeed

during Your Next Enhanced

Benefits Open Enrollment

By Eric Silverman

37 Ensuring Clients’ IDI

Policies Match Their

Life Stage

By Cari Bacon Flick

39 Top 10 Tips for

Communicating Benefits

to Spanish Speakers

By Melissa Burkhart

YOUR SALES (CONTINUED)


As I write this column, we’re just over a week from the midterm elections. Most of the results are now clear and we’re in the what-happens-next phase. I’ve been reading some interesting analyses and predictions. We collected some of these in the “What Th ey’re Saying” article that starts on page 8. It includes opinions from organizations, analysts and members of the media.

Th ese opinions cover a broad swath of health issues but have one thing in common: No one really knows what Congress is going to do. Trying to fi gure them out is nearly impossible. In the coming weeks, we’ll fi nd out if the lame-duck Congress decides to tie up some current healthcare proposals or if they check out and put the onus on those who will be sworn in come January.

But there’s one thing we do know: Th ey WILL turn to healthcare. I’m sure you’ve heard that voters said healthcare was their number-one priority when they went to the polls on November 6. Th e members of Congress know this too, and they will eventually start working on the issues that their constituents—you and I—want them to.

When they do, we have to make sure that they have all the information they need to address healthcare issues in the right way. Th ey will hear from a lot of people on this issue so we have to make sure our voice is STRONG.

So I’m hoping that you join us in DC at the end of February for Capitol Conference. If you’ve never been to a Cap Con, let me tell you: It’s the most unique industry meeting you’ll ever attend. It’s diff erent. It’s educational. It’s exciting. It’s not the kind of conference where you can zone out and nap in the back of the room. We put you to work. We pack the agenda with speakers and topics that will challenge the way you think about things and we send you to Capitol Hill to educate our lawmakers on real-world health insurance problems and solutions.

Th at’s where the real magic happens. I know it’s easy to say, “Nothing I do will really make a diff erence” but that’s wrong. Members of Congress get lobbied all day long but when a constituent takes the time to travel to DC to talk to them about an issue, they really listen.

Make no mistake: Th ey NEED your input. Health insurance is a very complicated issue and every proposal to fi x some part of it is fraught with the danger of unintended consequences. If they don’t get our take on all the issues, they may listen to folks who don’t know what happens in the real world, like you do.

I’ve seen our delegations go up to the Hill, present our positions eloquently and change someone’s mind on an issue. You, citizen lobbyists, can get members of Congress to cosponsor bills that will ease restrictions or make health insurance more aff ordable. And if you change one lawmaker’s mind, he might send a “Dear Colleague” letter to his fellow senators or representatives, and suddenly the votes are there and a bill becomes a law.

It could not happen without you. Please join us as we fi ght for the healthcare fi xes that make sense.

I know you’re swamped right now but I sincerely hope that the coming weeks provide a respite and you get to enjoy this wonderful time of year with your family and friends. See you in 2019!

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Send your article ideas and letters to the editor to

[email protected]


VOLUME 65, NO. 10

EDITORMartin Carr

(202) 595 0724

ADVERTISING SALESThe YGS Group

(717) 505 9701, x2238

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PRINTERSheridan

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REPRINTSThe YGS Group

(717) 505 9701, x2205

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M&AARTHUR J. GALLAGHER & CO. ACQUIRES GROUP BENEFITS STRATEGIESArthur J. Gallagher & Co. recently an-nounced the acquisition of Auburn, Massachusetts-based John R. Sharry Inc., dba Group Benefits Strategies. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1993, Group Benefits Strategies is one of the largest municipal healthcare consulting firms in Massachu-setts. The team represents self-funded and fully insured municipalities and busi-nesses throughout New England, and has developed group benefit plans for clients ranging in size from 100 to up to 10,000 employees. Katherine Sharry and her associates will continue to operate from their current location under the direc-tion of Tom Belmont, head of Gallagher’s Northeast region employee benefits con-sulting and brokerage operations.

HUB INTERNATIONAL ACQUIRES THE ASSETS OF INSURANCE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATESHub International Limited has acquired the assets of Insurance Management Associates Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, IMA is a full-service com-mercial and personal insurance agency. Randall Bieber, president of IMA, will join Hub Mid-Atlantic and report to Norman Breitenbach, president of Hub Mid-Atlantic.

LTC GLOBAL ACQUIRES FINANCIAL ADVISORY ASSOCIATESLTC Global Inc. has completed the acqui-sition of A. M. Levin Insurance Associates Inc., which does business as Financial

Advisory Associates Inc. FAA, based in Southfield, Michigan, is a member of Capitas Financial Inc. and focuses on the distribution of life insurance products.

LTC Global previously acquired two other Capitas members, Pacific Southwest Financial & Insurance Services in July 2017 and the Smith Companies in April 2018. FAA will continue to operate as a Capitas member. LTC Global operates a Medicare insurance product distribution business through its agency subsidiary United Insurance Group Agency, Inc., which is also headquartered in Oakland County, Michigan.

BCBS OF LOUISIANA TO ACQUIRE VANTAGE HEALTHBlue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisi-ana, the state’s largest health insurer, has reached a deal to acquire the majority ownership of the parent company of north Louisiana’s Vantage Health Plan.

Vantage Holdings Inc. and Blue Cross have signed a definitive agreement for the deal. After the transaction closes, Vantage will continue to be run as a separate com-pany by its existing management team, and Blue Cross and Vantage will retain their own corporate and product brands.

Vantage Health Plan Inc., a Monroe-based HMO formed by physicians, has grown steadily for over 20 years, now providing health insurance coverage for more than 45,000 members statewide and contracting with over 15,000 Louisiana healthcare providers.

Blue Cross will have a majority of members on the Vantage board of direc-tors, and current Vantage CEO Dr. Gary Jones will continue to serve in that role.

The price was not disclosed. The deal is pending regulatory and shareholder

approval from Vantage Holdings share-holders.

Vantage Health and Blue Cross are the only two remaining insurers in the Affordable Care Act’s individual market, offering policies for more than 100,000 Louisianans who don’t get health insur-ance from their employer or elsewhere.

APPLIED SYSTEMS ACQUIRES DYNAMIS CORPORATIONApplied Systems has announced the ac-quisition of Dynamis Software Corpora-tion, a provider of employee benefits soft-ware solutions. This acquisition expands Applied’s employee benefits offerings and demonstrates the company’s commitment to employee benefits agency automation.

Dynamis is a software solution provider to employee benefits agents in the U.S. Applied Systems is commit-ted to making further investments in the employee benefits market to drive continued product innovation and a more connected experience between insur-ance agencies, insurers, and the insured. Independent insurance agencies using Applied Epic will benefit from enhanced integration between Dynamis’ Dynamic Plan Designer solution and the manage-ment system.

“As the insurance industry enters the digital age, we recognize an opportunity with Applied for our customers to benefit from greater technical resources and support services,” said Andy Nunemaker, chief executive officer, Dynamis Software Corporation. “This acquisition provides our customers with access to new innova-tion to further automate the plan design process, enabling agencies to more ef-fectively advise customers of their benefit plan options and increase their competi-tive value.”


USI INSURANCE SERVICES ACQUIRES BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICESUSI Insurance Services recently an-nounced the acquisition of Philadelphia-based Benefi cial Insurance Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Benefi cial Bancorp Inc. Founded in 2005, the insur-ance brokerage provides commercial property and casualty, personal risk and employee benefi t solutions to clients in the Mid-Atlantic region. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PURCHASING POWER ACQUIRES STARTUP TO ADD TO ITS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FEATURESAtlanta-based Purchasing Power has ac-quired startup DoubleNet Pay, also based in Atlanta, to add to its employer pro-gram off erings. Th e acquired technology will help employees of Purchasing Power client companies set up savings goals and debt and bill payment strategies through their payroll deduction.

“Th is investment enables us to take a signifi cant next step in our mission to provide expanded fi nancial wellness products and services that will fi ll gaps not addressed by traditional employee benefi t providers,” said Purchasing Power CEO Richard Carrano.

DoubleNet Pay was founded in 2013 to help employees look beyond just saving for retirement, to help them with current savings, spending and debt. Users are able to set short-term savings goals and schedule bills—the system keeps track of important due dates and they can check their progress towards fi nancial goals on desktop and mobile.

DoubleNet Pay’s technology will inte-grate into Purchasing Power’s voluntary benefi t program. Purchasing Power off ers more than 60,000 brand-name products and services as benefi ts for enrolled employees.

“We are excited that the DoubleNet Pay platform will be able to help Purchasing Power’s millions of eligible employees set proactive short-term savings goals and take care of monthly bill obligations automatically,” said Brian Cosgray, co-founder and CEO of DoubleNet Pay, which raised $4 million through venture capital to date. Cosgray will be leaving the organization, along with about another dozen employees. Two DoubleNet leaders, co-founder Cody Laird and CTO Bret Levy, will stay on at Purchasing Power. Th e new features will launch during the fi rst quarter of 2019.

HAYS COS. ACQUIRED BY BROWN & BROWNMinneapolis-based Hays Cos., a business insurance and employee benefi ts broker-age, has agreed to be acquired for $705 million by Brown & Brown, a publicly held insurance fi rm based in Daytona Beach, FL.

Hays was started in 1994 by CEO Jim Hays, who left a national brokerage to start his own company. It has grown to be the largest independent broker of business insurance and employee benefi ts in the Upper Midwest.

Brown & Brown, with a market value of $8 billion, will pay $605 million in cash, $100 million in stock and up to another $25 million in cash if Hays achieves certain operating-profi t growth targets over three years, according to a

fi ling with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Hays has grown to No. 22 on Busi-ness Insurance magazine’s list of the 100 largest brokers in the United States. It expects revenue this year of about $210 million from risk-management consult-ing, insurance and employee-benefi ts sales in 21 states.

Th e Hays operation will continue to be led by Hays and President Mike Egan. It will operate as a region inside Brown & Brown’s retail division. Following completion of the transaction, Hays will join Brown & Brown as vice chairman of the board of directors.

SCOTT AND WHITE HEALTH PLAN TO ACQUIRE FIRSTCARE HEALTH PLANS Scott and White Health Plan, part of Baylor Scott & White Health, has signed a defi nitive agreement to acquire First-Care Health Plans. Th is acquisition will allow the two provider-owned health plans to come together to create a more comprehensive and sustainable insurer with a driving focus on enhancing the customer experience through advanced technology.

Collectively, the plans cover nearly 400,000 members. Once fi nalized, the acquisition will mean for those members an expanded network of providers in the communities the health plans serve.

Th e agreement signed by Scott and White Health Plan and FirstCare Health Plans’ owners, Covenant Health System and Hendrick Health System, is now subject to regulatory approval. Pending that approval, the acquisition is expected to be fi nalized in early 2019.

M&A


Healthcare was a huge issue in the midterm elections. Here are some reflections and predictions from organizations and news outlets immediately following the elections:

PricewaterhouseCoopers: “In regaining power in Congress for the first time since 2014, Democrats say they will focus on about a dozen goals, including lowering prescription drug prices… Democratic lawmakers also will try to strengthen the ACA. Healthcare providers stand to benefit from successful efforts to bolster individual and group markets, even as device and pharmaceutical manufacturers could find themselves more at risk for scrutiny as

attempts to control rising healthcare costs focus increasingly on drug prices.

“States are becoming an important battleground for healthcare policy. New state-level Democratic administrations will likely face budget pressures from state Medicaid spending, and will seek to fortify their states’ ACA exchanges. Democratic governors, especially those working with supportive state lawmakers, likely will take action to counter federal moves to weaken the ACA.

“Elections draw headlines and have true consequences, yet some issues persist year after year, administration after administra-

tion, for all lawmakers and policymakers. These include the ongoing impacts on the economy of nearly 30 million uninsured Americans. Lawmakers and policymakers will need to address the continued growth in health spending, particularly for non-discretionary programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which crowd out opportunities for discretionary priori-ties. They will need to work on improving health outcomes for Americans.

“Despite a divided federal government and diverging state healthcare policies, the next two years likely will be more predict-able for the industry than the previous two.”

The Alliance to Fight the 40: “An election night poll on key issues in the 2018 mid-term election, conducted by Frank Luntz, highlights that 81% of voters oppose taxes on employer-provided healthcare coverage. Despite this overwhelming sentiment, the 40% Cadillac Tax is set to tax these benefits for the first time.

WHAT THEY’RE

SAYING:

THE ELECTIONS

AND

HEALTHCARE

WITH NO SUPPORT IN THE HOUSE, ACA REPEAL

AND REPLACE HAS NO VIABLE PATH FORWARD

FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT TWO YEARS.


THE ELECTIONS AND HEALTHCARE

“On Fox Business, Luntz recounted the results: ‘Eight-one percent of Americans believe that employer-provided health insurance should continue to be tax-free because they’re nervous that the tax will be passed along to consumers.’ He added that “[Americans] expect Washington to make a fundamental difference that does not add to their cost, does not take away their choice and control, and provides some quality that they deserve.’

“‘On election night, voters stated clearly that healthcare was the most important issue facing the nation,’ said James A. Klein, president of the American Benefits Council. ‘Despite a booming economy, working families are stretched to the limit and they can’t afford to pay even more for healthcare. Congress has an opportunity to return and fully repeal the Cadillac Tax during their lame duck session of Congress. Protecting the employer-provided health insurance system is a winning issue, not only for Con-gress, but for the 181 million Americans who get health insurance from their job.’”

Sun Life Financial: “Paid leave is definitely on the rise. The 2016 election brought it to the national stage. Washington State, Mas-sachusetts and DC have passed mandatory paid leave laws, and we expect to see more and more states passing their own leave laws, and are closely watching Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont. We may even see the Democrat-controlled House pass federal paid leave legislation. Employers need to stay updated because these laws increase compliance challenges and will impact the structure of employee benefits, paid time off policies, and short- and long-term disability.

“With no support in the House, ACA repeal and replace has no viable path forward for at least the next two years. (We are) watching for the outcome of the state of Texas’ ACA lawsuit and whether it makes its way to the Supreme Court. With tax reform reducing the individual mandate penalty to $0, it opened the door to argue that the

ACA is no longer constitutional. Currently, there are 37 states involved in this lawsuit, and it has the potential to end the law.

“Other key takeaways:

• With 15 Democratic senators co-sponsoring, Senator Bernie Sanders’ Medicare-for-All proposal could become part of the 2020 Democratic platform.

• Balance billing: A group of bipartisan senators have discussed a bill that would limit patient exposure and put more li-ability on health-plan sponsors.

• Evolution of paid family and medical leave laws: Original laws focused on wage replacement rather than job protection, and this is changing to include protec-tions for both wages and jobs.

• Employer-paid leave programs: More employers are adopting their own vol-untary paid leave plans, finding them to be a powerful recruitment and retention tool with millennials.”

Jennifer Mathieu, Senior Manager of Healthcare Policy and Government Rela-tions at Lumeris: “With the newly elected Democratic House and a Republican Sen-ate, we can expect two years of gridlock, as probably no new major healthcare legisla-tion will succeed in this Congress unless uniformly bipartisan. Republican efforts to impact the ACA, Medicaid and Medi-care may be blocked by Democrats, while Democrats’ new oversight power translates to healthcare investigations and hear-ings. Democrats will put forth healthcare legislative proposals in an attempt to unite the party around a single agenda; however, chances at it becoming law will be slim. Each party’s efforts over the next two years

will provide insight into their priorities for 2020 and beyond. Healthcare progress will be most visible at the state level, as evi-denced by the success of Medicaid expan-sion ballot initiatives in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah.”

National Law Review: “The Affordable Care Act has been an issue in every election since it passed in 2010. This election was the first time the Democrats could fully embrace the law and its patient protec-tions. The issue of pre-existing conditions, for instance, was in the forefront of many Democratic attack ads. After the repeal-and-replace debate and the ACA-related executive orders, Republicans were on the defensive.

