The first Annual Convention registration cutoff date will be here before you know it! Register by Wednesday, May 11 to receive the early registration fee of $545 ($495 if you register online!)
Make sure your chapter has a voice during the House of Delegates at NAHU’s Annual Convention in San Antonio. Appoint delegates to represent the chapter’s views and help elect NAHU’s future leaders. Delegate numbers and appointment information is available online.
The Young Agents Health Underwriters will be sponsoring a golf tournament before convention begins on Friday, June 24. Click here for more information.
All incoming chapter officers are invited to attend leadership forums from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 26.
Don't forget to sign up for text alerts for information and updates about Annual Convention! Text NAHU to 66746 to subscribe.
It is that time of year again to begin thinking about the transition of incoming state and local Legislative Chairs. In most chapters, the new chairs will assume their positions on July 1, but it's not too soon to begin reaching out to incoming chairs in an effort to make the transition process as seamless as possible. We urge you to invite incoming chapter leadership to participate in upcoming calls and other related events that you feel may be helpful to them as they transition during this busy time of legislative change throughout our industry. Invite them to participate in your own chapter and regional meetings as well as NAHU’s monthly Legislative Update webinar held specifically for state and local Legislative Chairs on the third Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. ET. With your help we can allow for a smooth transition period and ensure another great year of chapter leadership in your state! Thank you for your continuing service to NAHU and our legislative objectives!
Please submit your chapter’s 2011-2012 leadership roster as soon as possible. This information helps NAHU communicate with the correct people and keep your chapter informed of the association’s activities. The deadline for submissions is May 31.
The Chapter Certification Program is going strong with the two newly added certification levels, Gold and Platinum, joining the Silver Certification level. In the past month, five chapters received their certification: Silver Certification: Gulf Coast AHU (FL) and West Michigan AHU, Gold Certification: Dallas AHU, Fort Worth AHU and Southwest Michigan AHU.
During these difficult and confusing economic and political times, we need to find commonality, logical thought process and consistency in our professional organization. I bring to you today, a process that is deeply embedded in the human resources world, which lends commonality, logical thought processes and consistency. That process is the job description.
I don’t know of an employee who can operate efficiently without a detailed job description that guides him/her to accomplish the goals of their employer. Well, NAHU should also provide job descriptions for its volunteer leaders as well. NAHU has goals and objectives and rely quite heavily on their volunteer leaders to get them to that end. We like to fantasize that all our volunteers know exactly what they are supposed to do; but, in reality that is not the case.
To be absolutely transparent and fair to those of you who have taken on the responsibility of being the Professional Development Chair for your state or local chapter, I submit to you a job description for your commitment to NAHU. I believe it is a clear and concise description and I hope that you agree. I thank you for your service to NAHU and your state.
The region with the best retention rate at the end of the membership GAIN contest will win big! We will be awarding $500 to the region with the highest retention rate by April 30, and the award can be used toward your next regional meeting. There is still time to boost your retention number by doing a few simple things:
1.Call your lapsed members and get them to renew!
2.Contact all of your billed but not paid members and get them to renew now!
To see how your retention is doing, check the March membership report here.
NAHU issued a statement commending the 1099 repeal as it will benefit small businesses and pave the way for more PPACA fixes to come. Two press releases were sent out to welcome our new legislative staff members Laurel Call and Pam Mitroff, and we released a statement praising the Idaho legislature for passing a joint MLR memorial. We also released a media advisory concerning past president Beth Ashmore, who testified at an NAIC hearing in Austin, TX on March 27, where she was invited to speak on the new medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements.
Read all of the newest press releases from NAHU. Also make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed to receive notification when press releases and news stories are posted to the web site.
With all of the media coverage on health care reform comes a lot of heated discussion by the public, and if you’re not adding to the discussion, your needs and interests are being buried among the negative comments and misinformed rhetoric. Unfortunately, NAHU can’t respond to everything, nor does a single response from our organization carry the weight of comments from every individual member. So here are some popular health care reform blogs for you to watch:
When you find a story that you feel deserves a response or needs correct information, please think about what you’re going to write, proofread your response before posting it and follow blog etiquette. Our first amendment protects the right of every citizen to speak freely, which includes media outlets, professional organizations and you.
NAHU was featured in more than 185 news stories in the past month, reaching an audience of 78 million people. You can access the major stories, including articles from the New York Times’ Prescriptions, Time/CNN Swampland, Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney, Huffington Post, Politico, Congressional Quarterly, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, Times-Picayune, National Underwriter, Kaiser Health News, Employee Benefit News, Broker World and Insurance & Financial Advisor, on the NAHU in the News webpage.
The GAIN contest is ending on April 30! Remember that all membership applications must be received by midnight April 30 to count toward the contest. We will be announcing the GAIN contest winners at the 2011 Annual Convention and Exhibition during the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, June 28. Good luck to everyone!
An Update on H.R. 1206, the Medical Loss Ratio Bill
NAHU continues to make progress on H.R. 1206. As of today, we have 59 cosponsors in the House, 10 of whom are Democrats. Please continue to contact your members of Congress to urge them to sign on since a larger number of cosponsors will speed action on the bill.
Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu is among the growing number of Democrats who have endorsed pulling broker fees out of the medical loss ratio. This past Friday, Senator Landrieu spoke to the Big I conference in Washington and gave some encouraging words: "We require companies to spend 85 percent of their revenues on premiums...the medical loss ratio…and, as I understand it, some insurance companies decided to take that out of the commissions of the agents. That was not our intention and I'd like to work with you to try and fix this."Read More
Deficit Reduction Proposed by President Obama
On April 13, President Obama announced a long-term plan that he said would lower the deficit by $4 trillion over 12 years.Read More
Republican Budget Recommendations
Last week, the House passed Rep. Paul Ryan’s (WI) budget bill for fiscal year 2012, which would defund several aspects of the health reform bill. The vote was 240–185, and three Democrats voted with Republicans: Reps. Dan Boren (OK), Mike Ross (AR) and Mike McIntyre (NC).
The House-passed bill is quite different from the Obama proposal described above. Since Democrats control both the Senate and the White House, it is very unlikely that the Senate would pass a budget with health reform cuts and, even if they did, the president would not sign it (at least in its current form). The president has been visibly and highly critical of Rep. Ryan’s budget bill.Read More
Bill Preserves Medicare Beneficiary Choice
NAHU strongly applauds Rep. Charlie Gonzales (D-TX) for his introduction of H.R. 1580, which preserves Medicare beneficiary choice by restoring and expanding the Medicare open enrollment and disenrollment opportunities repealed by section 3204(a) of PPACA. This bill would cure the inequities and give Medicare beneficiaries the ability to make the right provider choice to meet their needs. NAHU strongly supports restoration of the open enrollment period pre-PPACA.Read More
NAHU Commends Repeal of 1099 Requirement
As soon as the bill was signed into law, NAHU issued the following statement:
The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) is pleased President Obama signed the repeal of the 1099 provision, a provision that costs more to implement than it collects by the wildly unpopular health care reform provision that puts an unnecessary tax-reporting burden on struggling American businesses. Section 9006 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires businesses, local governments and nonprofit organizations to file Form 1099s for purchases totaling $600 or more in a tax year.Read More
Long-Term Care Coverage Increasing
On April 14, a 25-state report on long-term care insurance was released by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. The results indicated a double-digit percent increase in the number of residents with long-term care coverage. The data will be published in the organization's 2011 LTC Sourcebook.Read More
Growing Concerns over Independent Payment Advisory Board
This past Friday, Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) urged Congress to repeal a controversial provision of the health care reform law that President Obama has said is central to his deficit-cutting efforts. In the president’s deficit speech last Wednesday, he urged lawmakers to strengthen the law's Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which sets Medicare cost targets and recommends payment cuts if they're exceeded. Two days later, Rep. Schwartz issued a "Dear Colleague" letter advocating repeal instead of support.Read More
Labor Secretary Sends Survey Results to HHS
Secretary Solis yesterday transmitted to HHS the Department of Labor's survey of employer-sponsored coverage to determine the benefits typically covered by employers. The survey is based on 2008 and 2009 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Compensation Survey and was accompanied by a transmittal letter.Read More
Berwick Announces New Health Indicators Website
CMS Director Don Berwick announced a new health care database to health care reporters at the recent Association for Health Care Journalists Convention. A new HHS/CMS website called www.healthindicators.gov will be the hub for the Health Indicators Warehouse. Berwick described the website as a “treasure trove” of information that would be “very helpful” to reporters for finding stories. The database is searchable by state, and by 1,600 health indicators. It combines several HHS initiatives toward “better health and greater transparency.”Read More
TheChapter Certification Programhas changed. Two new tiers, Gold and Platinum, have been added, as well as four more criteria. Qualifying for Silver Certification remains the same; chapters will have to satisfy six of 14 criteria. Gold Certification requires that nine criteria be satisfied and Platinum Certification requires that all 14 of the stated criteria be satisfied. State chapters that are at least Silver Certified during the same 12-month period as all of their local chapters will receive the Blue Ribbon of Excellence.
Who are your chapter’s award winners? LetBrooke Willsonknow and we’ll recognize them in the June issue of HIU. The deadline for getting your chapter award winners included in the magazine is Wednesday, April 20.
The deadline for NAHU award application submissions is Tuesday, April 5.
The videos showcased at Capitol Conference as part of the Education Foundation’sWellness Worksseries have been posted to the website. Present your clients with more information onsmoking cessation,medicine adherenceandobesity awarenessprograms to control medical costs with improved health.
For more information on how wellness programs can help control medical costs, visit theWellness Workswebpage.
NAHU was featured in more than 150 news stories in the past month, reaching an audience of 164 million people. You can access the major stories, including articles from Yahoo! News,New York Times,Washington Post,Time Magazine,Politico,The Hill,National Underwriter,Insurance & Financial AdvisorandAgent’s Sales Journal, on the NAHU in the Newswebpage.
The region with the best retention rate at the end of the membership GAIN contest will win big! We will be awarding $500 to the region with the highest retention rate by April 30, and the award can be used toward your next regional meeting. There is still time to boost your retention number by doing a few simple things:
Call your lapsed members and get them to renew!
Contact all of your billed but not paid members and get them to renew now!
To see how your retention is doing, check the February membership reporthere.
