Ready to hit a few balls with the Orange County Association of Health Underwriters? OCAHU’s 24th annual golf tournament will be April 19 at Aliso Viejo Country Club. The tournament promises to be a lot of fun and, furthermore, proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. OCAHU had to cancel last year’s event because of COVID, so they are very excited to host this golf tournament as the first in–person event for 2021! Event sponsors include Kaiser Permanente, Warner Pacific and Benefit Resource, Inc. More info here.
AFLAC
Aflac Delivers Statement on Georgia Voting Rights
Thought you might want to know that Aflac sent us this statement about Georgia voting rights:
Aflac will only support solutions that make voting easy and accessible for every eligible voter while maintaining the security and transparency of the voting process. As legislators in Georgia continue to debate these issues, we will remain actively involved in the process to influence positive results that are aligned with Aflac’s long history of supporting fairness and justice. Aflac will not support legislation that fails to accomplish these goals.
GOOD READ
The Full Body Yes is a Yes (so far)
We recently received The Full Body Yes: Change Your Work and Your World from the Inside Out by LinkedIn’s Scott Shute. Shute is a kid from a wheat farm in Kansas who eventually snagged a job as head of mindfulness and compassion. In itself that seems an epic feat. Which segues nicely to the premise of the book. The concept of the book is that work shouldn’t be a burden that takes place outside of your “real life.” Furthermore, Shute says work can be a source of happiness and meaning. Sounds good, right? The book offers a four-step plan to make that happen. So far it’s a great read. The Full Body Yes is available now for pre-order on Amazon.
AHU
CAHU Leadership Conference Next Month (Virtual)
California Association of Health Underwriters statewide leadership conference will be virtual April 28-29. Explore leadership opportunities and get training. The agenda is here. Register here.
San Diego Gearing up for 33rd Annual Sales Expo (Virtual)
There is Light at the End of the Tunnel. This is the theme for the San Diego Association of Health Underwriters 33rd annual sales expo. SDAHU’s expo will be virtual on May 6 from 10am-2pm. More info about the expo here. Also: there are still sponsorship opportunities! Access info about sponsorship here.
MEDICARE
Nursing Homes See 96% Decline in New COVID
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) recently released a report showing a better climate in U.S. nursing homes.
CMS data shows that nursing homes have seen a 96% decline in new COVID cases among residents since the December peak when there were more than 30,000 new cases. The report credits vaccines. Additionally, AHCA/NCAL’s report shows COVID deaths declined by 91% since the peak.
Moreover, AHCA/NCAL now calls on Congress to consider the industry’s Care For Our Seniors Act. The Care For Our Seniors Act recommends several new ways to improve oversight and protect residents while also aiming to modernize nursing homes.
Researchers Focus on Near Poor
Here’s a term you may not be familiar with: near-poor. This is how researchers describe people just above the federal poverty level but still well below the average U.S. income. The near-poor may rely on Medicare for health insurance but face high medical bills and may forgo essential health care, according to new research led by health policy scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. This is due of course to the coverage “cliff” in Medicaid, which supplements Medicare for people with incomes below poverty but excludes individuals above the federal poverty threshold, including the near-poor.
In a report published in the April issue of the journal Health Affairs, the authors describe the effects of the cliff and propose solutions to fix it.
EQUITY
Actuaries Tackle Equity
The American Academy of Actuaries announced it will be providing an actuarial perspective on health equity issues via its new Health Equity Work Group. The group released a discussion brief titled Health Equity from an Actuarial Perspective: Questions to Explore..”
The discussion brief frames the questions the Health Equity Work Group is exploring in the following four areas: health insurance benefit design; provider contracting and network development; premium pricing; and managing population health.
The ongoing work of the Health Equity Work Group, part of the Academy’s Health Practice Council, will include examining health actuarial practices and methods to assess the extent to which they may affect health disparities. Also, the group will recommend changes when appropriate, educate actuaries and other stakeholders on health equity issues and apply an equity lens to the Academy’s health policy work. Learn more about the Academy’s work on health equity issues and other public policy issues here.
PETS
Forbes Ranks Pet Plans
The pandemic has brought out major pet love. An upcoming issue of Cal Broker will focus on pet insurance. If you think you should be included in the survey of pet insurers or if you’d like to contribute an article, get in touch! Email thora@calbrokermag.com. Also, we think you should know that Forbes Advisor recently published a ranking of the best pet insurance plans. Here’s what they determined:
Pets Best – 5 stars
ASPCA – 4 stars
Embrace – 4 stars
Prudent Pet – 4 stars
Spot – 4 stars
TrustedPals – 4 stars
Figo – 3 stars
Lemonade – 3 stars
Nationwide – 3 stars
Toto – 3 stars
CAL Broker
Take Our Survey & You Might Win $
We sincerely appreciate all those who have answered our reader survey. If you haven’t had a chance to do it yet, there’s still time! And if you take the 2021 California Broker reader survey you can enter to win $500. Take the super quick survey here.
April Magazine is Now Up
You probably receive the monthly print magazine in the mail. Nevertheless, sometimes you just need digital access. Don’t forget you can always find Cal Broker magazine online at www.calbrokermag.com.
You can also find our weekly e-newsletters right there. Another reminder: if you have an event or even a book you want to shout about, please let us know: editor@calbrokermag.com
EVENTS
- NAHU Power Hour, 4th Wednesday of the month from 4-5p.m. Pacific. Members and nonmembers welcome. Register here.
- LAAHU DEI Book Club, discussing Miles McPherson’s book, The Third Option, runs through Sept, Register here.
- Insurance Advertising Compliance Association conference, Virtual, April 22-23, Register here.
- San Diego Association of Health Underwriters Sales Expo, Virtual, May 6, info here.
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IICF International Inclusion in Insurance Forum, June 15-17
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation is convening insurance professionals, C-Suite executives, D&I leaders and other innovators from around the globe for the IICF International Inclusion in Insurance Forum, an action-oriented program with a unique focus on an inclusive future for the industry. Register here. - BenefitsPro Broker Expo, in person in San Diego, August 16-18, agenda here, register here.
- American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance, National Medicare Supplement Insurance Industry Summit, Sept 8-10, Schaumburg Convention Center, Chicago area, info here.