“With the success of state ballot initia-tives in Idaho, Utah and Nebraska and the election of Democratic governors in Maine, Wisconsin and Kansas, at least six additional states may expand their Medicaid programs—another feature of ACA. With such an increase in the Medicaid eligible population, we may see proposals to allow states to manage costs that impact the drug industry (with more flexibility in state drug formularies) and the managed care industry, and proposals affecting Disproportionate Share Hospital payments to hospitals.

“With that backdrop, we would not expect a replay of the repeal and replace de-bate in the next Congress. As recently as the day after the elections, Speaker McConnell backed away from his previous statements about it.

“Rather, the House Democrats, espe-cially the Energy and Commerce Com-mittee under Frank Pallone, are likely to pursue legislation to shore up the insur-ance exchanges and to challenge recent

ON ELECTION NIGHT, VOTERS STATED CLEARLY

THAT HEALTHCARE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT

ISSUE FACING THE NATION.


administrative actions authorizing the sale of short-term insurance plans and Associa-tion Health Plans, which are considered by Democrats to undermine ACA because they can off er fewer benefi ts and lower cost. In this area, House actions could take the form of both oversight hearings as well as legisla-tive proposals.

“While most of this action will occur only in the House, Senator Alexander, chairman of the HELP Committee, may be interested in resurrecting his market-stabilization legislation. If so, it is possible that such a measure could move on a bipartisan basis in the next Congress.

“We do not expect gridlock on all health-care issues—which is good or bad news, depending on your agenda. In past con-gresses, major legislation was enacted on a bipartisan basis, like the 21st Century Cures Act, drug and device user fees and opioid funding. Similarly, we anticipate some ac-tion on a number of matters, including 340B reform, diagnostic reform including devices and LDTs, more funding to fi ght the opioid epidemic, and possibly orphan drug policy reform. Even if such bills move only in the House, experience demonstrates that they could form the basis for debate or enact-ment in the future.

“Finally, now that the Congress is split, the Republicans may return their focus to the size of the defi cit and the need for entitlement reform, especially in Medicare and Medicaid.”

Fortune: “So just how are investors reacting to the election results? With vigorous enthu-siasm, if the market is any sign.

“Insurers rejoiced as the Aff ordable Care Act was poised to remain the law of the land and Medicaid was expanded in

several states. UnitedHealth Group, Humana, Anthem, Cigna and Obamacare specialist Centene’s stock were all up any-where from three percent to nine percent in Wednesday trading.

“DaVita rose nearly 10% following Cali-fornia’s Prop 8 defeat, while Fresenius was up nine percent. Th e S&P and NASDAQ Biotech indices were both up about 2.5%.”

Miranda A. Franco, Holland & Knight: “Democrats will use their majority in the House to make healthcare coverage and patient protections a central issue in 2020. They also are expected to use their over-sight authority to investigate actions the Administration took to weaken the ACA and their subpoena power to examine the work requirements in Medicaid. House Democrats are likely to try to advance legislation aimed at patient protections (e.g., pre-existing conditions, guaranteed issue and cost-sharing) and reducing out-of-pocket expenses. Although it is doubt-ful that anything drastic will move, the measures likely will set the agenda for 2020 and force the Republican-controlled Senate to tackle some challenging issues.

“Given the Trump Administration’s now-limited ability to drive signifi cant healthcare reforms through legislation, busy rulemak-ing will likely continue. Th e past few months have seen rules on exemptions for the cover-age of certain preventive services under the ACA, major site-neutral payment policies fi nalized, an initiative to index pricing for Medicare Part B drugs, a redesign of the Meaningful Use program, a (delayed) revi-sion of evaluation and management (E/M) payment and documentation, and guidance providing states increased fl exibility under 1332 waivers. Further, HHS Secretary Alex

Azar recently announced that CMS plans to test a mandatory payment model for radia-tion oncology and relaunch two previously canceled payment models for cardiac care.”

Sarah Gantz, Th e Philadelphia Inquirer: “Voters sent a clear message that they expect to see action from the federal government on healthcare, and both Republicans and Democrats have vested interests in pursu-ing legislation on healthcare. Still, progress won’t be easy with a divided Congress. Th ere is disagreement over the means and ways and how we should ensure people have aff ordable, accessible coverage.

“With Democrats in control of the House, the ACA will be safe from any repeal/replace legislative eff orts, which will give consumers and the healthcare industry a level of certainty that’s been missing the last two years. House Democrats probably won’t be able to redo any of the ACA policies Re-publicans have already unraveled, but with control of the House, Democrats can block any new GOP attempts to further dismantle the law.

“Th at doesn’t mean the ACA is safe, though. Th e Trump Administration will continue picking away at key provisions through regulatory actions that don’t require legislative approval. Trump’s rule allowing short-term plans to cover people for 364 days is an example. Th e day aft er the mid-term elections, the White House released a new set of proposed regulations related to how the insurance marketplaces operate.

“Any major policy shift s are off the table with a split Congress. Democratic big ideas like Medicare-for-All will stay on the shelf for now, as such proposals would never survive in a Republican-led Senate.

“But bipartisan legislation in health-policy areas where Democrats and Republicans share interests is possible. Healthcare costs—drug prices in particular—could be an oppor-tunity for the two parties to build a common-sense aff ordability legislative package.”

THE ELECTIONS AND HEALTHCARE

WE DO NOT EXPECT GRIDLOCK ON ALL

HEALTHCARE ISSUES—WHICH IS GOOD OR

BAD NEWS, DEPENDING ON YOUR AGENDA.


PRODUCT NEWS

NATIONWIDE TO OFFER HSAsNationwide announced its plans to make Health Savings Accounts available in response to the perfect storm brewing for America’s future retirees. With healthcare costs continu-ing to rise, less certainty that Social Security income will remain at current levels and Americans living longer, future retirees need additional savings vehicles to cover out-of-pocket health expenses in retirement.

The Nationwide HSA will be admin-istered by HealthEquity Inc., a national independent HSA custodian.

“We are committed to bringing America’s workers solutions designed to help them gain confidence and take action to ef-ficiently prepare for healthcare expenses in retirement,” said John Carter, president of Nationwide’s retirement plan business. “HSAs supplement workplace savings plans, while offering special tax treatment not found in other retirement accounts.”

A 2018 Alight study demonstrated that when workers are eligible to contribute to HSAs and 401(k)s, those who use both save more than people who use just one. The Nationwide HSA will allow participants to more efficiently track their 401(k), 457 and 403(b) plans along with their HSA, while offering access to education and invest-ment selection.

“The Nationwide Retirement Institute has been educating consumers on managing healthcare costs in retirement for six years, and our research shows that more than 73% of future retirees say that one of their top retirement fears is healthcare costs going out of control,” said Kristi Rodriguez, leader of the Nationwide Retirement Institute. “We believe saving for healthcare expenses

down the road is a critical component of a successful retirement plan.”

Nationwide HSAs will be available begin-ning first quarter 2019. For more informa-tion, go to www.nationwidefinancial.com.

BCBS OF MASSACHUSETTS OFFERS NEW $0 HMO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANBlue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is offering a new $0 HMO Medicare Ad-vantage plan as part of its suite of 2019 Medicare options.

The new $0 Medicare HMO Blue SaverRx plan provides additional benefits that Medicare doesn’t generally cover, includ-ing Part D prescription drug coverage. It also includes routine dental, hearing and vision coverage, as well as a higher fitness reimbursement benefit, with up to $250 per calendar year. The plan is a good option for those who prefer coordinated care through their primary care physician.

To learn more, visit www.bluecrossma.com/medicare.

AFLAC LAUNCHES LATEST LUMP-SUM CI POLICYAflac recently announced the initial launch of its latest lump-sum critical illness insur-ance policy, which has been redesigned to include new riders and a wider range of benefits to offer a holistic approach to recovery and care.

With this policy, Aflac is expanding its direct-to-consumer portfolio, further opening up the voluntary insurance market to millions of Americans by expanding the

way consumers can access benefits. Other Aflac plans available directly for consum-ers to apply for include cancer, accident, life, dental and specified health event, with more planned for 2019. As more American workers build careers outside of the tradi-tional workplace as freelancers, contractors, self-employed solopreneurs and in startups, Aflac is making more and more plans avail-able to everyone, no matter where or how they work.

The lump-sum CI plan offers competi-tive coverage, with benefits for up to nine conditions when paired with Aflac’s cancer protection assurance policy. Highlights of the plan include:

• lump-sum payment upon diagnosis, allowing policyholders to focus on recu-peration

• building benefit, which means the policy increases every year for up to 10 years, to be paid out when policyholders need it most

• hospitalization Rider, providing ad-ditional benefits to help policyholders with everything from ambulance costs to physical therapy, easing the financial stress often associated with an unexpect-ed illness

• new Event Recovery Rider, paying a lump sum benefit for up to three months to help cover expenses from being out of work

The policy is currently available in Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Additional states and territories are scheduled to have the policy available by the end of the year, including Alaska, DC, Guam, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia. Remaining states will follow in 2019. To learn more, visit www.aflac.com.


PRODUCT NEWS

CIGNA PROMOTES MENTAL WELL-BEING BY OFFERING NEW DIGITAL TOOLSCigna is expanding its suite of behavioral health off erings in collaboration with mental health and well-being technology compa-nies Happify Health and Prevail Health. Cigna will add the companies’ respective evidence-based digital platforms, Happify and iPrevail, to help customers build greater resilience, as well as cope with stress, anxiety and depression.

“We are continuing to expand and evolve our behavioral health solutions to support the wide and varying mental well-being needs of the people we serve,” said Julie Mc-Carter, vice president, product solutions at Cigna. “It’s our hope these new digital tools will help empower people to actively engage in their mental health, and make it easier to get support when they need it.”

Beginning January 2019, Happify and iPrevail will be available as part of the Cigna Total Behavioral Health program, a compre-hensive suite of solutions off ered to employ-ers to support the health and well-being of their workforce. Th ese digital platforms deliver the following convenient and person-alized online support for mental well-being:

• Happify supports emotional health needs across the continuum from well-being and prevention to diagnosable mental health conditions. Designed to fi t into an individual’s busy life with personalized bite-size activities, Happify off ers over 60 diff erent tracks, 3,000 science-based activities and games, and 300 guided mediations based on the best prac-tices of gaming science and behavioral therapeutic disciplines including positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, behavioral activation and solution-focused therapy.

• iPrevail provides on-demand support with trained peers and wellness coaches

using a private chat platform for people experiencing stress and other related challenges. Th e digital platform also off ers personalized mental healthcare guidance for people with depression, substance use disorder and other issues.

“By enhancing the connection between mind and body, we can help people prevent serious health conditions and improve overall health and well-being,” said Scott Josephs, M.D., national medical offi cer at Cigna. “We put the individual customer at the center of everything we do, and will continue to focus on delivering personal-ized tools and services to support the whole person in a simple and meaningful way.”

For more information, visit www.cigna.com.

EXPRESS SCRIPTS INTRODUCES FORMULARY BUILT FOR EVOLUTION OF DRUG PRICINGAs drug pricing strategies continue to evolve, Express Scripts is introducing a formulary to provide employers and health plans a better opportunity to leverage changing dynamics to help lower their members’ out-of-pocket costs. Th e Express Scripts’ National Preferred Flex Formulary, available January 1, 2019, provides a way for plans to cover lower list-price products, such as new authorized alternatives that drug makers are bringing to the market, and reduce reliance on rebated brand products.

“Some manufacturers have already fol-lowed our lead to create a pathway to help close the ‘gross-to-net bubble,’ and give cash-paying patients immediate access to more aff ordable medicine in a way that will not destabilize the drug supply chain,” said Steve Miller, M.D., chief medical offi cer, Ex-press Scripts. “Our new National Preferred Flex Formulary demonstrates our fl exibility to keep clients ahead of industry trends so that they can fully leverage new opportuni-ties to lower their prescription drug costs.”

Drug makers set drug prices and can lower them at any time. However, immediate list-price decreases for products already on the market can pose challenges for employers and health plans that already have underwritten plan off erings and benefi t designs for upcom-ing years based on existing economics.

By introducing authorized alternative products through a new or additional Na-tional Drug Code (NDC) with a lower list price, they can create a competitive dynamic more similar to a generic coming to market. Cash-paying patients can have immedi-ate access to the lower-priced medication. Meanwhile, employers and health plans can choose which product to cover that is best for their plan and their members: the lower-priced option or the original brand, which may have a rebate.

Over time, plans, pharmacies and others in the supply chain can transition to a new pricing model and the drug maker could ul-timately retire their high-list-price product.

Th e National Preferred Flex Formulary is a comprehensive formulary that will mirror Ex-press Scripts’ National Preferred Formulary—covering more than 3,800 brand and generic medications—and will follow the company’s clinical-fi rst formulary decision process for all new therapies that come to market.

When a manufacturer launches a lower-cost authorized alternative to a branded medication currently on the market, Express Scripts will evaluate the product for placement on the National Preferred Flex Formulary. If appropriate, the authorized alternative product will be added to the Flex formulary with preferred or possibly non-preferred status. Th e innovator brand-name product, and potentially other products in the therapy class, then will be excluded from coverage. Members enrolled in the Flex formulary who have a high-deductible or co-insurance plan design can have immedi-ate access to the lower-priced authorized alternative medication.

Branded innovator products will remain preferred or non-preferred on other formu-laries, including Express Scripts’ National


Preferred Formulary, while the authorized alternative product may be excluded.

Epclusa and Harvoni will be the first authorized alternatives managed through the National Preferred Flex Formulary. Additional products will be added as more drug makers bring authorized alternatives products to market.

For more information, visit www.Lab.Express-Scripts.com.

MUTUAL OF OMAHA LAUNCHES VISION INSURANCE AND ENHANCED DENTAL PRODUCTSMutual of Omaha has launched a new vision insurance product as well as enhancements to its existing dental insurance available to the employee benefits market.

Through a new strategic partnership with EyeMed, the company now offers a vision product with a choice of plan designs and access to advanced vision care technologies and services. The product offers a mix of independent and retail providers, including popular national chains, regional favor-ites and online options. Customers will also have easy access to online tools and resources, including benefit information, through a convenient mobile app.

In addition, the company has enhanced its current dental product with an expanded network, including its own Mutually Pre-ferred network. Mutual’s group dental plan provides employers and their employees an opportunity to choose from an expanded selection of dentists and locations, as well as realize better value and savings in the form of lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The product continues to offer a network managed by Mutual of Omaha Flexibility to build customized plans Availability of Pre-ventiveEdge. It ensures preventive services do not count against the annual maximum, encouraging employees to make regular dental visits to avoid costly procedures. The product also has a rollover benefit that

allows policy-year maximum benefit dollars to be rolled over to the next calendar year.

Mutual of Omaha’s new vision product complements the dental product. It can be packaged with other ancillary benefits on one convenient bill and is supported by dedicated enrollment professionals, imple-mentation and service teams.

These two products, which are both fully underwritten by Mutual of Omaha, are available for a January 1 effective date. For more information, visit www.mutualof omaha.com.

HEALTH BENEFIT RESOURCES INC. ANNOUNCES A BREAKTHROUGH IN PROVIDING ACCESS TO ON-SITE PRIMARY CARE & WELLNESS CENTERSOn-site primary care centers are a growing initiative in the large-case market. Currently, one-third of employers with 5,000 or more employees nationally have one, according to Mercer, and an equal number intend to do so in the near future.

There has been an obstacle, however, for smaller employers because of capitalization costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars to build-out a clinic, staff the facility and handle other implementation costs.

Health Benefit Resources Inc., in partner-ship with Activate Healthcare, has initiated a program whereby smaller employers of 10 employees and families would be able to share clinics within their community of em-ployers, with only a two-year commitment and a highly affordable monthly access fee.