Apply to Serve on the 2011-2012 NAHU Legislative Council
Interested in having a lasting influence on the direction of NAHU’s policy objectives? NAHU is now accepting applications to serve on the 2011-2012 Legislative Council. Duties of a NAHU Legislative Council member include participation in a monthly teleconference to discuss important legislative developments and offer crucial insight into the consequences of policy issues by transforming everyday experience into realistic guidance.
In addition, the Legislative Council leads NAHU’s policy discussions by monitoring legislative developments and shaping NAHU’s response. Serving as a member of the Legislative Council provides a unique opportunity to shape NAHU’s policy focus in regards to present issues as well as future legislative objectives.
There are no special experience requirements for the Legislative Council and applicants from all market backgrounds are appreciated. Applicants must have an interest in and understanding of the dominant legislative issues facing our association today and be eager to contribute in this position of leadership.
If you are interested in applying, applications can be foundhere. Please send all applications to Kristin Leighty atkleighty@nahu.orgby Wednesday, March 30.
NAHU's CDHC Certification Program: Chapter Member Recruitment and Revenue Share Opportunity
Benefits NAHU's new and improved certification program, Consumer-Driven Health Care (CDHC), is a four-hour course that provides brokers and employers with technical, actionable information they can use to help clients consider these fast-evolving plans and successfully implement them. The course will help NAHU members to better understand the three main types of health care accounts associated with consumer-driven health care plans: FSAs, HSAs and HRAs. These opportunities have created new responsibilities for agents and brokers, and advising clients in these areas is more difficult and time-consuming than it has been in the past. New health reform changes include changes to CDHC plans, and these plans represent significant promise for improving health care spending. With companies still struggling to keep health insurance costs in check, more employers will be offering consumer-directed health care plans (CDHCPs), including health savings accounts, during the upcoming open-enrollment season.
Incentives This class offers chapters a great way to recruit non-members who can join on the day of the class and then receive a full refund for the cost of the class. Chapters that have more than 100 students in attendance will benefit from a $10 revenue share per attendee. Chapters can invite surrounding states to increase participation. Several of NAHU’s chapters have already successfully presented this program.
NAHU provides top-notch instructors who are leading experts in the industry.
NAHU provides AV and room expense reimbursement.
NAHU provides all course materials.
NAHU provides secondary promotion of the event.
Got CE? Through our engaging CDHC class, agents and brokers can fulfill their insurance CE credit needs. The certification will serve as a distinction for producers as credentialed experts in the sophisticated space of CDHC, and is approved by states for continuing education credits. Upon successful completion of the final exam associated with this course, students will receive four credit hours for continuing education and a certificate of completion. We are encouraging our chapters to schedule the CDHC class now and take advantage of a prepackaged educational opportunity at little or no cost to the chapter. Have your chapter highlighted on NAHU’s national website today!
For further information, contact Yashica Joyner at 703-276-3824 oryjoyner@nahu.org.
NAHU's Wellness Certification Program: Chapter Member Recruitment and Revenue Share Opportunity
Many of you are familiar with NAHU’s CDHC certification course, and a number of your chapters have already presented it very successfully. A perfect follow-up to that course is our new Wellness certification course. In today’s world where health care cost and quality are critical, addressing those costs that can be controlled becomes more and more important.
Controllable behaviors—overeating, smoking and physical inactivity—account for nearly 25 percent of all U.S. health care spending. As a result, many employers are adopting wellness programs. Putting those programs in place and making sure they are in compliance with federal bonafide wellness plan laws requires expert knowledge and the perfect place to get that knowledge is NAHU’s Wellness certification course, which is approved for two hours of CE in 48 states. This course is presented locally in a classroom setting. In addition to the continuing education credit, certification in Wellness expertise is provided by NAHU following completion of the course and an online examination with a passing grade. We are encouraging our chapters to schedule the Wellness certification class.
The course addresses:
Communicating the need for wellness and prevention.
Demonstrating the effectiveness of wellness and case studies.
The business case for wellness, and guidance on implementation.
Compliance and legal issues.
Creating incentives for participation.
Measuring return on investment.
NAHU provides top-notch instructors that are leading experts in the industry. Non-members who join on the day of the class will receive a full refund for the cost of the class. Chapters that have more than 100 students in attendance will benefit from a $10 revenue share per attendee.
For information on setting up a wellness class for your chapter or organization, please contact Yashica Joyner, Manager of Education Programs, at (703) 276-3824 oryjoyner@nahu.org. We are happy to assist you in setting up the classes that will be of the most benefit for your chapter’s and organization's needs.
April 6-8, 2011—Nashville, TN Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville, TN
Benefits Selling Expo is the benefits industry’s #1 educational and networking event for employee benefits brokers and agents. This three-day expo includes three hard-hitting keynote addresses, dynamic education sessions, 100+ leading industry providers on a nearly packed exhibit hall floor, 12+ hours of networking opportunities and much more.
From the industry-leading speakers sharing tools, techniques, and trends, to the leading industry providers introducing new products and services, the expo is jam-packed with ways to help you increase your bottom line.
NETWORK with the industry’s top benefits brokers
DISCOVER hundreds of new sales and marketing strategies
CONNECT with leading industry providers
LEARN what’s hot in group and voluntary benefits
NAHU members receive a $295 flat discounted rate with code M1NAHU.
