December 7, 2024

Be a Client Hero: Provide Advanced Planning Help To Your Business Owner Clients

LEARN AND COLLABORATE    

Sponsored by Strazzeri/Mancini 

Adding Exit Planning to Your Practice – Choose, Develop, Implement, and Maintain

We invite life and health insurance professionals to learn new ways to help their business owner clients. 

“Over 40% of business owners today are looking for ways to grow their businesses but look for outside advice and assistance,” states Melisa Silverman.  When health insurance professionals are able to work with subject matter experts (SMEs) on proven business succession and growth ideas their clients can use, it is a win-win.   

Business owners are searching for answers on how to grow their business, protect what they have, and plan for a succession and retirement. This course is a dialogue on professional collaboration and the type of practice your referral sources and clients experience as seen through the eyes of others. Join Shelley Lightfoot and Brooke Norman for the 30-thousand-foot version of steps and tools your clients can benefit from.  

Presented by Shelley Lightfoot, CEPA and Brooke Norman, VP, Exit Planning Institute 

Join the Southern California Institute to see the video recording, audio recording, and PDF copy of the presentation. 


We invite group health brokers to both access online information on succession planning and join monthly calls and in person Exit Planning Institute chapter meetings. 

Learn from independent attorneys, CPAs, bankers, financial planners, investment advisers, insurance and real estate professionals, presenting training sessions every week. 

Click on the links to see the next upcoming meetings. California Broker readers are welcome: 

  1. Weekly Thursday Insights Schedule and Registration: www.SCInstitute.org/ThursdayInsights 
  1. EPI Orange County Chapter Meeting Schedule and Registration: Calendar
  2. EPI San Diego Chapter Meeting Schedule and Registration: Calendar
  3. EPI Los Angeles Chapter Meeting Schedule and Registration:– Calendar

For additional information please contact: 

 Shelley Lightfoot
Executive Director
Email: sl@scinstitute.org
858-200-1900 


California Broker is pleased to provide this content FREE from the Southern California Institute. 

Gain access to presentations, supporting videos, audios and documents through the 
Basic Membership.FREE to Calbroker readers: normally $49/month.

The SCI Academy offers more titles and topics available with the Basic Membership”
with free access for California Broker Magazine readers. 

As a Basic Member you will have special alerts and access to live events such as
Thursday Insights, Community Insights, and select recordings as well as discounts for select conferences, programs and products. 

Additionally, you will have access to Thought Leader Connections and Monday Practice Builders. 

To sign up for the Basic Membership” (FREE to California Broker readers: normally $49/month) Click here: 

  • Click Sign up Now button to add to cart 
  • In the cart window enter “Calbroker23″ in the “coupon code” to apply coupon field
  • Then proceed to check out 
  • Complete the checkout process 
  • Create an Account username * and Create account password*  

We look forward to helping you grow your practice. Thank you for being a member!


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

Special thanks to Russ Williamsfor his new Professional Development Program for California Brokers readers. 

Russ Williams contributes to articles on professional growth for readers of California Broker Magazine. He serves as a mentor-advisor and offers one-on-one professional consultations based on The Clarity Conversation.  This 9-Session Self-Renewal Consultation focuses on overcoming nagging personal-professional challenges to re-claim personal and professional clarity to renew your influence for good at home, at work, and in the community.

“What man actually needs … is the striving and struggling for some goal
worthy of him. What he needs is the call of a potential meaning
waiting to be fulfilled by him.”   ~ Viktor Frankl

The Deal. It’s challenging, competitive and creative! There’s meaning entering the Deal … negotiating the Deal … closing the Deal and moving to the next Deal.

Meaning is far more than periodic, inspirational reflection. It’s Monday motivation, Wednesday grinding, and Friday wind-down. Meaning is the “Can Be-Needs To Be” energizer bunny of the Integrity Influencer.

Read more


INDUSTRY NEWS 

Healthcare Tech 

Dr. Anil Singh, SVP and Executive Medical Director with Highmark Health discusses the strategies of finding the best digital solutions for their members.  He addresses the future of healthcare with the rise of AI and how utilizing that technology can help connect members with their specific needs.  

Watch the full interview here! 


Inside Kaiser Permanente’s labor relations breakdown 

Kaiser Permanente’s novel labor approach allowed for decades of stability, but over a dozen sources familiar with the situation said fractured relationships are straining current negotiations. 

Kaiser Permanente’s historic labor management partnership is on shaky ground this week as the window of opportunity narrows to negotiate a new contract for over 75,000 healthcare workers.  They are represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions and are striving to avert an October strike, according to union leaders and labor experts. 

Read Full Article 


Cigna to pay $172M to settle claims that it overcharged the Medicare Advantage program 

Cigna will pay $172 million to settle allegations brought by a whistleblower and the U.S. government saying that it submitted false and inaccurate Medicare Advantage diagnostic codes in a bid to boost its reimbursement. 

The settlement, reached on Friday, resolved a False Claims Act lawsuit and an investigation related to past risk adjustment submissions from certain types of patient records, some dating back more than a decade, Cigna executives said in an announcement. 

As part of the settlement, Cigna Group will enter into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Read Full Article 


MEDICARE 

Sponsored by AGA 

Medicare enrollment begins in 2 weeks. Here’s what major payers are offering for 2024 

The industry is just two weeks away from the beginning of Medicare’s annual enrollment period, a critical window for the hottest market in insurance.  