Providing employees and their families no-cost access to primary care, wellness and most pharmaceuticals is an attractive benefit improvement, especially in a tight labor market. The current high deductibles, out-of-pockets and increasing contributions are now simply unacceptable for employee recruiting and retention.

The most appealing thing about Activate Healthcare’s rapid growth is that it has been able to document an immediate average first-year claims savings of over 25% and then year-to-year improvements in the health and well-being of the employees are plainly documented through improved biometric scoring. Its clinic’s approach to wellness is constant, not episodic and, as a result, it is able to document tangible posi-tive outcomes.

HBR is seeking agencies interested in partnering to provide access to this valu-able service to their current clients plus a vehicle for marketing and developing interest in new employers to participate in the facilities, who in turn can become the agency’s new clients. Training programs are beginning in January. For more information, contact George Duczak at 847-975-6858 or [email protected].

WORD & BROWN EMPOWERS BROKERS AND THEIR CLIENTS WITH ALL-IN-ONE HR AND BENEFITS PLATFORM Word & Brown General Agency recently an-nounced an exclusive agreement with GoCo.io to deliver to brokers and their clients an easier-to-use HR and benefits-management platform in early 2019.

The partnership offers negotiated pricing on GoCo.io’s all-in-one platform that brings together hiring, onboarding, benefits enroll-ment, employee records, time manage-ment, compliance, payroll and more. The self-service portal and mobile-friendly app empower employers to give employees 24/7 access to sign up for benefits, request time off, e-sign documents and update personal information wherever they are and when-ever they want.

“We are thrilled to offer brokers access to GoCo.io for not only their innovative approach toward freeing customers from complex HR and benefits administration,

PRODUCT NEWS

Continued on page 15


($98.83/month) toward the cost of their single coverage and employers covering the remaining $5,711 (roughly 83% of the cost). Th e average deductible among covered workers in a plan with a general annual deductible is $1,573 for single coverage.

Some would call employee-paid cover-age a subsidy, but that term is misleading. It’s more helpful to call it an employee-paid benefi t in lieu of payroll. In other words, em-ployees would probably receive at least that amount in additional pay to aff ord them the opportunity to purchase coverage elsewhere if they chose not to provide it. Many fi rms present this in terms of the “hidden pay-check” each year to demonstrate the value of the benefi t package for their associates.

Marketplace Coverage While Marketplace plan prices vary by state, KFF shows the Marketplace Average Benchmark premium3 for 2018 at $481 per month or $5,772 annually. While this is comparable (and even slightly lower than) employer-based coverage rates, the deduct-ibles are much higher than employer-based coverage averages.

In fact, the Avalere analysis revealed that deductibles for silver plans were $3,937 on average for 2018. By shopping online, we found that some deductibles can be as high as $6,000 to $8,000. While higher deduct-ibles help keep premium costs down, they tend to increase the total out-of-pocket cost of care. Plus, plans off ered in the Market-place typically have narrower networks and thinner benefi t levels.

Th e subsidy level for the unemployed is still a factor but, as of the date of this article, none of our lawmakers have applied the sub-sidy to the deductibles in the Marketplace. Th ere are not many unemployed individuals who can aff ord a $3,937 average deductible.

Th e COBRA ImplicationTh e COBRA continuation rate is the employer-based rate plus the two-percent

charge allowed to recoup some of the ex-penses associated with COBRA administra-tion. So in the “average” case, a worker could elect COBRA for $7,033.92 (average cost of $6,896 plus two percent) while maintain-ing an average employer-paid deductible of $1,573. Comparatively, an “average” Market-place plan might cost less up front ($5,772) but, due to the high deductible, the plan’s out-of-pocket costs would be much higher.

Give COBRA the Positive Press It Deserves!Many health insurance professionals shy away from talking about COBRA continua-tion coverage, the COBRA regulations and employers’ obligations under COBRA. Trust me, I get it. If you are at a Christmas party and you want someone to leave you alone, try telling them that you do COBRA for a living!

Be diff erent this year. Tell them that COBRA plans are awesome and beat the pants off most Marketplace plans. Th at will surprise them!

Looking ForwardTh e ACA was supposed to make coverage more aff ordable and easier to obtain—and COBRA unnecessary. However, for many, the ACA caused business to become more com-plicated, costlier and, frankly, less profi table.

In 2019, we will have a new Congress and some things may change. If lawmakers really want to fi x the ACA, there might be a diff erent outcome. At the moment, it seems clear that those who lose employee-based coverage may be best served by COBRA continuation coverage.

1 Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefi ts Annual Survey: http://fi les.kff .org/attachment/Report-Employer-Health-Benefi ts-Annual-Survey-2018

2 Avalere analysis: http://avalere.com/exper-tise/managed-care/insights/plans-with-more-restrictive-networks-comprise-73-of-exchange-market

By Robert Meyers

President, iTedium Inc.

Kansas City, MO

[email protected]

FIVE YEARS LATER, COBRA STANDS STRONGSince the onset of the ACA in 2014, employ-ees who have lost health coverage due to a qualifying event have had the option of con-tinuing their coverage by electing COBRA or by choosing their own health insurance plan through the Marketplace. Back then, some predicted that the ACA would make COBRA obsolete. Now, almost fi ve years later, COBRA stands strong.

COBRA vs. Marketplace Plans: Which Is the Best Choice?To answer that question, we’re diving into the 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation Employ-er Health Benefi ts Annual Survey1 published in October 2018 as well as a November 2017 Marketplace Analysis by Avalere.2

Employer-Based Coverage According to the KFF Survey, annual premi-ums for employer-sponsored single health coverage reached $6,896 this year, with workers contributing an average of $1,186

COBRA CONUNDRUMS


INDUSTRY EVENTSDECEMBER 11-13CONSUMER EXPERIENCE AND DIGITAL HEALTH FORUMNashville, TN

www.ahip.org

JANUARY 24-27PIMA INDUSTRY INSIGHTS CONFERENCEHollywood, FL

www.pima-assn.org

FEBRUARY 20-22WORKPLACE BENEFITS RENAISSANCENashville, TN

www.employeebenefitadviser.com/

conference/renaissance-2019

MARCH 13-14AHIP NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY CONFERENCEWashington, DC

www.ahip.org

MARCH 18-20SHRM EMPLOYMENT LAW & LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCEWashington, DC

www.shrm.org

JUNE 5-7MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY SUMMITAtlanta, GA

www.medicaresupp.org

JUNE 19-21AHIP INSTITUTE & EXPONashville, TN

www.ahip.org

JUNE 23-26SHRM ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPOSITIONLas Vegas, NV

www.shrm.org

3 Kaiser Family Foundation Marketplace Average Benchmark premium: www.kff .org/health-reform/state-indicator/marketplace-average-benchmark-

Robert Meyers has more than 25 years of experi-ence in business manage-ment and COBRA. He is the founder and president of iTedium Inc., providing complete benefi t adminis-

tration including COBRA administration via COBRAGuard. For more information, email [email protected].

Th is column discusses potential COBRA conundrums and their possible outcomes. Th e information contained in this column should not be construed as legal advice. Always fol-low state and federal COBRA rules and seek the advice of an attorney when confronting your company’s COBRA conundrums.

PRODUCT NEWSContinued from page 13

but also because of their support for all major payroll providers, including ADP, Paychex and Paylocity,” said Jessica Word, presi-dent of Word & Brown. “GoCo.io’s unique Payroll Sync Dashboard and Payroll Auto Sync services enable a seamless fl ow of HR and benefi ts data to any cloud-based payroll provider. Th at’s a real game-changer, opening up possibilities to more brokers with clients using smaller or regional payroll services.”

Another benefi t of GoCo.io is that all changes made on its platform are integrated and automatically synchronized with other systems, reducing compliance headaches and saving time for employers and employees.

Brokers can expect details on how they can learn more and access GoCo.io’s full HR system and special pricing through Word & Brown in the next few months. For more information, visit www.wordan-dbrown.com.

ASSOCIATIONS TEAM UP FOR MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT SUMMIT

NAHU and the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance will work together on the 2019 Medicare and Senior Insurance Sales Summit taking place in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The Sales Summit is a free day for insurance agents and brokers who market and sell Medicare and senior insurance products,” explains Jesse Slome, AAMSI’s director and organizer of the National Medigap industry conference. “We are so pleased to be working together with NAHU and their local chapters throughout the Southeast.”

The event held once a year takes advantage of the many experts and com-panies that convene for the national Medicare Supplement Insurance industry conference. “For one day we off er free access to all who want to attend sessions featuring national experts and meet with the 85 insurers, marketing organizations and other vendors exhibiting at the industry convention,” Slome explains.

“Our focus on Medicare insurance issues continues to be vital for the many insurance professionals who market to seniors,” states Robert Tretter, vice president of marketing and recruitment for NAHU. “We are pleased to be work-ing together to educate and inform more agents about the latest legislative and industry developments.”

The Medicare and Senior Insurance Sales Summit will take place Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at the Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Atlanta. Access to the event is free of charge but the organizers request insurance agents request an access pass that can be obtained online at www.medicaresupp.org/free.


Are you keeping up with the latest Internet trends? Kleiner Perkins has released the 2018 Internet Trends Report.* The in-depth report is 294 pages long and chock-full of important information. Here are the top

10 takeaways for marketers:

1. Internet marketing won’t reach everyone—but it’s increasingly effective at reaching many people. The number of global Internet users keeps growing, but the pace is slowing. The year-over-year growth for 2017 was seven percent, compared to 12% in 2016. There are approximately 3.6 billion Inter-net users worldwide. The slowdown is to be expected—as Internet penetration increases, growth becomes increasingly difficult.

While the total number of Internet users is growing at a slower pace, Internet usage growth remains strong. In 2017, adult users spent an average of 5.9 hours per day with digital media. Compare this to 2008, when adult Internet users spent an average of only 2.7 hours per day with digital media.

Markets can’t reach everyone on the planet via the Internet, but 3.6 billion people do use the Internet, and they’re online for an increasingly large period of time. This means that marketers have more opportunities to reach them.

2. Mobile is increasingly important. Internet users spend an average of 3.3 hours each day accessing digital media on a mobile device. That’s more time than they spend using desktop computers, laptops and other connected de-vices combined.

Marketers cannot ignore mobile. It is now essential that websites be optimized for mobile.

Mobile advertising is also creating a missed opportunity, as the advertising dollars spent on mobile compared to other print, radio, television and desktop lags behind the time spent on mobile com-pared to print, radio, television and desktop.

3. Messaging is huge. Facebook Messenger had around 1.3 billion monthly active users in 2017, while WhatsApp had 1.5 billion. Marketers have many ways of reaching consumers these days—and this includes messaging. Messaging is an increasingly popular communication channel. For marketers trying to engage customers, it should not be overlooked.

4. Voice is here. Voice technology has made major improvements in recent years. Google’s word accuracy rate is now about 95%, which is also the threshold for human accuracy.

THE INTERNET

By Heather Sloan

Inbound Insurance Marketing

Lake Oswego, OR

[email protected]

STATE OF

10 Takeaways That Matter for Insurance Marketing


As voice technology has improved, more people have started us-ing it. Additionally, new products that depend on voice—like smart speakers—have increased in popularity. In 2017, more than 30 mil-lion Amazon Echoes were in use.

More and more searches are made using voice. For marketers, this means that search optimization must include voice.

5. Data is leading to the privacy paradox. Providers can use a combination of personal and collective data to create better user experiences. Netfl ix, Spotify and Facebook are among the examples provided.

Additionally, companies that are seen as Internet data leaders also tend to have high American customer satisfaction index scores. Amazon has a score of 85 and Google has a score of 82, both above the average of 77.

Data can help Internet companies provide better services and In-ternet users spend more time online. However, regulators are worried

AS VOICE TECHNOLOGY HAS

IMPROVED, MORE PEOPLE HAVE

STARTED USING IT.

that data may be used improperly. Th is has lead to new data privacy laws, most notably the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Marketers must be careful to use data eff ectively while being mindful of privacy issues and regulations.

6. Many product searches begin in one place. Almost half of all product searches begin on Amazon. Aft er that, search engines are the most popular starting location, with 36% of all product searches beginning there.

In the age of the Internet, reaching customers isn’t just about fi nding them; it’s also about making sure they can fi nd you. Today’s consumers actively search for the products and information they want. Marketers need to make sure their products and services can be found online.

7. Searches are getting local. Search queries on Google are seeing an increasing amount of data-driven personalization. Location is especially important. Th e phrase “near me” saw a 900% query growth between 2015 and 2017.

Many companies may struggle to compete with national and international giants—but sometimes they don’t have to. By focusing

The Art (and Science) of Choosing Great Hashtags

If you want to build an audience and get seen on Twitter, you

need to use hashtags. They’re how users who don’t already

follow you can fi nd your tweets—but only if you pick the

right term. There’s an art to choosing hashtags:

Pick hashtags that people actually use. You want people

to search the hashtag and see your tweet. If you pick a

hashtag no one uses, this isn’t going to happen.

Of course, you can create a new hashtag and convince

people to start using it. Coca-Cola did this with #ShareaCoke

and a new emoticon. The strategy can work very well, but

it’s also the type of campaign that takes a lot of time and en-

ergy. To be successful, it’s helpful if you already have a large

audience and pair the new hashtag with something that will

attract a lot of attention, like a giveaway or a call for fun

user photos. If your only goal is to get eyes on an individual

tweet, stick to hashtags that are already popular.

HubSpot (www.hubspot.com) put together a list of the 58

hashtags that produce the most user engagement—in the

form of likes and retweets—on Twitter These hashtags are

a great place to start. You can also use the site Hashtagify


on local searches, marketers can limit competition and appeal to consumers who want local and personalized results.

8. Social media is driving product discovery and purchases. Social media is way for people to connect with each other, but it’s also a way for companies to connect with consumers.

Among U.S. respondents between the ages of 18 to 34, 78% have discovered a product via Facebook and 34% have discovered a product via Twitter.

Th is discovery results in real sales. More than half of respondents bought a product online aft er discovering it via social media.

Marketers should incorporate social media into their strategies, es-pecially if you’re trying to reach a young and tech-savvy demographic.

9. Metrics are evolving. Ad engagement is increasing but not fast enough to keep up with increases in cost. Th e eff ective cost per thousand impressions is up 112%, while the click-through rate is only up 61%.

As the customer-acquisition cost rises, marketers are adjusting their priorities. When asked what they considered to be the most important ad-spending-optimization metric, 27% of respondents cited customer lifetime value, the total value of a customer over the course of the customer-business relationship, making this the most

(https://hashtagify.me/hashtag/smm) to search for hashtags

and see how they rank in terms of popularity.

Pay attention to trending hashtags. Another way to fi nd

popular hashtags is to see what’s trending.

Hashtags can trend for a variety of reasons. Sometimes

trending hashtags are tied to current news events. These

topics can be politically charged, but some are more light-

hearted. When a raccoon climbed a skyscraper in St. Paul,

Minnesota, #mprraccoon trended for more than a day while

people everywhere watched nervously and then celebrated

the raccoon’s safety.

Other times, trending hashtags are about holidays—either

big ones like #FourthofJuly or small ones like #NationalI-

ceCreamDay. There are also hashtags that trend regularly, like

#MondayMotivation and #TuesdayThoughts.

Check the meaning of the hashtag. It bears repeating that

some hashtags are politically charged. Using these for self-

promotion can backfi re quickly.

This is what happened when DiGiorno used #WhyIStayed

to promote its pizza with the tweet “#WhyIStayed You had

pizza.” The hashtag was about domestic violence and why

victims stay with their abusers, so DiGiorno’s tone-deaf tweet

did not go over well.

Before using a hashtag, make sure you know what it’s

about. Sometimes the serious message behind a hashtag

isn’t immediately obvious, but a quick click will show you why

people are using it.