Register todayfor the 7th Annual Benefits Selling Expo and you’ll walk away with everything you need to enhance your business and increase your bottom line!
May 11-12, 2011—Atlanta, GA Cobb Galleria Center Atlanta, GA
The Forum is about innovative health and benefits management and building the collective voice on healthcare consumerism. At each Forum, you will receive an overview of the health care consumerism landscape and the new health care law impact. The Forum focuses solely on consumer-directed health care including: Supplemental Health Benefits, Pharmacy Benefits Management, Disease Management, Wellness Strategies, Incentives, HSA/HRA/FSA administration, and Finance and Employee Communication.
For a limited time, you can receive anautomatic $100 off of your registration by registering online before March 31. As an added bonus,NAHU members who register for this event can receive an additional $100 off with promo code nahu. Those that register during the early bird rates receive $200 in savings! Special promotion:Register for the Forum before March 31, and bring a colleague along for free!
Hopefully HR 1206—Bipartisan Agent/Broker Protection Legislation—Will Have the Luck of the Irish!
NAHU is extremely pleased to announce that on Thursday, March 17, Representatives Mike Rogers (R-MI) and John Barrow (D-GA), along with 14 original co-sponsors, introduced H.R. 1206, the Access to Professional Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2011. This bipartisan proposal would amend PPACA to protect health care consumers and the economy and preserve the role of health insurance agents and brokers by removing independent producer commissions from the law’s medical loss ratio (MLR) calculation.Read More
NAIC Moves Forward With Action on Broker Protection Legislation
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is moving forward with its own activities in support of a federal legislative fix to the agent/broker access problem being caused by the PPACA MLR requirements.Read More
Congress Celebrates PPACA's "Birthday" Week with A Plethora of Hearings
March 23 is the first anniversary of President Obama signing PPACA into law. Congress marked the days before PPACA’s anniversary with a series of hearings about the progress of the new law to date. The hearings kicked off on March 15, with the House Oversight and Government Reform health subcommittee examining the federal Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) process to grant waivers from the health reform law's regulations on health plan annual benefit limits. Steve Larsen, CMS Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) testified that as of February "[his] office has approved 94% of the waiver applications it has received and has granted waivers to plans covering about 2.6 million people, or about 2% of the 160 million people who have employer-sponsored health coverage."Read More
States Continue to Seek Individual Market MLR Waivers
This week, North Dakota, Georgia and Florida joined the ranks of states seeking waivers from HHS from the MLR requirements for their individual health insurance markets. Maine, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Nevada have already applied, and at least 10 additional states have indicated interest in applying for a waiver and are in the information gathering phase.Read More
Restructured NAHU Government Affairs Department
Last week NAHU announced some restructuring in our government affairs department to strengthen our lobbying team during these exciting times for our industry. Read More
Thank you to all who joined us in Washington last week at NAHU’s 21st Annual Capitol Conference! The conference proved to be a great success with over 750 enthusiastic NAHU members in attendance to lobby members of Congress on Capitol Hill, listen to an assortment of speakers and participate in breakout sessions covering a wide range of important topics.
A host of congressional speakers highlighted the conference on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, including Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-FL), Deputy Majority Whip Peter Roskam (R-IL), Representative Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Senator Mark Begich (D-AK), Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) and Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI), who announced during his general session speech that he would be filing legislation to exempt agent commissions from the MLR calculation in the coming weeks. Guests from the administration, including Joel Ario, Director of the Office of Health Insurance Exchanges and Richard Popper, Deputy Director for Insurance Programs and chief administrator of the Preexisting Condition Insurance Program (PCIP), served to provide valuable updates on health reform implementation related to their specific programs. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty was on hand to accept NAHU’s Spirit of Independence Award which commended his steadfast support of the producer community on a range of issues such as MLR and exchanges. Iowa Insurance Commissioner and NAIC President Susan Voss was also present to provide the state perspective on exchange implementation, and Karen Herned of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center provided an update on the 26-state legal challenge to PPACA.
Materials and presentations from the conference will be made available this week on theCapitol Conference webpage and congressional feedback forms can be foundhere.
You can also view a day by day snapshot of Capitol Conference:
The real thanks goes out to all the NAHU members and state and local leaders who made the trip to Washington from across the country and helped organize the activities of state delegations throughout the conference! It is your steadfast support and dedication that ensured another great Capitol Conference!
Fight for the Role of the Agent with Our New Op-Ed
Make sure to send the new op-ed “Don’t Exchange Your Agent” to your local print media. You can submit it “as-is” with a letter of introduction to your local media or use it as a template to personalize and localize the message. By inserting your name and contact information, as well as including a few sentences addressing specific concerns in your community, the editorial is more likely to get placed and the issues will receive a wider audience.
You can access editorial templates that address this and many other issues on theKits by Topicwebpage.
Read all of the newestpress releasesfrom NAHU. Also make sure to subscribe to ourRSS feedto receive notification when press releases and news stories are posted to the web site.
Post-Conference Press Release Using thishelpful templatefrom NAHU, issue your own statement to let your local media know about your experience at Capitol Conference. Fill in the blanks and add your own quotation highlighting the difference you made by letting your voice be heard in our nation’s capital. E-mail your press release to your local media outlets and follow-up with a phone call. Make sure to send a copy toNAHUso we can see your efforts as well.