The period begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. Medicare beneficiaries will be tasked with the critical decision of enrolling in the fee-for-service program or opting instead for Medicare Advantage (MA). They’ll also be able to choose prescription drug benefits and any other supplemental offerings that suit their needs for the coming year. 

 Read Full Article 


CMS: Most Medicare Advantage beneficiaries won’t see premiums rise in 2024 

Expect premiums, benefits and plan choices for Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare Part D prescription drug program to look similar in 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said Tuesday. 

The average monthly plan premium for MA plans, which is projected to increase nearly 4%, will go up from $17.86 to $18.50, but, if enrollees choose to stay in their plan, they will likely not see any price increase, according to a press release. Ahead of Medicare’s open enrollment period beginning Oct. 15, CMS expects 73% of beneficiaries will not see a premium increase, while the number of plans and supplemental benefits will both increase. 

Read Full Article


GROUP BENEFITS 

Sponsored by Word&Brown 

Employers Are Getting More Creative On Benefits 

Employers bracing for a major hike in health care costs are retooling their benefits, aiming to provide perks better targeted to workers’ needs as they closely mind the bottom line. 

Why it matters: Employer health costs are expected to see their largest jump in a decade, but many companies facing an ongoing workforce crunch are hesitant to pass along those costs or cut back benefits. 

Rather than adding on a host of new benefits, employers are trying to shore up gaps in coverage of areas like mental health and women’s health while also keeping a lid on costs, experts say. 

Read Full Article


How workplace benefits help clients win the war for talent 

The American workforce has reached a generational tipping point. Millennials and Generation Z are taking over the workplace even as baby boomers remain on the job longer. The old ways of doing business no longer apply in the days of remote work and five generations in the workplace. 

Workforce benefits are changing along with the workforce itself. Research shows that workers no longer are satisfied with their employers offering the traditional benefits of health, dental and vision insurance. Today’s workers are demanding benefits that address all areas of their well-being, including mental health and financial health. 

When carriers take a fresh approach to benefits and brokers communicate those benefits effectively, the end result is giving employers tools to help them win the war for talent. 

Read Full Article


Level-Funded Health Plans: A Broker’s Guide to Tackling the Escalating Healthcare Cost Crisis 

In today’s fast-evolving landscape of healthcare, insurance brokers find themselves at the forefront of the battle against skyrocketing healthcare expenses. Employers, seeking financial stability and flexible options, are turning to brokers for guidance. With a projected 7% increase in median healthcare costs for 2024, brokers must be well-equipped to offer solutions that address both affordability and adaptability. This is where level-funded health plans come into play as a powerful tool in the broker’s arsenal, providing a sustainable and customizable path forward. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the challenges brokers face, the drivers of healthcare cost inflation, and how level-funded health plans can be the beacon of hope in these turbulent waters. 

Read Full Article


SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT 

START YOUR LONG-TERM CARE PLANNING NOW 

Now is the time to begin the process of assisting clients to obtain meaningful long-term care insurance (LTCi) coverage. Why? Because you never know when a long-term care event might happen. 

For Medicare Brokers: Remind your clients that Parts A and B do not cover long-term care expenses. 

For Group Brokers: Suggest to clients getting approved for LTCi can be difficult as one ages. And they can consider offering group LTCi.

Read Full Article


Driving Medicare & Insurance Sales Through Social Security Optimization   

Jumping the market and being able to speak with your target demographic before they reach Medicare age outside of Medicare marketing guidelines will create an endless sales funnel of 10,000 baby boomers per day, who are going to be claiming Social Security and Medicare for the next 15 years.   

RSSA® is a turn-key Social Security education, technology, marketing, and support program to help your organization build a sales funnel, fill seats at events, and open the door to organic Medicare, Insurance, and Wealth Management sales opportunities. 

Read Full Article


INDUSTRY CALENDAR

WEBINARS 

  • Oct. 12, 11:30 AM–12:30 PM, “What Advisors Should Know About Benefit Captives  1 Hr. CE Credit –  Presented by Dave Fear Sr. Register
  • Oct. 19, 11:30 AM–12:00 PM, “What Advisors Should Know About Open Enrollment  1 HR. CE Credit – Presented by Marilyn Monahan Register
  • Oct. 25, 3:30 PM, “NABIP Power Hour! Register

CONFERENCES   

  • Oct. 5-6, NAIFA-California’s 2023 Career Advancement Conference, e3, to EMPOWER, ENGAGE, and EXPLORE, Humphreys Half Moon Inn, 2300 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, CA Register  
  • Oct. 8-10, SIIA National Conference, JW Marriott Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ Register  
  • Oct. 22-24, LIMRA Annual Conference, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, MD  Register  
  • Oct. 31-Nov. 2, ITC InsurTech Connect, Las Vegas, NV Register   

 2024  

  • Jan. 22, 10:00 AM– 5:00 PM, CAHIP Innovation Expo, Register
  • March 25-27,  Ellevate Women’s Leadership Summit 2024, JW Marriott Las Vegas, 221 N Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV Register  
  • May 6-8, CAHIP Capital Summit, Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, 500 J Street, Sacramento, CA Register