Use relevant hashtags. Although it’s helpful to pay attention

to trending hashtags, don’t just use whatever just use what-

ever happens to be trending. In addition to making sure the

hashtag isn’t loaded with serious messages and the politics,

you also need to make sure the hashtag is relevant to your

brand. Otherwise, your account could be suspended.

Twitter’s rules state that using irrelevant hashtags for

promotion can result in account suspension. Besides, using

irrelevant hashtags is annoying, and you don’t want to irritate

your audience.

Don’t go overboard. Hashtags are important on Twitter, but

you don’t want to use too many at once. Stick to one or two

relevant hashtags max.

In fact, according to Small Business Trends,* one hashtag

per tweet is ideal. After that, engagement starts to go down.

Note that other social media sites are diff erent. On Instagram,

for example, posts with around nine hashtags tend to do well.

* https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/11/how-many-hashtags.html

popular answer. Impressions and web traffi c came in second, with 19% of respondents citing this metric.

10. Accountability matters. As concern over fake news spreads, advertisers have been forced to take note. Proctor & Gamble cut $140 million in digital ad spending over brand-safety concerns, while Facebook has removed 583 mil-lion fake accounts and hired more content moderators.

When developing brand awareness, the insurance industry must strive for accountability and make trustworthiness a goal.

* www.kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/Internet-trends-report-2018

Heather Sloan is the president of Inbound Insurance Marketing, a boutique advertising agency specializing in results-oriented marketing communications for insurance organizations across the nation. Prior to founding Inbound, she managed the marketing and IT teams for the grocery division for Royal & SunAlliance. Heather holds a bach-elor’s degree in marketing and communications from Southern Oregon University, and is a member of many marketing organizations.

For more ideas on how to improve your company’s website, visit www.inboundinsurancemarketing.com.


NOTEWORTHYFACED WITH RECORD-LOW UNEMPLOYMENT, MORE EMPLOYERS ARE INVESTING IN EMPLOYEE BENEFITSAttracting and retaining talent remains the number-one operational priority of 60% of employers, according to the 2018 Gallagher Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey. That figure has increased two percentage points from 2017, and is in sharp con-trast to the 37% of employers who ranked controlling benefit costs as the top prior-ity, a figure that declined six percentage points from 2017. And nearly half (45%) of employers chose not to increase employee cost-sharing of healthcare benefits.

“While keeping a lid on costs is always important, we are seeing a clear shift in the market as employers are having to compete more aggressively for talent in the face of the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 50 years,” said William Ziebell, president, Gal-lagher Employee Benefits Consulting and Brokerage. “Today’s workforce is comprised of five very different generations, meaning it is no longer good enough to simply offer standard medical coverage and a competi-tive retirement plan.”

The Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey found forward-thinking employers are taking a more holistic view of employee wellbeing and developing strategies that both engage and appeal to their team. For example, more than half of employers (55%) now provide a telemedicine compo-nent, allowing employees to virtually con-nect with clinicians. That is an increase of more than 100% from 2016, when just 24% of employers utilized telemedicine. In addi-tion to saving employees time, telemedicine has been shown to reduce expenses for both employers and employees.

The report also found employers are looking for ways to reduce medical ex-penses by encouraging their employees to live healthy lifestyles. The most popular

physical wellbeing benefits include flu shots, tobacco-cessation programs, health risk as-sessments and biometric screenings.

Because financial stressors can negatively affect productivity, financial wellbeing proved to be another area of interest for employers. More than six out of 10 employ-ers (62%) now offer employees access to financial advisors and nearly half (47%) provide financial-literacy education to help employees make better saving and spend-ing decisions. The research also showed 43% of employers are taking steps to gauge employee retirement readiness, compared to previous years (33% in 2016).

Because the tightening labor market has made it easier for top employees to leave their jobs voluntarily, more employers are tweaking existing benefits or adding new offerings. The goal is to provide employees with more choices that will better fit their own lifestyles and needs.

For example, more than one in five employers (22%) now offer employees three medical insurance plans, and 13% offer four or more options. Nearly half (46%) of employers provide tuition assistance, which is up from 42% in 2017. The most common tuition-reimbursement amount totaled $5,250 annually per employee. Nine of 10 employers said they now offer employ-ees life insurance, which is a five-percent increase from 2017. And 70% of employers provide access to EAPs, which is an 11% jump from 2017.

Given that many employee rosters include a multigenerational workforce, it has become increasingly important for employers to offer benefits that appeal to each segment of their workforce. Surpris-ingly, just 13% of employers said they have a comprehensive communication strategy to guide how they collect and share benefits information with employees, and most (74%) noted they have a communication

strategy for just some of their benefits and wellbeing offerings.

“More than half of employers (59%) expect to increase their headcount over the next two years. That will be a challenge considering there are currently more job openings than individuals to fill those posi-tions,” Ziebell said. “As a result, employers must get smarter about working within their budgets to offer benefits and compen-sation packages that engage their teams. At the same time, it will be imperative for organizations to clearly communicate the offerings and measure their effectiveness. The days of ‘set it and forget it’ in regards to compensation and benefits are over.”

For more information about the survey, visit: www.ajg.com/NBS-2018.

NEARLY HALF OF CONSUMERS HAVE ABANDONED A PRESCRIPTION AT THE PHARMACY BECAUSE IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVENearly half of consumers have abandoned a medication prescribed by their physician because it was too expensive, according to a survey by DrFirst, a provider of e-prescrib-ing and patient medication management solutions. At a time when the federal gov-ernment is pushing a variety of measures to make prescription drug prices more transparent to consumers, the nationwide survey revealed that fully 73% of consum-ers would change pharmacies if they knew that doing so would save them money on a prescription.

According to the findings, as little as $10 in savings would motivate 38% of respon-dents to switch pharmacies. If the savings rose to between $11 and $25, nearly 70% of them would choose a different pharmacy. The survey results are consistent with recent studies that found a high correlation between drug costs and medication adher-ence, or the likelihood that patients will


follow their doctor’s prescribed therapy. A 2017 Truven Health Analytics-NPR Health Poll found that 67% of patients who failed to fill their prescriptions in the last 90 days reported high costs as their reason.

With medication adherence being a critical factor in patients’ long-term health, physicians are under increasing pressure to discuss costs with patients when they write prescriptions. However, according to the survey, fewer than half (44%) of consum-ers say their physician advised them about medication costs or offered lower-cost therapeutic alternatives. Even fewer (41%) reported receiving advice from their doctor or pharmacist about possible cost-saving coupons or having a prescription filled at a less-expensive pharmacy. Respondents’ will-ingness to change pharmacies to save money indicates that such advanced notice of prescription costs, coupon options or lower-cost pharmacies would be highly valuable.

Addressing high drug prices and increas-ing price transparency is a priority for the Trump Administration, and Congress, which passed two bills recently that prohibit pharmacy gag clauses on drug prices. The legislation allows pharmacists to tell cus-tomers when they could save money by pay-ing for a prescription out-of-pocket instead of using insurance and paying their copay amount. Results from the DrFirst survey, however, indicate that participants would like notification about drug pricing options before picking up prescriptions.

For more information, visit www.drfirst.com.

DESPITE UNCERTAINTY, EMPLOYERS REMAIN COMMITTED TO OFFERING BENEFITSAccording to a new survey, U.S. Businesses Remain Committed to Employee Health-care Benefits by the nonprofit Transamerica Center for Health Studies, 28% of employers made changes to employee healthcare ben-efits, and the most common include adding health insurance (36%) or adding other healthcare benefits (32%). In fact, only one

percent of employers that currently provide health insurance say they will no longer provide employee health coverage in two to three years.

As part of its Sixth Annual Employer Healthcare Survey, TCHS surveyed 1,350 U.S. business decision makers (ages 18+) to understand the current state of healthcare in the United States. The survey was con-ducted online by The Harris Poll in August and September 2018. The annual study also provides context by comparing findings to illustrate how the landscape has changed over the years.

Most employers (72%) report that their employees express fear for changes in healthcare policy, most commonly referring to losing their healthcare due to pre-existing conditions (27%) followed by a reduction in Medicare for seniors (19%).

If the employer mandate was to be removed by Congress and the president, some of the ways employers would like their company to react are:

• not make any change (25%)

• evaluate coverage options (24%)

• increase coverage (16%)

• reduce coverage as much as possible (five percent)

The vast majority (80%) of employers are taking action to manage overall healthcare costs. Employers report offering a variety of PPO plans (29%) and HMO plans (28%), and encouraging the use of generic medica-tions (28%).

However, one-quarter of employers say they are extremely or very likely to reduce their contribution to health insurance in the next 12 months. Of those employers that changed healthcare benefits in the past year, 11% said they reduced or eliminated their company contribution to cover costs of health benefits (other than health insur-ance) and nine percent said they reduced or eliminated their company contribution to cover cost of health insurance.

The majority of employers that are concerned about affordability of healthcare (89%) are taking some action to combat cost. The most common actions taken are comparison-shopping for the best health insurance options (36%) and finding ways to reduce premiums (36%).

Employers indicate wellness programs have had a positive impact on workers’ health (79%), productivity (77%) and com-pany healthcare costs (71%). At the same time, consistent since 2015, 84% of employ-ers say leadership is committed to improv-ing the health of their employees, but only four in 10 employees feel the same way.

Visit www.transamericacenterforhealth-studies.org for more information.

STUDY REVEALS MOST CAREGIVERS ARE OVERWHELMED AND LACK EMOTIONAL SUPPORTCaregiving is a growing reality for Ameri-cans and one that comes with a significant emotional toll, according to findings from Northwestern Mutual’s 2018 C.A.R.E Study. The study finds that while nine in 10 care-givers say they are providing emotional sup-port for others, significantly fewer feel they get the support they need for themselves.

According to the data, nearly half of care-givers (44%) say they only get the emotional support they need “sometimes” and more than one in 10 (15%) say they don’t get adequate emotional support at all. For Gen X (age 35-50), one in four report that they don’t get adequate emotional support.

When asked why they don’t receive the level of support they need, more than half of caregivers (58%) said “they don’t share their feelings because they don’t want to burden others or be judged” while more than four in 10 (42%) do not feel “people could relate.”

“Caregivers need to prioritize some level of self-care and proactively ask for the help they need themselves,” says Kamilah Williams-Kemp vice president of long-term care at Northwestern Mutual. “As a caregiver myself, I know that having options

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and resources available can be empowering and help alleviate some of the stress.”

Though the majority (80%) of caregivers feel “pride in doing the right thing,” that sentiment is accompanied by a range of other complex emotions. Furthermore, the emotional toll appears to be particularly pronounced for Gen X.

The emotional experience of caregivers is happening in the context of the previ-ously reported financial pressures and lifestyle impact caregivers face. Experienced caregivers report spending an average of 8.2 hours a day providing care. For Gen X, the perceived tradeoffs in their personal and professional lives are comparatively higher than for caregivers overall, which may contribute to the larger impact on their emotional and mental health.

Despite citing financial support as the most difficult aspect of providing care, few

caregivers appeared to have significant awareness of resources that could poten-tially offset some of the stress and pressure they face.

Gen X caregivers report having “basic, minimal or no knowledge” of Medicare (76%), Social Security (81%) and long-term care insurance (82%).This is higher than the general population, which itself is also low, with 74% reporting “basic, minimal or no knowledge” of Medicare, 68% for Social Security and 78% for LTCI.

For more information, visit www.north westernmutual.com.

SURVEY SHOWS CONTINUING RISE IN LTC COSTSLiving longer has its advantages, but it also increases the likelihood of needing long-term care, a proposition that is getting more costly with every passing year. According

to the 15th annual Genworth Cost of Care Survey, the blended annual median cost of LTC support services has increased an aver-age of three percent from 2017 to 2018, with some care categories exceeding two to three times the 2.1% U.S. inflation rate.

The annual median cost of care now ranges from $18,720 for adult day care services to $100,375 for a private room in a nursing home. Between 2017 and 2018, assisted living facilities increased the most, at 6.67%, followed by a semi-private room in a nursing home, at 4.11%. Based on the five-year compound average growth rate (CAGR), the largest increase occurred within the nursing home facilities category, at over three percent.

“This year’s study shows cost increases across all care settings, costs that affect the economic reality for individuals, families, employers and communities. We strongly


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advocate people at all stages of life begin planning now for the very real possibil-ity of needing care as they grow older,” said David O’Leary, president and CEO of Genworth’s U.S. Life Insurance division. “Starting a conversation about potential long-term care needs and the issues of ag-ing isn’t always easy. But honest conversa-tions are essential to making sure that people can live life on their own terms as they grow older.”

“The year-over-year cost of any kind of long-term care is rising quickly, with no sign of slowing down,” said Gordon Saunders, senior brand marketing manager at Genworth, who manages the Cost of Care Survey. “Increasingly, people and their loved ones are finding that the cost of long-term care services is staggering and often they are unaware of it in advance. Our mission is to help people who need care age on their own

terms and live their lives the way they want. We do that by providing research and re-sources that can help educate people about the cost associated with long term care well before they need it.”

Several factors are driving up the cost of care across all care options, including home care, which has increased significantly over the past two to three years after remaining flat for some time:

• the shortage of skilled workers. It’s a simple case of supply and demand: With demand outpacing the supply of workers, caregivers know they can demand more and companies are willing to pay more for the best workers. Also, fewer caregiv-ers mean more overtime, which means consumers pay more for care.

• higher minimum wages and changes in overtime pay rules

• difficulty attracting and retaining quali-fied workers

• business constraints facing home care agencies, such as differing laws on certi-fication of caregivers, compliance obliga-tions, razor-thin margins, balancing care quality and costs

• the increasing incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, which is increas-ing the need for more specialized care—and higher hourly wages

• aging Americans needing more special-ized care, the result of waiting too long to receive professional care. By then, the diagnosis has progressed beyond the need for basic care to very specialized and intensive levels of care, which is more expensive.


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During the 15 years of the Cost of Care Survey, the cost of long-term care in assisted-living facilities has increased 67% and private nursing home rooms have increased 54%. By comparison, a private nursing home room now costs 1.6 times the national median annual household income, which was $62,685 in August 20186. While facility costs have trended upward, the annual cost of in-home care has remained relatively flat over the life of the study. It is only in recent years that home care costs have risen at a higher pace than previous years, increasing 19% for a home aide and 26% for homemaker services since 2004.

For more information, visit www.gen-worth.com/longtermcare.

MOST MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES WANT CAPS ON DRUG COSTS TO SECURE MEDICARE’S FUTUREIn a year when Medicare’s Annual Enroll-ment Period overlaps nationwide with midterm elections, 83% of Medicare ben-eficiaries believe the best way to ensure the future of the program is to place limits on prescription drug costs, according to survey results released by eHealth Inc., which operates Medicare.com.

“Our survey shows that Medicare ben-eficiaries have specific ideas about what needs to be done to save Medicare, and they’re bringing their concerns with them to the voting booth,” said eHealth CEO Scott Flanders. “Elected officials should listen carefully, because Medicare benefi-ciaries are particularly motivated voters: 71% of people age 65 and older voted in 2016, compared to only 46% of people between the ages of 18 and 29.”

Additional findings from the survey:

• Medicare beneficiaries’ concerns may impact their vote: A combined total of 87% of all voter respondents said that healthcare/insurance was either their number-one issue or at least a top-three

issue when it comes to voting in the midterm election.

• Most think Medicare is in trouble: A majority (56%) of respondents do not believe the Medicare program will survive their own generation; another 26% only expect it to survive another generation or two.

• Fewer than one-third support a broad expansion of Medicare: 31% of respon-dents believe that all Americans should have access to Medicare-like coverage.

For more information, visit www.ehealth.com.

SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF MILLENNIALS VALUE VISION INSURANCEUnum finds the elimination of vision benefits could motivate more than a third (34%) of U.S. workers ages 25 to 34 to look for a new job. These results and other key findings were part of an online poll among 1,227 working U.S. adults conducted by Unum in July.

While the likelihood of job-hopping was higher among this primarily Mil-lennial age group, other age ranges also reported they would consider leaving their current employer if vision benefits were eliminated:

• 29% of those 18 to 24• 24% of those 35 to 49• 21% of those 50 to 64• 18% of those 65 and older

Vision insurance plans have typically appealed to older workers with aging eyes. However, younger workers today are facing more vision problems compared to young adults 40 years ago, according to a study in JAMA Ophthalmology.

According to SHRM’s annual employee benefits report, the number of employ-ers offering vision benefits has increased seven percentage points within the last four years. However, many employers still do not include vision benefits in their em-

ployee packages. In the Unum survey, only 50% of workers indicated their current employers offer vision insurance.

For more information, visit www.unum.com.

THE U.S. HEALTHCARE DIVIDE: THERE’S A GAP BETWEEN WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHAT THE SYSTEM OFFERSOliver Wyman recently announced results from its 2018 consumer survey of U.S. healthcare titled “Waiting for Consumers.” The report includes insight on whether the proliferation of new companies, technolo-gies and services are what consumers want.

“Consumers have more healthcare options than ever, but uptake isn’t always what we’d expect, or what investors proj-ect,” said Sam Glick, a partner in Oliver Wyman’s Health & Life Sciences practice. “Our new research sheds light on what consumers truly want out of the health-care system—and what personal data they’re willing to share to get it.”

The report examines consumer use of retail health clinics and high-deductible plans, and whether consumers trust healthcare companies.

Regardless of age, consumers who have used retail health clinics like them. The survey found more than one-third of the individuals who had used a retail clinic in the past year said the experience was bet-ter than a traditional doctor’s office. Only 16% thought it was worse.

This is true across all generations—even for baby boomers. Caregivers across all demographics were especially positive about retail clinics, with more than 40% saying they preferred a retail clinic experi-ence to a standard office visit.

Still only a modest number of consum-ers reported using alternative forms of healthcare delivery. Over the past year only eight percent said they have used a retail clinic, while only 10% have used telehealth to interact remotely with a doctor. These numbers remain virtually


unchanged since Oliver Wyman asked in 2017 and are vastly lower than the 71% surveyed who saw a primary care physician.

Out-of-pocket costs have risen 230% over the past decade and HDHPs will again be the predominant option for consumers. But consumers do not want them. Half of consumers surveyed said they preferred a plan that costs more upfront but guarantees low out-of-pocket medical costs through the year. Only 21% preferred a plan that costs less upfront but could result in high out-of-pocket expenditures throughout the year.

Despite not wanting HDHPs, more than 40% of consumers buy them, accord-ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What do consumers most want from their health plan and those that deliver the care? It’s not what you’d think. Ac-cording to the survey, consumers would rather have help managing their diet and stress (more than 40%) than a lower bill (35%). Th e survey identifi es the most pressing wants and needs of today’s consumer and paints a picture of what the health plan and hospital of the future should really provide.

Consumers trust their doctors, with 42% saying they trust their opinion without question. As more tech compa-nies enter the healthcare space with vari-ous monitoring and wearable technol-ogy, almost half of consumers would still rather have a doctor monitor this kind of healthcare technology as opposed to a mobile app or social network provider.

At the same time, the survey showed an unexpectedly high willingness to share personal information, if what was provided in return was considered valuable.

For more information, visit www.oliverwyman.com.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVETriune Technologies is pleased to announce that Carol Matznick has joined the firm as national director of marketing. Carol will work directly with the advisor commu-

nity to share the time and money-saving opportunities of the company’s suite of benefits-administration tools.

Carol is well-known throughout the em-ployee benefits community, having begun her career as an agent and expanding her efforts into leadership and professional develop-ment in the association side of the indus-try. She served as executive director of the North Carolina AHU and was a member of NAHU’s Board of Trustees. She is a recipient of NCAHU’s Member of the Year Award, the NAHU Distinguished Service Award and the Carol J. Matznick Spirit of NCAHU Award.

On October 23, Thomas Petersen, vice president of Petersen International Underwriters, was awarded

the W. Harold Petersen Lifetime Achieve-ment Award by the International DI Society at its annual conference, which took place this year in St. Louis, Missouri.

Tom is the 14th recipient of the prestigious award (his recently retired father being the first recipient and the award’s namesake), which was created to honor those who have dedicated their lives and careers to the pro-motion, growth and stability of the disability insurance industry in the U.S. and abroad through education and awareness.

Jeff Schwab, vice president of marketing at Dominion National (Arlington, VA), has been elected to the National Association of Dental Plans Board of Directors. Schwab

has been with Dominion since 2005 and will serve a three-year term. He will support NADP’s mission to promote and advance the dental benefits industry to improve consumer access to affordable, quality dental care. He is also the vice chair on NADP’s Communica-tions Committee, and has been recognized as a Star Award recipient by NADP for his outstanding volunteer contributions.

Rob Petree has joined HUB International as vice president of the employee benefits practice. His primary role will be the design, placement and maintenance of competitive healthcare programs and human-resource so-lutions for mid-market and large companies.

Petree has over 20 years of experience in providing employers with creative strategic approaches and funding alternatives to their employee benefits packages. He is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Marketing.

Versant Health, a national managed eye health and vision plan company, continues to grow its national sales team with two regional executives: Kristen Gutierrez and Brett Cavallaro. Gutierrez will serve as the regional sales executive for the Northern California territory, while Cavallaro will be responsible for the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana territories.

Gutierrez has more than 20 years of employee benefit sales and consulting experi-ence with multiple businesses in the industry, including Sun Life, Met Life and Premier Access. Cavallaro joins Versant Health from the SEBO Group, a consulting firm located in Ohio. Previously, he spent 14 years at Ameri-tas and Aetna.

Jerry Gallo has been appointed senior vice president, business development at Savoy, a benefits consulting firm and general agency. Gallo will continue to manage

Savoy’s New York operations and will oversee business development in its New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware markets.

Gallo has more than 20 years of experience in the health insurance industry and brings leadership experience in business develop-ment, sales and account management. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Business Administration from Pfeiffer Uni-versity. Gallo received the Wall Street Journal Achievement Award for Economics and was highlighted in Who’s Who in America for Academic Achievement.

Dearborn National Life Insurance Company has named Michael Witwer, chief operating officer, as its new president and CEO, effec-tive immediately. Witwer will lead Dearborn National’s overall business strategy and will be responsible for the company’s financial and operational performance. Witwer, who has more than 30 years of insurance industry leadership experience, joined Dearborn Na-tional in May 2014 as chief operating officer and during his tenure has overseen several departments including product development, marketing, account management, service operations and dental markets.

Witwer’s experience includes serving as a vice president for Cigna Voluntary and as senior vice president and chief market-ing officer for AIG. Before joining AIG, he worked as senior vice president of product and marketing at Prudential and as a vice president at MetLife where he led the Group Life business. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA, and an Executive MBA certificate from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.


Dulce Bozeman has been promoted to president of New Benefi ts in McKin-ney, TX. She joined New Benefi ts in 1999 as a mem-ber services representative and quickly progressed to

VP of member & client services. She now oversees the day-to-day tactical operations of New Benefi ts, ensures seamless integra-tion between departments and develops

new processes to support the company’s strategic plans.

Cigna has named Jim Hickey as market president for its commercial healthcare and related benefi ts plans in South Texas. He is based in Houston and is replacing Mike Koehler, who is retiring. Prior to joining Cigna, Hickey served as vice president of Texas and regional vice president for the South Central Territory Medicare Plans for

Aetna. He has also held key leadership roles at WellPoint/UniCare, UniCare Health Plans of Texas, Great-West Healthcare, Humana and PCA Health Plans of Texas. Hickey served in care delivery and health policy advocacy roles in the United States Army Medical Department. He earned his master’s degree from Central Michigan University and his bachelor’s degree from Providence College in Rhode Island.

COMPANY NEWSHealthCare.com has been recognized as a Top 100 Global Technology Company by Red Herring, an independent company that curated and evaluated more than 2,000 start-ups and growth-stage companies before selecting the Top 100 at a competition held in Los Angeles in October. HealthCare.com was awarded a Red Herring 100 award back in 2016, at the time being named one of the most exciting and game-changing innovators in North America.

Red Herring recognized HealthCare.com and its direct-to-consumer insuretech division, Pivot Health, for its growth and disruption of the individual health insurance market in the United States and its potential to use its search and direct-to-consumer enrollment platforms to positively change the emerging supplemental and healthcare insurance markets. Red Herring evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria such as fi nancial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy and market penetration. Previous winners include Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube and eBay.

For the eleventh year in a row, San Diego-based risk manage-ment and insurance brokerage fi rm Cavignac & Associates has been selected by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America as part of its elite “Best Practices” study group, comprised of independent insurance agencies across the United States.

Each year since 1993, IIABA and Reagan Consulting have joined forces to study the country’s leading agencies in six revenue categories. Th e agencies comprising the study groups are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. Th e selected “Best Practices” agencies retain their status during the three-year cycle by submitting extensive fi nancial and operational data for review each year.

In 2016, which marked the start of a new three-year study cycle, more than 1,500 independent agencies throughout the United States were nominated to take part in the annual study, but only 262 agencies qualifi ed for the honor.

ConnectYourCare, a provider of consumer-directed healthcare account solutions, was recently honored as #19 on Baltimore Busi-ness Journal’s Fast 50 list of the fastest-growing private companies in Greater Baltimore and was also named #56 on its Largest Private Companies list.

Th e Fast 50 Award honors the fastest-growing private companies, based on revenue growth for 2017 over 2016, and recognizes the 50 best-performing private companies in Greater Baltimore. Th e Largest Private Company ranking was based on 2017 revenue and honors 100 companies across the Greater Baltimore area.

Cavignac & Associates Principals (from left to right): Matthew Noonan, Patrick Casinelli, Jeff Cavignac, James Schabarum, Scott Bedingfi eld and Matthew Slakoff


Most who have been in the pharmacy benefits business for any length of time have learned that change, both real and perceived, is constant. Perceived change is driven by marketing lingo and product positioning by organizations claiming new to market or revolutionary solutions when, in fact, the real measurable solution is still in the proof of concept phase.

Why does this matter? Right now, our industry is undergoing major restructur-ing that is purported to bring about great

change, more control for plan sponsors, bet-ter control over the total healthcare spend, and increased visibility into medical and pharmacy costs. There are several market dynamics that are converging to mold the future of healthcare.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEIn the years leading up to 2018, consolida-tion or horizontal integration across phar-macy benefit managers was a major driver of change. Competition was whittled down

to a few jumbo carve-out PBM providers that wield enormous buying power and influence throughout the entire pharmacy-supply chain. Individually and collectively, they created a paradigm shift in which plan sponsors began abdicating control to the PBM for oversight of the pharmacy pro-gram such as: allowing drugs to be excluded from the formulary; the acceptance of required step therapies/prior authorization; and more frequent formulary changes.

Why were plans willing to tolerate these disruptions? These concessions were driven in large part by the reality that no other ef-fective model existed. Despite claims to the contrary, the majority of today’s PBMs use near-identical methods for controlling drug spend and reporting value to their clients. Real or perceived, moving forward we will be required to evaluate new solutions based on redesigned criteria.

PHARMACY

PREDICTIONS

THE MAJORITY OF TODAY’S PBMS USE

NEAR-IDENTICAL METHODS FOR

CONTROLLING DRUG SPEND AND

REPORTING VALUE TO THEIR CLIENTS.

By Scott Vogel

Partner, Confidio

Baltimore, MD

[email protected]


PHARMACY PREDICTIONS

VERTICAL INTEGRATIONThe recent health plan/PBM acquisitions are based on value propositions that are in stark contract to historical best practices. The vertical integration of CVS Health/Aetna, Cigna/ESI and UHG/Catamaran (OptumRx) presents a paradigm shift toward medical and pharmacy integration. The perceived value of this integration will challenge the prevailing belief that carving out pharmacy from the health plan to a specialist will result in lower cost and bet-ter member experience. Moving forward, PBMs’ historical value proposition will be overshadowed by the promise of manag-ing total cost of care. Additionally, three of the top four specialty pharmacies that total roughly 75% of the market share will now be under common ownership with a health plan. It is expected that health plans will be-gin to more effectively leverage the specialty pharmacies’ distribution, aggressive man-agement strategies and rebating capabilities under the medical benefit as they seek to tackle total cost of care.

PRESCRIBER ENGAGEMENTAlong with vertical integration will be a transformation in the way PBMs and health plans work with prescribers. Currently, too much of the drug benefit management hap-pens after a patient walks out of the physi-cian’s office. Putting point-of-sales claim-adjudication information at the fingertips of the physician at the point of prescribing will be a game changer, minimizing member disruption and creating an environment for more effective management of the drug benefit. This consolidation opens the doors to future development, such as providing integrated medical/pharmacy information or even outcomes data directly to the physi-cian at the point of prescribing.

BIOSIMILARS’ ROLE IN LOWERING SPECIALTY COSTSBiosimilar availability in the marketplace holds great promise for millions of dollars in plan-cost savings but have yet to be maxi-

mized. As with generic products, significant price decreases will not occur until multiple biosimilars enter the market. Current biosimilars offering a 10% to 35% savings off the innovators list price is not enough to offset rebating strategies. Unfortunately, this prohibits the PBMs from aggressively promoting the biosimilar. In addition, regulatory process, manufacturer patent litigation and prescriber concern regarding interchangeability has severely hampered the impact biosimilars have made. Over 40 biosimilars are approved in Europe but there are only three available in the United States— and for available biosimilars, uptake has been terribly slow. To provide an example of the magnitude of this problem, Prozac lost over 80% of its market share within six months of its generic equivalent launch. However, Remicade remains at roughly 50% market share after two years of biosimilar availability.

GOVERNMENT INFLUENCEDrug pricing is being pressured from all angles within the government. In May, the Trump Administration published its blueprint to address drug-pricing concerns, titled American Patients First, which focuses on driving competition, increased negotia-tion, incentives for lower-priced drugs and lowering out-of-pocket costs. In addition, Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, and the commissioner of the FDA, Scott Gottlieb, are making frequent public statements about the need for a change in the current drug-pricing ecosystem. In fact, the government has already made significant policy changes, such as allowing step-ther-apy (including for biosimilars) in Medicare Part B. In addition, the Administration is

focused on bringing more biosimilars with the FDA’s July 2018 release of the Biosimilar Action Plan, which will shift the dynamic of the U.S. biosimilar market.

SPECIALTY PHARMACY GROWTH AND CHALLENGES Specialty growth has been (and, without a material change, will continue to be) a huge source for PBM profits, resulting in one of the most concerning areas of misaligned in-terests within the PBM model. As one of the highest-trending components of healthcare, analysts predict that specialty pharmacy will equal 50% of total drug spend by 2020, yet some plan sponsors are already there. According to the Pharmacy Benefit Man-agement Institute, the average annual cost of a specialty patient was $52,486 in 2015—higher than the median wage!

While today specialty patients represent only one to two percent of the population, there is a huge portion of the population with a rare disease for which no medication is available. It is estimated that 30 million individuals have a rare condition but only five percent of them have a treatment avail-able. This is a clear target for drug manufac-turers, which are developing new medica-tions that are priced not just in the tens of thousands but in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Specialty management will be one of our most difficult challenges moving forward due to the risk created by the exceptionally high costs of these drugs (especially for small and midsize self-fund-ed employers), lack of credible data that integrates medical outcomes and pharmacy claims, lack of visibility and controls over specialty drugs adjudicated through the medical benefit, and limited clinical out-

DRUG PRICING IS BEING

PRESSURED FROM ALL ANGLES

WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT.



comes data that justifies the price of these high-cost drugs.