You can access more press release templates for both local and national meetings on theKits for Chapterswebpage under “Events.”
NAHU was featured in more than 150 news stories in the past month, reaching an audience of 164 million people. You can access the major stories, including articles fromInsurance & Financial Advisor,National Underwriter,CDHC Solutions,Agent's Sales Journal,The Boston Globe,Politico,The Hilland Yahoo! News, on theNAHU in the Newswebpage.
Award applications are due at NAHU no later than April 5. The criteria documentation lists will all be posted by March 5. Award information can be foundhere.
We are pleased to announce that we will soon be presenting a special pre-conference program offered only through the National Association of Health Underwriters at the Workplace Benefit Renaissance 2011. This CE course will be offered from8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 7, 2011 in Atlantic City, NJ. The program is a four-hour course on consumer-directed health care that will provide you with technical, actionable information you can use to help your clients consider these fast-evolving plans and implement them successfully. The class is open to employers as well as benefit professionals. The certification will serve as a distinction for producers as credentialed experts in the sophisticated space of CDHC.
This course:
Compares Health Reimbursement Arrangements, Health Savings Accounts and other plan designs
Considers current and projected adoption
Presents comprehensive guidance on eligibility, contributions and all technical elements
Provides two frameworks — one for selling CDHC and another for implementing it, which brokers may share with employers
Suggests enrollment and communication strategies and tactics
Involves class participants in breakout discussions on ways to implement specific cases
The Workplace Benefits Association Presents: "Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011" from March 7th-8th. If you are aninsurance licensed attendeeyou can register for the conference at a discounted fee. To view an agenda and register for the Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011 pleaseclick here. This course will last four hours and will be presented atBally's Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, NJfrom 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 7, 2011. Certification as a specialist in consumer-directed health care will be provided following completion of the course and a passing grade on the online examination.
The cost of the course is $155 for NAHU members and $205 for non-members. You can register online at the discounted ratehere.
Special Opportunity: Wellness and Workplace Benefit Renaissance 2011
We are pleased to announce that we will be presenting anewspecial program offered only through the National Association of Health Underwriters at theWorkplace Benefit Renaissance 2011. This CE course will be offered from1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 7, 2011 in Atlantic City, NJ. The program is a two-hour Wellness Certification course that addresses controllable behaviors--overeating, smoking and physical inactivity--which accounts for nearly 25 percent of all U.S. health care spending. As a result, many employers are adopting wellness programs.
This class is open to employee benefits professionals, as well as employers. Continuing education credit has been approved for insurance. The course addresses:
Communicating the need for wellness and prevention
Demonstrating the effectiveness of wellness and case studies
The business case for wellness, and guidance on implementation
Compliance and legal issues
Creating incentives for participation
Measuring return on investment
The Workplace Benefits Association Presents: "Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011" from March 7-8. If you are aninsurance licensed attendeeyou can register for the conference at a discounted fee. To view an agenda and register for the Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011 pleaseclick here.
If you want to stand out among your peers and are looking for real education to improve your knowledge, this course is for you. Your clients depend on you, so make sure you have all the answers. This course will last two hours and will be presented at theBally's Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, NJ on March 7, 2011. Certification as a specialist in Wellness expertise will be provided following completion of the course with a passing grade in the online examination. The cost of this course is$80 for NAHU members and $105 for non-members.Click herefor details on how to register for this event.
A new membership recruitment and retention promotional piece has been created by Jennifer Toups, membership chair of Region 6. The flyer describes all the great reasons to join NAHU! To view the piece, please clickhere.
We encourage you to use the piece to retain and recruit NAHU members! Feel free to make copies, post on your websites and to utilize it in any way that helps you.
It's not too early to start thinking about the GAIN contest! You can review the criteria and scoring for the contest online by clickinghere.
You can see how your chapter is currently doing in the GAIN contest by viewing the January membership report, which is located on the same webpage. The monthly membership report is broken down by region, then by state, and then by local chapter. The report will give you a quick and easy synopsis of your membership number, retention rate and current GAIN standing.
Social networking is an outstanding tool for sharing ideas and exchanging information. NAHU has created aNEWNAHU LinkedIn Membership Forum, which is a message board designed to help you better perform your duties as a chapter leader.
We have also added a feature where we can share documents such as marketing pieces and chapter forms with other membership forum members. We encourage you to send us documents so we can share your great ideas with other chapter leaders. To include pieces on the forum, please e-mail them to Melanie Gibson, director of membership, atmgibson@nahu.orgso they can be uploaded to the group.
If you are not already a LinkedIn member, clickhereto become one. You will be able to participate in discussions, post news and meet other NAHU members.
