Obama to Unveil Retirement Plan Option in 2017 Budget Proposal
The Obama Administration announced that his 2017 budget proposal would include items President Obama highlighted in his final State of the Union address earlier this month. The president plans to unveil his proposal on how more employees can have access to retirement plans, a bipartisan concern as currently more than 60% of Americans don’t have… Read More
Stable Growth Expected for Life & Annuity Sector in 2016
Experts predict 2016 to be a stable year for life and annuity products with indexed life insurance and whole life products, as well as indexed annuity products expected to grow, despite regulatory changes. Debt rating agency, A.M. Best, also issued a “stable” outlook for this sector. One on-going challenge for the industry has been low… Read More
CIGNA Banned from New Enrollments in Medicare Advantage & Prescription Drug Plans
Citing administrative improprieties and non-compliance in their appeals and grievances procedures in a recent audit, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid suspended CIGNA from marketing or enrolling new members in Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. This will not cause a hitch in the planned merger with Anthem, a deal… Read More
What Humana’s Shortfall May Mean for 2017
Health insurer, Humana Inc., says it will most likely fall short of being able to cover costs for individual consumer health plans and will set aside premium deficiency reserves, funds earmarked to cover the difference. Humana’s announcement comes on the heels of news from United Health Care , the largest health insurer in the U.S,… Read More
A.M. Best Restructure January 2016
Credit rating agency A.M. Best announced it has completed its organizational restructure to satisfy legal and regulatory requirements due to the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This move will remove the possibility of conflicts of interest between the agency’s rating arm and its products and services offerings. A.M. Best Rating Services,… Read More
CMS National Training Program Marketplace Webinars January & February 2016
Tax Season Ahead: Wednesday January 20, 2016 from 2 – 3 pm ET This webinar will explain the implications of the premium tax credits available from the Health Insurance Marketplace, as well as the fees for not complying with the minimal essential coverage requirement, related forms and more! Sign up for the Webinar at: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1066428 … Read More
Mergers & Trends to Watch in 2016
Aetna & Humana and Anthem & Cigna: Keep watch and see if the Department of Justice allows the mergers to proceed. A final decision will most likely not occur until after the second quarter. Also expected to have a say in the decision are the companies’ shareholders, consumer groups, and of course, the politicians. 2016… Read More
Changing Your Mindest: Making 2016 the Best Year Yet!
One of the most important things you can do for your agency, and for your book of business is to get healthy. Not matter how compliance savvy you are or how much you know about Medicare, if your life is full of stress and unhealthy habits, your business will suffer. Since your mindset always trumps… Read More
What’s New in Medicare for 2016?
2016 marks a unique year for the 50-year-old Medicare program with some of the biggest changes ever: Clinicians will now be paid to offer patients counseling for end of life care options. This type of personalized counseling had been previously removed from Obamacare in its early days. Prior to this year, if a patient chose… Read More
Accountable Health Communities Model & Upcoming January 2016 Webinars
On January 5th, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the introduction of a new five-year program designed to determine if certain types of screening and their referrals to community based services will result in improvements to the quality and affordability of Medicaid and Medicare. The program, called the Accountable Health Communities Model or… Read More