THE REBATE BUBBLEThe list price of a drug that members in high-deductible health plans pay has zero correlation with the true net cost of the drug after rebates. That said, both Express Scripts and CVS say that they return 95% to 98% of rebates to plan sponsors. While they did not disclose how much of the rebates were shared five years ago, our firm attests to the fact that many more sponsors today receive 100% of rebates compared to five years ago.

This has certainly put pressure on PBMs to grow revenues elsewhere, not to men-tion the immense pressure to make rebates go away all together. To be clear, Express Scripts and CVS reported the “percentage of rebates” they share but specifically did not discuss the “percentage of total manufactur-er revenue,” which would be much lower.

Worth noting: There are significant revenue streams that flow from drug manufacturers to PBMs that are contractu-ally defined as anything but rebates. In fact, some PBMs have gone so far as to remove inflation-protection rebates from their contracts with manufacturers. By creating a separate contract with manufacturers for the same dollar value but under a different contractual structure, the PBMs can retain more profit.

MARKET DISRUPTERSPlan sponsors are becoming lest trustwor-thy of the PBM value proposition. Large employers and coalitions are seeking ways to disaggregate the current PBM model by le-veraging PBMs’ technology and scale while stripping out the areas of misalignment. In

its simplest form, two examples of this are contracting with a specialty pharmacy that is not owned by the PBM and no longer using the PBM for rebate management and instead contracting directly with the manu-facturer or third-party rebate aggregator. The vertical consolidation has not helped this feeling of skepticism.

According to the National Business Group on Health, 56% of employers were skeptical the consolidation would lower cost and improve both quality and the customer experience. It’s for some of these same reasons that Amazon has been snooping around the PBM space and is expected to continue to invest in ways to disrupt the current PBM market, whether leveraging its logistical prowess through the wholesaler licenses it owns, developing a direct-to-consumer solution focusing on transparency and consumerism, or continued acquisitions of strategic solutions such as PillPack, which was announced in June of this year.

While many of the dynamics are cur-rently contributing to the stormy seas, the pharmacy benefits landscape will continue to evolve. We expect a few unique perspec-tives to emerge in the next 18 to 24 months:

1. Total cost of care will be driven by vertical integration.Historically PBMs focused on lowering outpatient prescription drug spend. More recently, PBMs realized they could posi-tively impact medical specialty drug spend. However, this approach is still siloed as it considers only a patient’s drug cost. PBMs have also started to demonstrate the value of their programs through the anticipated impact of reduced medical costs by work-ing more closely with members to manage

certain disease states. Moving forward, total cost of care will be front and center of every health plan and PBM sales pitch. The combination of two separate specialist orga-nizations, a health plan and a PBM, under one singular vision will create opportunities for data scientists to leverage not just big data but also medical/pharmacy integrated data. This integration will seek to under-stand not only which drug offers the best clinical results but also which drug offers the lowest total cost of care. It is likely that we may see arguments stating that higher-cost drug therapies drive lower medical costs. In addition, we will see integrated clinical/patient management strategies where both the health plan and the PBM, for the first time, use the exact same clinical protocols to manage a patient’s health.

2. Transparency and consumerism will grow.The rebating system will be meaningfully transformed. Eliminating rebates altogether will likely be too significant as it would send a shockwave through the entire supply chain. However, it would not be surpris-ing to see a world where the government redefines the rules of the game as it relates to rebates, thus driving greater transpar-ency into the true net cost of medications and, in the process, helping to eliminate misaligned interests within the PBM model. With the continued rise of high-deductible health plans, this increased transparency will demand a new perspective of consum-erism that will include providing consumers integrated data focusing on total cost of care and clinical outcomes. Consumerism may also play a role in how rebates are reimag-ined by PBMs. Think of a world where a manufacture would reimburse a member or the plan sponsor if the medication does not work. While this may be an extreme, PBMs will certainly be challenged to move away from what some call a pay-to-play atmosphere to value-based rebate contract-ing or even developing rebate strategies that are based on the integrated medical and

SPECIALTY MANAGEMENT WILL BE

ONE OF OUR MOST DIFFICULT

CHALLENGES MOVING FORWARD.



pharmacy clinical-management protocols mentioned earlier.

3. Disrupters may gain attention.Disruptors are not just new market entrants, but also include existing companies pro-viding a disruptive solution, such as new pricing models or potentially going at risk for costs and outcomes. Amazon, JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway are clearly looking to disrupt the market. However, disrup-tion will also be in the form of continued disaggregation of the entire health benefi ts-administration model—e.g., an integrated health and hospital system or accountable care organizations purchasing discrete ser-vices from PBMs and health plans/TPAs and supplementing them with in-house services or third parties (development of clinical protocols, formulary management, drug purchasing, member navigation/advocacy).

CONCLUSIONWhat does this all mean? Perceived change or real change? While we may not know exactly what we are facing, we must be pre-pared to look at eff ectiveness, pricing and outcomes through a diff erent lens, one that can focus on price transparency, integrated clinical and fi nancial outcomes, consumer-ism and total cost of care. Th e eff ects of vertical integration will force plans and their benefi t advisors to re-examine how they contract and procure PBM services, weigh the risks vs benefi ts of maintaining carve-out contracts, and sift through what’s real vs. perceived changes in the way pharmacy and medical costs are tracked and managed.

Real change is coming, and while it may not be as soon as the market will try to convince us, now is the time to be thought-ful and start preparing.

Scott Vogel is a partner at Confi dio, a technology-enabled pharmacy benefi t consulting fi rm serving millions of members nationally. Aft er spending more than a decade

working within the PBM industry, Scott now helps bridge the gap between PBMs and clients, working to improve program eff ectiveness, lower costs and drive member satisfaction. Scott has worked in fi nancial, analytic, account-management and sales roles within a PBM. Scott received both a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Missouri.


Say you have a group of potential customers who don’t understand your product. Even more, they find it extremely stressful to even think about, with a reputation for avoiding face-to-face contact and not sticking around long enough to realize the benefits of what you’re offering.

Doesn’t sound like the ideal set-up for success, does it?

Yet you can’t afford to ignore these customers, because they’re taking over your world. If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m

talking about millennials, the largest genera-tion in history and already the lion’s share of the U.S. labor force, at 56 million strong.1

That means when we talk about millen-nials, we’re really talking about the future of the workplace overall—and the future of your business. In many organizations, those in the upper end of this 22- to 37-year-old generation are already managers and decision-makers. If you want to continue meeting the benefits needs of your clients, it’s worth the time to evaluate your strategy

to make sure it’s on target to reach and engage millennials.

Here are three things to know about your clients’ millennial employees to help ensure you’re bringing them the best possible benefits package. (Spoiler alert: Some of the stereotypes mentioned above aren’t exactly true. We’ll get into that in a moment.)

1. Millennials want to talk to someone about their benefits.When it comes to learning about their ben-efits options, online resources lead the way for all employees, not just our digital native millennials. A new study commissioned by Colonial Life and Unum2 showed just more than a third of employees say websites or intranets are their preferred method.

But a deeper dive into the data reveals several surprises. First, younger workers are no more likely than 35-to-49-year-olds—in some cases, significantly less likely—to

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MILLENNIALS AND BENEFITS

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MILLENNIALS,

WE’RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT THE

FUTURE OF THE WORKPLACE OVERALL—

AND THE FUTURE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

By Chip James

Assistant Vice President,

Enrollment Solutions

Colonial Life & Accident

Insurance Company

Columbia, SC

[email protected]


MILLENNIALS AND BENEFITS

prefer online learning resources. Th at op-tion was cited by 43% of those 18 to 24 and 41% of those 25 to 34, compared to 50% of workers 35 to 49.

Even more startling, the younger workers are much more likely than their Gen X and baby boomer colleagues to prefer speak-ing to a benefi ts advisor in person or on the phone. In fact, more than a quarter of 18-to-24-year-olds and more than 30% of 25-to-34-year-olds cited this preference. Th at compares to about 20% of the older workers.

Despite their online-all-the-time reputa-tion, millennials clearly value the opportu-nity to talk with someone in person, one-to-one, when they need expert advice.

What this means to you: Be sure your benefi ts-education strategy includes op-portunities for employees to meet and talk individually with a benefi ts expert. You don’t have to pull this off on your own. Take advantage of benefi ts partners that can pro-vide experienced, licensed, knowledgeable benefi ts counselors with high business qual-ity scores to ensure both successful annual enrollments and eff ective communication throughout the year.

2. Millennials suff er from low levels of fi nancial literacy.Millennials may be tech-savvy but they’re far from fi nance-savvy. One recent study3 showed a signifi cant fi nancial literacy gap between them and the U.S. adult population overall: American adults answered 50% of questions correctly, while only 44% of mil-lennials could do so. Th at number dropped to only 41% for younger millennials.

Even more troubling for our business: Th e study showed fi nancial literacy among both younger and older millennials is low-est in the areas of comprehending risk and insuring. Insurance in particular showed the biggest gap in fi nancial literacy between older and younger millennials.

Yet millennials do value access to benefi ts at work. In fact, they have the same strong in-terest in a comprehensive benefi ts package as older generations: Across the board, at least

50% of workers expect their employer to off er a generous suite of employee benefi ts.2

What this means to you: Many millen-nials haven’t yet experienced the common life events that prompt insurance coverage, such as getting married, buying a home or even buying a car. Th eir main fi nancial interaction so far may be struggling with the burden of heavy college loan debt. You can help build their fi nancial literacy and understanding of their insurance needs through a comprehensive, ongoing benefi ts education and communication plan. Th ink long-term here: Th ey may not all be buyers today but, when the time comes, they’ll have a stronger understanding of the value of and need for insurance coverage.

3. Millennials want their benefi ts enrollment to be easier.Let’s be honest, few people eagerly look for-ward to their benefi ts enrollment. But young-er workers report signifi cantly higher levels of stress, anxiety and confusion than other workers when enrolling in their benefi ts:2

18-to-24-year-old

employeesAll

employeesStress 28% 21%

Anxiety 32% 20% Confusion 29% 22%

It’s apparent workers of all ages—but especially younger millennials—are crying out for a more simple, modern and personal way to understand and enroll in their benefi ts.

What this means to you: You can help meet that need with the right combina-tion of high-tech and high-touch tools and strategies. Remember, technology is never an end in itself: It’s simply an enabler that

makes enrollment and ongoing benefi ts administration easier. And you don’t need to be a technology wizard to provide the right resources to your clients and their employees. Partner with a benefi ts provider that brings this expertise to you.

Millennials are a unique generation in some ways, but in many others they have the same needs as all employees. You can tap into this tremendous potential market by off ering a personalized, seamless enroll-ment experience and ongoing benefi ts com-munication plan that works across multiple channels—and generations.

1 “Millennials are the largest generation in the U.S. labor force,” Pew Research Center Fact Tank News in the Numbers, April 11, 2018

2 Unum and Colonial Life commissioned consumer poll of 1,227 adults, July 2018

3 Millennial Financial Literacy and Fin-tech Use: Who Knows What in the Digital Era, September 2018, TIAA Institute & Th e George Washington University School of Business and Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center

Chip James is assistant vice president of Enrollment Solutions at Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company. Before joining Colonial Life in 2017, he was a product manage-

ment consultant at Creative Health Soft ware, principal product manager at Benefi tfocus, VP of product management at American Specialty Health and AVP of enterprise tech strategy & innovation at Unum. Chip is a graduate of Washington and Lee University.

MILLENNIALS MAY BE TECH-SAVVY BUT

THEY’RE FAR FROM FINANCE-SAVVY.


Many times you hear a salesperson say, “We service the heck out of our customers. They’ll never leave us.” But then a competi-tor walks away with an account. No one saw it coming or what went wrong.

You may work hard getting new accounts and take servicing them seriously, yet they still leave. Why? Think about it this way: You buy a new car—it’s just what you want-ed. But after a year or so, you start thinking about the new models. That’s when little things about your current car start bugging

you: it doesn’t have this-or-that, there’s a squeak, the technology is outdated. Before you know it, you’re back in the showroom.

It’s no different with customers. When competitors come calling, they’re ripe for the picking. All of a sudden, the list of little things that fester over time gets longer. Before you know it, you’re sacked and replaced. It’s the accumulation of seemingly minor issues that do the damage and make customers vulnerable.

To help avoid this happening, here are 15 things you can do to keep your customers:

1. Be irritation-aware. By themselves, little things accumulate in a customer’s mind, tolerated and quietly dor-mant until something triggers a reaction. “I’ll call you back about that” …but you forgot. “I’ll get on it right now” …but you didn’t. Minor irritations to be sure but, over time, they become a big issue. That’s when the competitor arrives.

2. Meet deadlines. Jim might say, “Sorry, Susan, would it be okay if I got that to you tomorrow?” even though he knew the due date well in ad-vance. If it happens once, that’s understand-able. Twice and it’s seen as a pattern.

HOW TO

AVOID LOSING

CUSTOMERS TO

COMPETITORS

FEW THINGS RAISE RED FLAGS FASTER THAN

THOSE WHO COME ACROSS AS WISHY-WASHY

AND UNSURE OF THEMSELVES.

By John Graham

GrahamComm

Quincy, MA


AVOID LOSING CUSTOMERS TO COMPETITORS

3. Exhibit self-confidence. Few things raise red flags faster than those who come across as wishy-washy and unsure of themselves. Surprising as it may seem, it can happen to people who take their work seriously and make a point of being thorough. Even so, their behavior can be interpreted as being doubtful and lacking in confidence.

4. Be a resource. Make it a practice to keep your antennae tuned for ideas that may be of interest to customers. Then pass them along. It’s not only helpful, but it’s also a way to let them know you’re thinking of them.

5. Become a better presenter. A regional rep for a steel company signed up for a public-speaking class. “I’m not good enough on my feet,” he told the instructor. Months later, he received a big promotion and credited what he learned in the class as making the difference.

6. Get better organized. Smart salespeople know the value of being well organized. Intuitively, they recognize that getting customers what they need right away helps them to be seen as reliable— someone clients can count on.

7. Don’t talk about yourself. Understandably, you want to impress pros-pects and customers. Sometimes we try too hard, and we don’t do ourselves any favors by telling stories about ourselves. It’s not what customers want to hear.

8. Ask questions. How many times do we need to be re-minded that “telling isn’t selling”? However,

there are times when the urge is so strong that it gets out of control. Just remember, asking questions works better since it gives customers and prospects a chance to do what they know best: talk about themselves and what they do.

9. Be attentive. Salespeople know the danger of ignoring customers and do everything possible to avoid it from happening. But some custom-ers see it differently. What they notice are subtle changes in attentiveness: “Have we heard from Lurleen lately?” or “When was the last time Carl was in?” A picture begins to take shape. Once it starts, it sticks.

10. Be on time. Keeping customers waiting is dangerous at any time. Calling or texting you’ll be late doesn’t cut it. Some may think it lets you off the hook. It doesn’t. Customers, including those who don’t say anything, may feel dif-ferently. Being late may be ignored, but it’s not forgotten.

11. Respond rapidly. Those expecting a response have their own perception of “quickly.” It seems a bit tough, but a good rule of thumb is 15 minutes to one hour for responding to both phone calls and email. This includes simply letting someone know you received their message and when you will get back to them.

12. Anticipate problems. While optimism is essential when you’re in sales, it’s also useful to be bit pessimistic. It creates doubt, which will help you spot po-tential problems before disaster strikes. It’s better to be aware of what’s coming so you can correct it while there’s still time.

13. Listen intently. We all find ourselves thinking, “What did I just read? I can’t remember a word!” Our eyes were moving across the page but we were thinking about something else. It’s the same with listening, including sales situations. The customer is talking and we’re thinking about what we will say next. All it takes to avoid this is to take a few notes, just enough to capture what the customer is saying. Besides getting the message, you will impress customers that you’re focused on them.

