We know you’re slammed right now. So we’re keeping it short (and we’re showing you an adorable kitten)
HEALTH
Aflac Study: Employees Would Rather Risk Life Than Research Benefits
Employees really, really don’t like researching benefits during open enrollment! The 2019 Aflac WorkForces Report found that more than half of workers (54%) would rather be subjected to bungee jumping off a bridge or singing the national anthem at a sporting event than research their open enrollment benefits. The desire to choose life risking and possibly embarrassing stunts over benefit research are highest among younger workers; 84% of Gen Z and 66% of millennials would choose some discomfort rather than research open enrollment benefits. According to the Aflac study, nearly 6 out of 10 (58%) employees say understanding what insurance or benefits they need is somewhat or very stressful, with levels even higher for Gen Z (68%) and millennials (64%). In addition, more than 6 in 10 (62%) say negotiating medical billing is somewhat or very stressful. These figures increase with generations, with 66% of millennials and 63% for Gen Z finding that medical billing is stressful, compared to 59% for those 39 and older. Finally, 43% of all employees say enrolling in health insurance is somewhat or very stressful. Similar to past years, an evaluation of employees’ benefits enrollment patterns provides likely explanations behind shortcomings in understanding health care insurance. For example, the vast majority (93%) of employees still choose the same benefits each year. And more than half (56%) of employees surveyed spent less than 30 minutes researching their benefits options during the last open enrollment, including 14% who didn’t do any research at all.
Commonwealth Discusses New Google-Ascension Deal
Google’s Project Nightingale aims to send clinical data on Ascension Health’s 50 million patients to the Google cloud. Google will process that data to help Ascension improve patient and financial management. Check out this blog by Commonwealth that dives into the concerns about personal health information in the digital age.
MEDICARE
Even $1 Can Make A Big Medicare Difference
The Wall Street Journal reports that small income variations can mean much higher Medicare premium costs:
Seniors should check to see if inflation adjustments for next year will affect how much they pay in Medicare premiums because formulas can cause sharp increases in premiums if income rises by as little as one dollar. Higher earners may be eligible to pay less by managing adjusted gross income or making charitable donations directly out of an IRA.
LIFE
LIMRA Reports Increase in Q3
Total U.S. individual life insurance new annualized premium increased 2% in the third quarter, compared with prior year results, according to the LIMRA U.S. Retail Individual Life Insurance Sales Survey. Year-to-date total individual life insurance new annualized premium rose 1%, compared with results from the first nine months of 2018. The number of policies sold fell 3% in the third quarter and year to date.
POSITIVE VIBES
David Meltzer in S. Cal This Week
If you attended the NAHU conference in San Diego this past summer, you may have met David Meltzer. He hosts the podcast The Playbook, which melds sports, business and life. His work focuses on how changing your mind can change your life. You can hear an episode here. David is going to be Southern California. You can visit him here:
Riverside– Free meetup!
Wednesday, December 4
1:20 pm – 2:00 pm
UC Riverside – Anderson School of Business (Front of Building)
900 University Ave.Riverside, CA 92521
Malibu, CA- Free Meetup!
Tuesday, December 10
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Malibu Bluffs Park – In Front of Michael Landon Building
24250 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
You can also text David at 949-298-2905 for live updates on meetups and to be notified when he’s in your city.
PEOPLE
Covered California Names Jim Watkins as New Chief Financial Officer
Covered California announced that Jim Watkins will be its new chief financial officer. As the CFO, Watkins will be responsible for managing and administering the overall financial activities of Covered California, including its strategy for financial sustainability. Watkins will be responsible for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all finance-related activities of Covered California. He will have direct responsibility for accounting, finance, forecasting, budgeting and related government compliance. As a key member of the Executive Management team, Watkins will advise executive leadership on all financial matters for the organization. Watkins had served as the deputy director of Financial Planning and Forecasting Operations within the Financial Management Division at Covered California since October, and prior to that was the chief of the Research and Analytic Studies division at the Department of Health Care Services for 12 years.
EVENTS
- LAAHU Holiday Party– Dec 17, www.laahu.org
- SDAHU Expo 2020 -January 16, 2020 @ 8:00 am – 2:30 pm
Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, San Diego. More info here. - Joint Industry Forum 2020, Insurance Information Institute
January 16,2020. Marriott Marquis, New York City. Theme is “A 21st Century Workforce that Reflects the Communities We Serve.” More info here. - OCAHU 8th Annual Business Development Summit
February 28, 2020, DoubleTree by Hilton-Anaheim/Orange County
Contact: Gail James Clarke (714) 441-8951, ext.3,
email: orangecountyahu@yahoo.com
- SIIA Self-Insured Health Plan Executive Forum.
March 16-18, Charleston, SC. More info here. - CAHU Women’s Leadership Conference
March 25-27, JW Marriott Resort&Spa, Las Vegas
More info at www.cahu.org. - LAAHU Annual Symposium- Save the date!
April 22, Skirball Center, Los Angeles. More info soon! - The 16th Annual BenefitsPRO Broker Expo
May 18-20 Hilton Austin in Austin, TX.
Two days left to save $200 on registration!