NAHU's 21st Annual Capitol Conference kicked off with congressional speakers and representatives from the administration, as well as information-packed breakout sessions. On Tuesday, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) announced he would be filing legislation to exempt agent commissions from the MLR calculation in the coming weeks, and on Wednesday, Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ), who voted for PPACA, showed his support for the agent and broker community when he declared, "agents are a value-add, not a cost-add." Read More
Representative Price Sponsors Amendment to Budget Bill to Prevent Implementation of MLR Provisions
Georgia Representative Tom Price, M.D., proposed an amendment to H.R. 1, a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year, that would prevent the implementation and enforcement of the medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The Price Amendment, Amendment 409, is scheduled for 10 minutes of debate today. NAHU has issued apress releaseexpressing our support for the amendment. Read More
HHS Secretary Sebelius Testifies Before Congressional Committees
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee this week following the release of the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget, with much of the focus on health reform. Republicans on the committee asked Secretary Sebelius to address a host of questions about provisions in the law, such as the CLASS Act, Medicare Advantage, the concerns of small businesses that must comply with the law, and the addition of millions of Medicaid enrollees at a time when state budgets are already severely strained. Read More
Administration Seeks Clarification on Vinson Ruling
Just over two weeks after Judge Roger Vinson ruled the individual mandate in PPACA illegal and therefore PPACA itself invalid, the U.S. Justice Department has issued a motion seeking clarification from the judge. Since the January 31 ruling did not issue a formal injunction, but instead what the judge deemed to be a “functional equivalent” of an injunction, there has been great confusion among lawyers for the federal government and those representing the 26 states engaged in the lawsuit as to whether the ruling requires the states to halt implementation of PPACA while the federal government appeals the decision. The motion also seeks clarification from Judge Vinson regarding whether a list of provisions already in effect, such as the small business tax credit, increased Medicare payments to providers, high risk pools and grants to states, should be suspended based on his ruling. Read More
HUPAC Congressional Reception at Capitol Conference
NAHU’s 2011 Capitol Conference is just a little over a week away and as we focus on the final preparations for this year’s conference, we wanted to take a moment to tell you about our annual congressional reception being held at a new and improved venue!
This year’s HUPAC fundraiser will be a congressional reception at theTop of the Hillat the Reserve Officers Association on Capitol Hill on February 15 at 5:30 p.m. This impressive new venue is located directly on Capitol Hill with an unrivaled view of our nation’s capital. Come support HUPAC and mingle with members of Congress while enjoying drinks, hors d’oeuvres and a buffet-style dinner.
We already have 26 congressmen confirmed, including Wally Herger (R-CA), Larry Kissell (D-NC), Austin Scott (R-GA), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Joe Heck (R-NV), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Paul Ryan (R-WI), John Shimkus (R-IL), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Kay Granger (R-TX), John Ensign (R-NV) and many more who are confirming each day! Due to limited space, there is a chance that tickets for this event will not be available at the conference, so be sure to go online and pre-order tickets today. Ticket prices are $125 for Capitol Club members and $175 for 365 Club, 10x12 Supporters and everyone else, but remember, after February 14 ticket prices will go up by $25. The cost of your ticket will count toward your annual HUPAC contribution totals and can help you achieve Capitol Club or 365 Club status if you have not already.
Our hotel room block at the Grand Hyatt is not yet open. An organization called Convention Housing Services (CHS) has been contacting members and exhibitors to offer assistance in booking convention hotel rooms. We have no arrangement with this organization, nor are they affiliated in any way with NAHU or the Grand Hyatt. We expect to have our room block open in March, and will post the reservation information to our website as soon as it is available. Please do not book your convention hotel rooms through Convention Housing Services or any other organization that offers to reserve your room or asks you for credit card authorization for pre-payment. [back to the top]
NAHU issued astatementpraising bipartisan support for H.R. 2, Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act, which makes strides to replace the PPACA with meaningful and sustainable health reform initiatives, as well as aresponseto President Obama's State of the Union, welcoming the opportunity to propose new health care reform ideas and enact sensible, bipartisan changes to the health care reform law. NAHU also sent out amedia advisorypromoting Capitol Conference, "It's a New World: Health Reform Hits Home," which will be open to media February 15 and 16.
Read all of the newestpress releasesfrom NAHU, andmake sureto subscribe to our RSS feed to receive notification when press releases and news stories are posted to the web site. [back to the top]
NAHU in the News
NAHU was featured in more than 150 news stories last month, reaching an audience of 17 million people. You can access the major stories, including articles fromInsurance & Financial Advisor,Agent's Sales Journal,National Underwriter,CDHC Solutions, NPR,Politico,Fidelity,San Jose Mercury News, and theGrand Rapids Press, on theNAHU in the Newswebpage. [back to the top]
New Promotional Pieces
NAHU has developed two new promotional pieces for your chapter's use: “Where Would You Be Without NAHU” and “Why NAHU." We would like to thank Jennifer Toups, Region 6 membership chair, for the development of the “Why NAHU” piece. These pieces are a great summary of all the outstanding benefits you receive as an NAHU member. [back to the top]
FedEx
When it comes to your business, reliability is key. FedEx has made its name by absolutely, positively, delivering shipments on time and intact. That’s one of many reasons why you should Think FedEx First for all your shipping needs. Don’t forget to take advantage of your special NAHU member discounts of up to 29%* on select FedEx® services and up to 20% on select FedEx Office services**. To enroll in the discount program or learn more, go toenrolladvantage.fedex.com/4764and enter passcodeFW3BH8or call 1-800-MEMBERS (1.800.636.2377, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. EST, M-F). Enroll today and start saving!
The NAHU website has recently changed! This change makes the site more user-friendly for general members to meet their needs. The “My NAHU” tab is for general membership purposes; if a member needs to get a password, update their information, register for a meeting, etc. they just click on “My NAHU." This page will also lead them to the great legislative and professional development tools and resources we have for members. [back to the top]
Triple Crown
ThePresident's Triple Crown Programrecognizes those members whose individual contributions to NAHU help advance the association's mission. The Triple Crown accomplishments are not difficult to achieve, but together they help reinforce NAHU's position as America's premier association for health and employee benefits professionals.