14. Write simply. The goal is to make everything you write as easy to read as possible. To do this, some suggest shooting for a third-grade reading level. Don’t laugh. It’s difficult, requiring skill to reach that level of clarity. However, a fifth- to seventh-grade level works well for capturing and holding attention. You can check your writing (memos, emails, white papers, proposals, etc.) using MS Word. Go to tools > spelling and grammar to see your scores. For example, this article has a Flesch Readability Ease score of 66.8, fairly easy, along with a 6.8 grade level.

15. Express appreciation. Letting customers know you appreciate their business goes without saying—they like knowing you care. However, token gifts are thoughtful but weak substitutes for con-sistent top performance. That’s what justifies relationships.

John Graham is a marketing and sales strat-egy consultant and business writer. He is the creator of “Magnet Marketing” and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Mar-keting & Sales Ideas.” Visit www.johnrgra-ham.com to learn more.

WE DON’T DO OURSELVES ANY FAVORS

BY TELLING STORIES ABOUT OURSELVES.


While top-notch service makes it more likely you will earn introductions and refer-rals to new accounts from existing clients, post-sale service with each employee par-ticipant is equally or even more important to your future sales. This is particularly true if your yearly goal is to have a successful open enrollment with minimal employee cancellations and maximum new enrollees.

Always remember that a successful open enrollment relies on interest, support and buy-in from the end user—the employees. Never lose sight of service and how impact-ful it is on future sales, not to mention the positive employee-to-employee word of mouth that accompanies great service (or, conversely, the negative word that spreads quickly after poor or non-existent after-the-sale service).

Hold a Wellness and Claims Day. Unfortunately, it’s common for employees to cancel their enhanced benefits because they “haven’t used them” and no longer feel they need them. If not handled delicately, these unhappy and oftentimes misinformed employee clients can steer your open enroll-ment off course before it starts.

An esteemed colleague taught me years ago to set up a “Wellness and Claims Day” at least a month before open enrollment. Make yourself available on site to answer questions and file claims for your employee clients. Many enhanced benefit products include wellness benefits that serve as great reminders for employees of the value that these products bring to them, even if they’re not sick or injured. This is also a great time to probe employees for additional claims they may not be aware they could file or typically didn’t remember they had coverage for in the first place.

Large cases benefit from these Wellness and Claims Days at least quarterly. For clients with multiple locations, be sure you or someone from your claims team visits

each office. Base the amount of time spent at each business on employee population size. For mega-sized clients, consider spending a couple of days with varying hours.

When timed and filed properly, employee clients will have their checks just before you’re back for the actual benefits open enrollment.

Rock Star Tip: There is absolutely no selling to be done on this day—this is only a support and service day. If you start selling and enrolling on this day, your presence will likely be interpreted in a negative context, thus defeating the purpose for why you’re really there.

Act like each group client is a new warm prospect. When you think of an existing group client as a warm prospect, you will have a natural instinct to re-book an appointment with their key executives the same way that you would if you were courting them to become a new client. This way, you can re-diagnose and ask poignant questions to properly uncover their new needs and concerns.

Remember what led the group to tell you “yes” in the first place, and re-sell them on how you have delivered all of the great things you promised them to begin with. This way, you can re-create value for exist-ing products and services you provide while offering new and innovative solutions.

Then you can reestablish the open enroll-ment with the exact working conditions and employer buy-in that would be expected for a new group that’s never had an enhanced-benefits enrollment.

By following these three best practices for open-enrollment success, you not only show your clients that you’re a professional, but you also illustrate a consistent path for how you operate and what your clients can expect from you year in and year out.

In the next issue I will explain how the industry must be disrupted by the broker

By Eric Silverman

Silverman Benefits Group

Towson, MD

[email protected]

THREE EASY WAYS TO SUCCEED DURING YOUR NEXT ENHANCED BENEFITS OPEN ENROLLMENT

BE SERVICE-ORIENTED, EMPHASIZE

THE VALUE OF ENHANCED PRODUCTS

BEFORE OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGINS

AND TREAT EACH CLIENT LIKE A NEW

WARM PROSPECT.

Despite our best efforts, we’ve all had open enrollments go awry. Last month I empha-sized how the words you use to speak about enhanced benefits will impact employees’ per-ception of their value. Word choice is just one factor that can get in the way of performance.

In overseeing thousands of open enroll-ments conducted by hundreds of insurance agents over the years, I repeatedly observe three effective open-enrollment best prac-tices that will put those rocky enrollments behind you for good:

Service begets new sales. Do you have a committed system in place to ensure excellent after-the-sale service?

VOLUNTARY DISRUPTION

Continued on page 38


If you reflect on the changes that you’ve experienced in the last year, what’s changed? Did you receive a raise or year-end bonus? Were you promoted? Did you change jobs?

There are numerous factors related to your job, finances and health that you could have experienced this year. The same goes for your clients.

After a client purchases individual dis-ability insurance, time does not stop. Life happens after an IDI sale and changes like salary increases, promotions and job shifts can quickly turn an appropriate policy into an out-of-date one.

When we talk with clients to explain why it may be time to update their policy, they’re

often surprised. Many clients assume that once they purchase the policy, they’re set for life. As you meet with clients, it’s impor-tant to debunk this misunderstanding and demonstrate the need for policy mainte-nance—no matter what changes they may have experienced recently.

Here are a few ways to highlight how policy maintenance, such as increases in coverage, can help ensure a client’s IDI policy will meet their needs and reflect their current life stage:

Make the process straightforward. Clients may inaccurately assume that increasing their coverage is a hassle when,

in fact, submitting updated information to a carrier is a straightforward process. The complex language may make it seem con-fusing and more cumbersome than it truly is, so it’s important that you help clients navigate the process. Often, it’s just a one-page application that clients are required to fill out with their updated income informa-tion. Once they realize their policy could be updated by simply filling out a form, or with a few clicks of a button, the process may seem less intimidating and more manage-able for them.

Remind clients of the value of IDI. Position the importance of keeping a policy current by reminding your clients why they purchased coverage in the first place: income protection. How would expenses such as the mortgage, saving for retire-ment, taking care of day-to-day costs and paying off debt be impacted if your clients

ENSURING

CLIENTS’ IDI

POLICIES

MATCH THEIR

LIFE STAGE

MANY CLIENTS ASSUME THAT ONCE THEY

PURCHASE THE POLICY, THEY’RE SET FOR LIFE.

By Cari Bacon Flick

Second Vice President of

Individual Disability Operations

The Standard

Portland, OR


are not able to earn the same salary they’re accustomed to? Posing these questions and explaining how straightforward it can be to update coverage can help build the case for why it may be time to update their policy to refl ect the life stage they’re in.

Th e additional coverage provides clients with peace of mind that, should anything happen to them and they were no longer able to work, their lifestyle and their loved ones would be taken care of.

Revisit postponements. If a client has had a recent change in health or diagnosis of a health condition, some-times an underwriter will postpone making an off er until further information is avail-able. If that health condition has stabilized aft er a successful treatment, the underwriter may be able to look at that situation and make an off er aft er an additional full review. It’s a good idea to always keep track of post-ponements to see if you can secure coverage for your client at a later point.

Adjust the policy to life stages. Changes in a client’s job or income could re-sult in coverage gaps that could leave them exposed if they were to suddenly experience a long-term illness or injury. Remind them about the lifestyle that they’ve worked so

hard to build, and how their family would be impacted if they were too injured or sick to work for an extended period of time.

Match the policy to salary increases or health improvements. Your client’s occupation and income most likely dictated the way you structured their initial policy. For policies that include the ability to increase coverage in the future, it’s important to remind clients of these details and how to take advantage of them.

Some policy riders allow for adjustments to be made should a client need it. For ex-ample, policies may include basic monthly benefi t increases of a set percent a year for a set period of years. Aft er that set period, clients will need to apply to renew the feature. Th is type of rider can help ensure a client’s coverage keeps pace as their income increases, and they don’t have to undergo additional medical underwriting.

Oft en, an underwriter is willing to review a case if it had a rating or modifi cation at the time your client bought the policy. If your client’s health has improved or a condi-tion that was under treatment has shown a stable treatment plan, the underwriter may be willing to remove that modifi cation aft er a full underwriting review.

Off er the option to purchase additional coverage. Th ere are usually certain circumstances in which a client could purchase additional coverage before a policy anniversary, such as a signifi cant earnings increase or if they are no longer eligible for long-term dis-ability insurance. Th e option for additional coverage typically aligns with promotions or income increases to help keep pace with changes in a client’s life.

Th is type of product feature can be es-pecially helpful for young clients who have years of earnings potential ahead of them.

Continue to check in with them. As part of your periodic check-ins with clients, it can be benefi cial to ask probing questions such as what’s new in their life or have any big life changes happened that you should be aware of. Th at recent job change may improve their occupation class and lower their premium on their next policy increase.

Unless you proactively help your clients, the only time they may think about the changes needed to their IDI policy is when it’s too late. It’s crucial that you help clients ensure their policy keeps up with their life changes. Waiting to discuss this until it’s too late could leave clients susceptible to gaps in income or lower payments. Th e unexpected can happen and, if it does, you want your clients to be prepared.

Cari Bacon Flick is the second vice president of individual disability operations at Th e Standard. Cari focuses on the customer experience for Th e Standard’s distribution

partners and policy owners by improving processes, systems and support. She received her bachelor’s degree from Willamette University.

VOLUNTARY DISRUPTION Continued from page 36

community’s willingness to embrace constant changes in the employee benefi ts marketplace. Until next time, don’t just have a great month—make it a great month!

Eric Silverman, founder and owner of Voluntary Disruption, a division of Silverman Benefi ts Group, is an Amazon best-selling author

featured in the new book Breaking through the Status Quo, and he’s EBA Magazine’s 2017 Voluntary Adviser of the Year. Voluntary Disruption works as the “adviser’s adviser” for client’s small to large all across the country, and is nationally recognized as a disruptive carrier agonistic enhanced benefi ts boutique with in-house distribution and enrollment services. Reach Eric directly at 443-676-0340 or [email protected].

MATCHING IDI TO LIFE STAGES


Here are some end-of-year reminders as you wrap up benefits communication with groups that employ Spanish speakers:

1. A message that is effective for English speakers will not necessarily work well in Spanish. Spanish speakers’ objections and priorities have to be identified and addressed.

2. Professional translation of written documents is necessary but is almost never enough to change employees’ behavior and

educate them sufficiently so that they make decisions in their own best interest.

3. It is VERY risky, for many reasons, to rely on your clients’ bilingual employees for benefits communication. For starters, these employees are not benefits experts and very often they hold the same misconceptions about benefits as other Spanish-speaking employees. In addition, you have no control over how they are conveying your message. They do not answer to you and there is re-

ally no reason for them for to be invested in your success.

4. However, bilingual supervisors are a more trusted source of benefits information than anyone who comes in once a year at open enrollment. Consider taking the time to on-board these influencers separately with the importance of benefits and specifi-cally educate them as to how the plans work, and how benefits usage can impact their employer financially.

5. Do not assume that Spanish speakers decline a given benefit because they cannot afford it.

6. The majority of Spanish speakers working in this country are candidates for term life insurance because they have fam-ily members depending on their income.

TOP 10 TIPS FOR

COMMUNICATING

BENEFITS

TO SPANISH

SPEAKERS

EDUCATE SPANISH SPEAKERS APPROPRIATELY

DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT SO THAT THEY

USE BENEFITS CORRECTLY.

By Melissa Burkhart

President, Futuro Sólido USA

Denver, CO

[email protected]


COMMUNICATING BENEFITS TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

Otherwise they would not choose to come to this country.

7. Avoid unpleasant surprises. Educate Spanish speakers appropriately during open enrollment so that they use benefi ts correctly throughout the year. Use concrete examples and scenarios to illustrate out-of-pocket costs.

8. It is risky to expect Spanish speakers to enroll in anything online. A few might, but many will be very reluctant. ALWAYS provide paper enrollment forms.

9. Have separate enrollment meetings for English and Spanish speakers. Hire a presenter rather than an interpreter.

10. Th ink ahead. Bad news always spreads, so develop a strategy to share good news about employees’ positive experiences with their benefi ts.

With an MA in education from Columbia Teachers College, Melissa Burkhart was a teacher for 10 years, working closely with Spanish-speaking students and their families.

She learned Spanish in Ecuador, Spain, Colombia and on the subway in New York City. In 2001, she established Futuro Sólido USA, a NAHU partner translation company specializing in bridging cultural as well as language barriers, which has served benefi ts and HR professionals for over 18 years. She has recently developed the Benefi ts Light Bulb Series, short engaging videos that clarify tricky benefi ts concepts for both English and Spanish speakers.

Join us in beautiful San Diego!NAHU 2019 Convention

June 29 — July 2

Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina1380 Harbor Island Dr.

San Diego


CPC QUIZ

DESIGNATION INFORMATION

NAHU acquired the REBC, RHU and ChHC designations from The American College on January 1, 2017. At that time, NAHU reset all of the maintenance periods. All students who received their designation through The American College have until December 31, 2018, to self-report 24 CPCs to maintain their designation. A biannual fee is also required. Students will be contacted when the fee is due.

Students who earn the REBC designation through NAHU will have a two-year maintenance period starting on the day of graduation.

If you have questions regarding the maintenance or acquisition of designations, please email [email protected] or call the NAHU Professional Development Helpdesk at 844-257-0990.

Listed on the following pages are the CPC quiz questions. These questions and possible answers will not be in the same order online as published.

Clients Struggling with ACA Compliance? Here’s What They Need in a Solution

By Marcie O'Dwyer Page 35

Shedding Light on Benefits for Spanish Speakers

By Melissa BurkhartPage 33

Seven Things to Know about Reference-Based Pricing for Smaller Employers

By Daniel MacLeodPage 30

This CPC quiz is based on three articles from the November 2018 issue

of ABS magazine.

You may refer to these articles for assistance in passing this quiz.

NAHU is providing an opportunity to acquire continuing

professional credits (CPCs) to maintain your REBC, RHU and

ChHC designations. Individuals holding these designations

are required to self-report 24 CPCs biannually in their Online

Learning Institute profi le. This 15-question quiz is worth one

CPC to those who submit and pass the quiz by December 20.

Due to the awesome response NAHU has received, we have

created a new quiz platform that provides students with more

benefi ts. First, you will now automatically receive your grade

after you submit the quiz. Second, you will be able to see

which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly. Last,

if you pass with 70% or higher, the CPC will automatically be

recorded in your Online Learning Institute profi le in the “My

Credit Tracking” section.

>>>

Answers must be submitted

online by December 20. To submit

your answers, visit http://nahu.

inreachce.com/ and select “ABS

CPC Quiz” in the Subject Area.

Select this month’s CPC quiz. Log in

to your account and add the FREE

ABS CPC Quiz to your cart and

checkout. The quiz will then appear

in your Online Learning Institute

account, where you can complete

the quiz. Upon a passing grade, a

CPC will be awarded towards the

maintenance of your designation.


CPC QUIZ

1. What types of companies are subject to receive an ACA penalty letter?A. small and midsize businessesB. Applicable Large EmployersC. federal governmentD. human resources

2. What is the name of the letter that employers are receiving for noncompliance with the ACA? A. Letter 226-JB. Letter 227-KC. ESRP letterD. Form 14764

3. Starting in November 2018, the IRS will send out ACA pen-alty letters for which reporting year?A. 2014B. 2015C. 2016D. 2017

4. Under the ACA, what type of health coverage must be offered to full-time-equivalent employees?A. full coverageB. minimum essential coverageC. minimum quality coverageD. affordable essential coverage

5. What types of fully auditable forms should an ACA reporting solution produce for employers?A. 1099 and 1095B. W-2C. 1095 and 1094D. Letter 226

6. Which is the following is true about machine translation tools, such as Google Translate, for benefits material?A. It is a great way to save money.B. If an occasional error occurs, employees probably won’t notice.C. It can usually translate short, simple messages accurately.D. It is a very useful way to clarify tricky, industry-specific

terminology.