To qualify for the Triple Crown, within the calendar year, a member must do each of the following:
HUPAC: Participate in $10 x 12 draft program or contribute $150 total. Membership: Recruit two or more new members. Advocacy: Use Operation Shout to send three or more messages.
We are pleased to announce that we will soon be presenting a special pre-conference program offered only through the National Association of Health Underwriters at the Workplace Benefit Renaissance 2011. This CE course will be offered from8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 7, 2011 in Atlantic City, NJ. The program is a four-hour course on consumer-directed health care that will provide you with technical, actionable information you can use to help your clients consider these fast-evolving plans and implement them successfully. The class is open to employers as well as benefit professionals. The certification will serve as a distinction for producers as credentialed experts in the sophisticated space of CDHC.
This course:
Compares Health Reimbursement Arrangements, Health Savings Accounts and other plan designs
Considers current and projected adoption
Presents comprehensive guidance on eligibility, contributions and all technical elements
Provides two frameworks — one for selling CDHC and another for implementing it, which brokers may share with employers
Suggests enrollment and communication strategies and tactics
Involves class participants in breakout discussions on ways to implement specific cases
The Workplace Benefits Association Presents: "Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011" from March 7th-8th. If you are aninsurance licensed attendeeyou can register for the conference at a discounted fee. To view an agenda and register for the Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011 pleaseclick here. This course will last four hours and will be presented atBally's Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, NJfrom 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 7, 2011. Certification as a specialist in consumer-directed health care will be provided following completion of the course and a passing grade on the online examination.
The cost of the course is $155 for NAHU members and $205 for non-members. You can register online at the discounted ratehere.
Special Opportunity: Wellness and Workplace Benefit Renaissance 2011
We are pleased to announce that we will be presenting anewspecial program offered only through the National Association of Health Underwriters at theWorkplace Benefit Renaissance 2011. This CE course will be offered from1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 7, 2011 in Atlantic City, NJ. The program is a two-hour Wellness Certification course that addresses controllable behaviors--overeating, smoking and physical inactivity--which accounts for nearly 25 percent of all U.S. health care spending. As a result, many employers are adopting wellness programs.
This class is open to employee benefits professionals, as well as employers. Continuing education credit has been approved for insurance. The course addresses:
Communicating the need for wellness and prevention
Demonstrating the effectiveness of wellness and case studies
The business case for wellness, and guidance on implementation
Compliance and legal issues
Creating incentives for participation
Measuring return on investment
The Workplace Benefits Association Presents: "Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011" from March 7-8. If you are aninsurance licensed attendeeyou can register for the conference at a discounted fee. To view an agenda and register for the Workplace Benefits Renaissance 2011 pleaseclick here.
If you want to stand out among your peers and are looking for real education to improve your knowledge, this course is for you. Your clients depend on you, so make sure you have all the answers. This course will last two hours and will be presented at theBally's Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, NJ on March 7, 2011. Certification as a specialist in Wellness expertise will be provided following completion of the course with a passing grade in the online examination. The cost of this course is$80 for NAHU members and $105 for non-members.Click herefor details on how to register for this event.
Attached is the comment letter submitted today to HHS on behalf of the association regarding the interim final rule on MLR. If you have any questions, please let me know.
SOTU: Obama Defends Health Reform Law But Says It Can Be Improved
President Obama, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, defended the health care reform law but said he would be willing to work with members of Congress to improve it. Obama said he would be “eager” to work with those interested in improving the law. NAHU issued a statement on the president’s State of the Union address, which can be accessedhere. Read More
Parties Spar over Health Law in Numerous Congressional Hearings
Emboldened by their new House majority, Republican committee leaders wasted no time in holding hearings on the negative impacts of the health reform law, while Senate Democrats staged their own hearing in an attempt to defend it. Read More
Senate Measure to Repeal 1099 Provision Gains Bipartisan Momentum
A bipartisan Senate proposal to repeal a reviled tax-reporting requirement in the health care overhaul has garnered 60 cosponsors, putting increased pressure on Congress to strike down the provision that both parties and President Obama agree they want to get rid of. Read More
CBO Reports New Record Budget Deficits
In its annual economic and budgetprojections, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported this week that the fiscal 2011 federal deficit will rise to a record $1.48 trillion. That would surpass the previous high of a $1.416 trillion revenue shortfall in fiscal year 2009. Read More
NAHU Member Cary Hall's Nationally Syndicated Radio Show
Please tune in tomorrow, Saturday, January 29, to NAHU member Cary Hall’s nationally syndicated radio show featuring Steve Selinsky, NAHU president. Steve will be speaking to an audience of 2.9 million listeners about PPACA and the benefits of being a member of NAHU. The broadcast airs at 9 a.m. EST on the national network—the self-syndicated affiliates vary: St. Louis, 4 p.m. CST; Kansas City, 3 p.m. CST; Wichita, 10 a.m. CST; Cape Girardeau, MO, 2 p.m. CST. Broadcast schedules for all the sites can be foundhere. Read More