7. When might you consider having a bilingual employee trans-late benefits material?A. If he or she speaks Spanish at home and English at work.B. If he or she has a higher degree from a Spanish-speaking

country in a language-related fielD. C. If he or she offers to does the translation outside of regular

work hours so it does not interfere with other job respon-sibilities.

D. If you don’t have a budget for professional translation.

8. Which of the following statements is false?A. You should take the same care with your written material

in Spanish as you do with those in English.B. Spanish speakers tend to have a lot of confidence in their

benefits and the communication process.C. Even small errors in your written Spanish undermine your

credibility and professionalism.D. Bilingual employees are very rarely prepared to provide

quality written translation.

9. Which of the following is a good way to save money when using a professional translation vendor?A. Send RFPs for each project and work with whoever pro-

vides the lowest estimate.B. Use a freelance linguist rather than an agency.C. Use an agency that provides machine translation as often

as possible.D. Use the same agency consistently throughout your organi-

zation to leverage text that is repeated across documents.

10. Which of the following is NOT one of the advantages of up-to-date translation-management software?A. It eliminates the need for a human linguist, which saves

time and money.B. It detects material that has been previously translated,

which can generate a discount for the client.C. It detects material that has been previously translated,

which saves the linguist time and helps to meet tight deadlines.

D. It ensures that a term in English is translated the same way into Spanish every time it appears.


CPC QUIZ

11. What is reference-based pricing? A. a payment methodology of paying providers for covered

treatments and services using a “reasonable fee” based on a reference point

B. a payment methodology in which employees pay their employers directly for covered treatments and services using a “reasonable fee” based on a reference point

C. a payment methodology of paying providers for uncov-ered treatments and services using a “reasonable fee” based on a reference point

D. a reimbursement methodology for non-medical services or treatments submitted by employees to their employers

12. Why are reference-based pricing self-funded plan designs with stop-loss insurance an attractive option for smaller employers? A. They give employees the potential for a refund if claim

dollars are less than fundeD. B. They have the advantage of an additional premium tax to

employers since self-funding claim dollars are subject to state health insurance premium taxes.

C. They give providers the potential for a refund if claim dol-lars are less than fundeD.

D. They give employers the potential for a refund if claim dollars are less than fundeD.

13. How will an employee’s experience be different with refer-ence-based pricing? A. With reference-based pricing, for most services employees

are free to choose the provider that’s right for them.B. They are guaranteed higher employee contributions,

as reference-based pricing plans are substantially more expensive than traditional PPO plans.

C. Employees will have a highly restricted list of providers to choose from for all services.

D. Their Explanation of Benefits will look the same, even with a balance-bill.

14. What is balance-billing?A. when providers are paid in full for billed charges but pur-

sue additional payments from the patient. B. when providers are not paid the full billed charge or when

they are not subject to a network contracted reimburse-ment rate and they pursue additional payments from the broker

C. when providers are not paid the full billed charge from the plan or when they are not subject to a network contracted reimbursement rate, and they pursue additional payments from the patient

D. when an employer sends an employee a bill for their health benefits

15. What can an employee do to keep healthcare costs low with a reference-based pricing plan design?A. Exclusively use hospitals for x-rays, MRIs, CT scans and

other imaging tests versus independent, stand-alone imag-ing centers.

B. Avoid using the same primary care doctor and instead use multiple ones to save on first-time visit charges.

C. Only use hospital lab facilities for blood tests versus na-tional laboratory groups, which are always more expen-sive.

D. Select the most cost-effective services for their condition, whether it is a retail clinic, urgent care or emergency room.

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S QUIZ:1. B, 2. C, 3. B, 4. C, 5. A, 6. B, 7. A, 8. D, 9. C, 10. B, 11. C, 12. B, 13. A, 14. D, 15. C

CPC Quiz Sponsored by


WELCOME TO NAHUNAHU would like to welcome the professionals who joined us

in September. Thank you and welcome to the NAHU family!

ALABAMAGregory Wren

ALASKAHope Donaldson

ARIZONALorraine Davis

ARKANSASTate Cole

CALIFORNIAOlu AdesuyanYolanda ChavezEmre ErtonCynthia KaneMichael KellyJoseph LeeDeeDee LetroianiZhiHong LiuKeith MendozaRudy MontalvoRaul MoralesMichael MulqueeneyTawnie NavarroCarol Seligson FabiTyler Zell

COLORADORobert GonzalesJoe HeblerJulie Knipe

CONNECTICUTPatricia PearsonJohn PhillipsKeith Taylor

FLORIDATamberlin AlbertelliJames BaxleyJulie BoulangerAmanda CarrahMatthew Claasen

Ruth DouglassSheri GaulDonald GriesheimerBrian GrisantiMarc KarbowskiLaura KitayDel LockettTheresa MilesChris NastanovichGerman OsorioChristina RicapitoPaul RichardMaria RodriguezJ Mark RubensteinRicardo SorianoNata TreisePreston VertichJacob VothJoAnn Wolverton

GEORGIABrelynn DuMortierAmanda FountainZach LaymanCarl SchuesslerMatthew White

IDAHOBenjamin HolmesDawn Larsen

ILLINOISFrank Del BartoJacqueline EasleyGreg SiplaJanette Wyatt

INDIANACheryl AshbaughKatherine Rice

IOWADennis Fratella

KANSASDallas Scrip

KENTUCKYJude Thompson

LOUISIANASuzanne DaigleAmanda DoyleGwen Jacob

MARYLANDEllen BarefordMathias Humm

MASSACHUSETTSLinda Saunders

MICHIGANBobi-Jo Abu-JoudehMargaret AndersonCynthia BrownChris BurnettMichael ColitonTerry CzarneckiNabila DaKroubSamatha D’OnofrioWendy DowningTerry EastBridget FazzolaraAmanda FordThomas GraberGary GrayGarland GrazierDiane HardinCraig ImpastatoMark MajorosJim McCloyBeverly MessinaThomas MielkeKelly OlmstedMak SinclairStewart SmithBrian WensauerTamara Wilfinger

MISSISSIPPISteve Armstrong

MISSOURIMarc BarnesStacie CokeTed Guarino

NEVADAJennifer Lorenz

NEW HAMPSHIRESusan Walsh

NEW JERSEYBrian BeckertJoe CliftonLouis FiumeLou GeorgesCiro GiueDanielle KeilNeil LevinsonTara O’KeefeSarah ScalaPhoebe ShaganMichael Welger

NEW MEXICOAndrew McDanielsJohn McDanielsKatrina Smith

NEW YORKRobert DuntonMichael HillAllison JudgeJoseph McKeonBetty MurphyAndrew Skoutelas

NORTH CAROLINAJames DeeseTad HarrellRhonda Robinson

OHIOScott AlversonRenee GordonRoxanne Kaufman ElliottDavid PetnoJames Vaughan

OKLAHOMATimothy BrooksSydney Overstake

OREGONChristopher BoonDavid CoghillBenjamin DavisMatt HustonBenjamin PrinzingMichelle Thomas

PENNSYLVANIAToyia PlaterCynthia SmolockApril WuethrichCharles Zook

SOUTH CAROLINANancy MinorGregory Waterstradt

TENNESSEEBlake McCoy

TEXASPaul AllinKaren BaileyLacey BartlettJohnna BinstedAllissa BorenSteve BumpassVictoria DamoneCurtis EstesStacy FischerTaylor FosterDavid Gaitan


Ed GamboaJennifer GarzaBrian HarmatukBilly LeeMartha MartinezJason MeffordVictor MirelesMike NoresMitchell PetersonAnna Puente-BerrySugeid RendonEddie Resendez

Jeffrey RiesenfeldJJ RuizNichole SehonLaurie SepanskiSandy SloneAlyssa SpruillSally Stickney

UTAHJennifer Christian-senJoanie HardcastleJamie Larson

Heidi PadillaDerelys PatrickBen SlaughJennifer Stark

VIRGINIAPeggy ArthurAaron CrainshawChris SillWylesia Williams

WASHINGTONRichard Rosaaen

PROVIDER PROFILE

ADVERTISER INDEX

Advertiser Page

Avesis .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................22-23ConnectYourCare ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 31Denali Dental & Vision ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 45Further ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................5HSA Bank ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................IFCNippon Life Benefits ..............................................................................................................................................................................................OBCPetersen International Underwriters ..................................................................................................................................................................IBCWelltheos .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................25

ASSOCIATION EVENTSNAHU Chapter Officers:

If your chapter is holding a convention, symposium or other kind of

meeting, send the info to [email protected] and we’ll print it here!

FEBRUARY 7PAHU CEO ROUNDTABLE

Portland, OR

https://pahuonline.com/

events/

FEBRUARY 25-27CAPITOL CONFERENCE

2019

Washington, DC

www.nahu.org

MARCH 19CIAHU BUSINESS EXPO

East Peoria, IL

www.ciahu.us

MARCH 31-APRIL 2NCAHU CAPITOL

CONFERENCE &

SYMPOSIUM

Raleigh, NC

www.ncsymposium.org

APRIL 16PAHU SPRING FORUM

Portland, OR

https://pahuonline.com/

events/

APRIL 24-26TAHU’S 31ST ANNUAL

CONFERENCE

Dallas, TX

www.tahu.org

MAY 20-22CAHU CAPITOL SUMMIT

& EXPO

Sacramento, CA

www.cahu.org

JUNE 29-JULY 2NAHU’S ANNUAL

CONVENTION

San Diego, CA

www.nahu.org


NAHU’S BOARD OF TRUSTEESPRESIDENTRussell Lee Rice, SGSAVESIS Inc.

San Antonio, TX

210-384-8103; [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECTPatricia A. Griffey, LUTCF, RHU, ChHCThe Healy Group

South Bend, IN


VICE PRESIDENTR. Dane RianhardTriBridge Partners LLC

Baltimore, MD


TREASUREREugene StarksBenefit Administration Services Ltd.

Ridgeland, MS

601-366-8002, ext. 1007; [email protected]

SECRETARYKelly Don Fristoe, LUTCF, SGSFinancial Partners

Wichita Falls, TX


IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTMichael A. Embry, RHU, REBCComprehensive Benefits Inc.

Southfield, MI


EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CEOJanet TrautweinNAHU

Washington, DC


REGION 1 VICE PRESIDENTMichael GrinnellCorporate Plans Inc.

Syracuse, NY

(315) 225-7895; [email protected]

REGION 2 VICE PRESIDENTErica HainKeystone Insurers Group Inc.

Northumberland, PA


REGION 3 VICE PRESIDENTMichael P. DeagleBenAxis Inc.

Schaumburg, IL


REGION 4 VICE PRESIDENTAlycia RiedlWillis Towers Watson

St. Louis Park, MN


REGION 5 VICE PRESIDENTPaige W. PhillipsAWM Inc.

Calera, AL


REGION 6 VICE PRESIDENTEdward OleksiakHolmes Murphy & Associates

Dallas, TX


REGION 7 VICE PRESIDENTRaymond E. MagnusonMagnuson and Associates

Tucson, AZ


REGION 8 VICE PRESIDENTPatrick BurnsBurns Employee Benefits Insurance Services

Oakland, CA


MEMBERSHIP COUNCIL CHAIRMichelle HowardHealth Alliance Plan

Detroit, MI


LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CHAIRNicholas A. Moriello, RHUHighmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware

Wilmington, DE


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRKaren KirkpatrickOn Your Mark Consulting

Bronson, MI



NAHU’s address is: 1212 New York Ave NW, Ste 1100, Washington, DC 20005

and the main phone number is 202-552-5060

YOUR NAHU STAFF

EXECUTIVE & ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICEJanet Trautwein Executive Vice President & CEO 202-595-0639 [email protected]

Jennifer Murphy CFO & COO 202-595-3696 [email protected]

Brooke Willson Vice President of Leadership Services 202-595-0734 [email protected]

Megan Caputo Vice President of Corporate Programs 202-808-0635 [email protected]

Robert Holst Director of Human Resources & Finance 202-595-3699 [email protected]

MEMBER RELATIONSIllana Maze Sr. VP of Member Relations, Technology & Operations 202-595-3604 [email protected]

Bob Tretter Vice President of Marketing & Recruitment 202-595-7564 [email protected]

Ulla Boshigt Director of Member Relations 202-595-7563 [email protected]

Dianne Sautkulis Senior Manager of Corporate Relations 202-595-7566 [email protected]

Robin Moore Associate Manager of Member Relations 202-595-7562 [email protected]

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRSJohn Greene Vice President of Congressional Affairs 202-595-3677 [email protected]

Christopher Hartmann Vice President of Congressional Affairs 202-595-3697 [email protected]

Marcy Buckner Vice President of Government Affairs 202-595-7589 [email protected]

Anthony Perez Director of HUPAC 202-808-0675 [email protected]

Dan Samson Director of Policy Engagement 202-595-3678 [email protected]

Husni Abdelaziz Manager of State Affairs 202-595-3684 [email protected]

Katrin Werner Government Affairs Coordinator 202-808-0651 [email protected]

PUBLIC RELATIONSKelly Loussedes Senior Vice President of Public Relations 202-595-3074 [email protected]

COMMUNICATIONSMartin Carr Vice President of Communications 202-595-0724 [email protected]

EDUCATIONFarren Baer Senior Vice President of Education 202-595-0796 [email protected]

Alexandra Bishop Senior Manager of Professional Development 202-595-0798 [email protected]

Dagmar Byrnes Senior Manager of Education Operations 202-888-0832 [email protected]

MEETINGSKathleen Cochran Vice President of Meetings 202-595-7518 [email protected]


WE CAN’T SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU

While traveling to chapters across the country, I oft en hear from our members that NAHU must be a more visible force in our industry. While we are oft en turned to for input in Washington, DC, it is true that in some markets we do not have the presence to educate the public on what we do. Your Board of Trustees has discussed this on numerous occasions. How-ever, with the limited budget we operate within each year, we do not have the funds for an eff ective national media advertising campaign.

Our greatest source of advertising comes from you. We should all be proud of what we do each and every day. We should also be proud of our association and what we are able to accomplish. We need to reach every person in our industry and they must join so we can get to a point that we can advertise on behalf of our members. Th at is why I have asked each of you to seek out those who do not participate and ask them to join our team.

In addition to our members advertising on our behalf, we have started to expand our outreach via alternative marketing avenues such as social media. Teams at NAHU have begun the process of creating outreach vid-eos to be released via our new NAHUvision. Th ese are short videos we can release via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook that outline what we do for our members and the industry. I know not everyone is into social media and we wouldn’t dare ask you to leave your comfort zone, but we all read and we all want to stay on top of our game. Social media may help you expand your knowledge base, so give it a try.

As we enter the holiday season, I like to think back on the year and refl ect on the accomplishments, challenges and new friendships formed in the past 12 months. Th e holidays are not easy for everyone and this one will be especially tough on our family aft er losing my father at the end of last December. Th is will be our fi st holiday season without our family patriarch and not a day goes by that I do not miss him. I hope each of you fi nds a special place in your daily grind to appreciate those around you and make the most of your time together.

I wish each of you a joyous season and hope you fi nd the winding down of your fourth quarter a profi table one, not just from a fi nancial perspec-tive, but also from those relationships you have established with your clients as you have helped provide them with the protection and security they need.

You alone hold the key to how you approach your clients, family and friends. Spend each moment making the best of the opportunities you are provided and always remember, to fi nish strong, ya gatta wanna!

THE FINAL WORD

By Rusty Rice

NAHU President

#yagattawanna

10 ways to make online marketing work for you · 2018-12-06 · $25 annual subscription price is...

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