2011 Capitol Conference
NAHU’s 21st Annual Capitol Conference is right around the corner! As we bring together the final preparations for this year’s conference, we want to make sure you’re aware of all of the important conference-related items coming up in these final weeks. Read More
As the 112th Congress is Sworn In, Health Reform Tops the Agenda
Members of the 112th Congress were sworn in on Wednesday and immediately began working on health reform. House Republicans, in order to fulfill their promise to the American people, began by introducing H.R. 2, which would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and H.R. 9, which instructs the congressional committees of jurisdiction over health care to develop an alternative proposal to replace PPACA. NAHU has sent the House leadership a letter of support for the repeal effort and we encourage our members to send a message to their congressional representatives to support this important effort.Read More
NAHU Supports 1099 Repeal Bill
In addition to the legislation to completely repeal the bill, House Republicans also plan to introduce a number of measures to repeal particularly objectionable provisions. Representative Dan Lungren (R-CA) introduced the first such bill, an effort to repeal the 1099 tax reporting provisions that require businesses to report all supply purchases of at least $600 or more with one vendor. NAHU has sent Representative Lungren a letter of support for the legislation.Read More
Health Spending Continues to Rise
The nation's spending on health care grew four percent in 2009, to $2.5 trillion, according to a new report from the Medicare agency's Office of the Actuary, marking the slowest rate of growth since the federal government began keeping track in 1960. Interestingly, considering the current MLR debate, the report also shows that 89 cents of every health insurance premium dollar is being spent on benefits, stating: “The net cost of private health insurance (or the difference between premiums and benefits) fell from 12.4 percent of total private health insurance spending in 2008 to 11.1 percent in 2009, continuing a decline that began in 2004.”Read More
People on the Move
The New Year has brought new jobs to many people in health policy circles, including many long-time friends of NAHU.Read More
Capitol Conference 2011 Registration Deadline
NAHU's 2011 Capitol Conference is approaching quickly! Click here to visit the conference website.Read More
Less than 12 business days remain to register for NAHU's 2011 Capitol Conference at the discounted rate.Click hereto visit the conference website. [back to the top]
Forging Ahead on MLR
NAHU continues to pursue a multi-pronged strategy in our efforts to achieve Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) relief. Thanks to the agent and broker pressure on state officials throughout the country, governors and additional members of state and federal leadership are entering into conversations regarding the negative effect of MLR rules on agent compensation. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has promised to continue to address agent and broker commissions through continued meetings of the joint DHHS and NAIC task force.
NAHU continues to urge state departments of insurance to pursue MLR waivers from DHHS and has developed atemplate letterfor state chapters to use when approaching state leadership regarding this request. A strong showing of state action on waiver requests will help to send the political message that the MLR standards in the regulation are unacceptable as they now stand, and shed light on the negative implications these standards will have in destabilizing the markets. In the meantime, NAHU continues to work relentlessly with DHHS, the NAIC, AHIP and business groups as well as working with members of Congress to support a legislative fix to the MLR standards. [back to the top]
NAHU Sponsored RHU and REBC Online Studies 2011 Schedule
NAHU members save $130 on the American College webinar classes. Early bird registration deadline is December 31, 2010.
HS 325—Tuesdays, January 11 through March 15 from 8 - 10 a.m. PST HS 340—Wednesdays, January 12 through March 16 from 8 - 10 a.m. PST HS 344— Thursdays, January 13 through March 17 from 8 - 10 a.m. PST
Don’t miss the article supporting the role of the agent, "Health Insurance Brokers Fight For Their Future," fromKaiser Health Newsin connection with NPR, that featured NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein along with NAHU member Debbie Stocks.
NAHU was featured in more than 140 news stories in the past month, reaching an audience of 40.2 million people. You can access the major stories, including articles fromNational Underwriter,Insurance & Financial Advisor,The Insurance Journal, CDHC Solutions,Kaiser Health News, Scottrade,Business Week,Congressional Quarterly,Politico,USA Today,The Philadelphia Inquirerand NPR, on theNAHU in the Newswebpage. [back to the top]
Finish Your Holiday Shopping with NAHU
Still have items on your holiday shopping list?
NAHU has you covered this holiday season! Through our NAHU member-exclusive programs, you can save up to 20% on products and services from some of the most reputable companies and retailers in business today. For a complete list of retailers and to learn more,click here. [back to the top]
Leading Producers Round Table
Don't miss your opportunity to soar with the elite, apply for the Leading Producers Round Table today! Applications are now availableonline. [back to the top]
Silver Seal Certification
The following chapters recently received the Silver Seal Certification:
Northern Colorado AHU Dallas AHU Texas AHU Treasure Valley AHU Silicon Valley AHU Southwest Indiana AHU Southern Colorado AHU Southwest Florida AHU Miami-Dade AHU Triad AHU North Carolina AHU Lubbock AHU Ventura County AHU [back to the top]
NAHU Office Holiday Hours
The NAHU office will be closed on Friday, December 24 and on Friday, December 31. [back to the top]
2000 N 14th St. Suite 450 Arlington, VA 22201 Ph. 703.276.0220 Fax 703.841.7797 www.nahu.org
Tuesday’s election results were nothing if not dramatic. The American people spoke very clearly about a need for change in Washington, the need to reign in spending, and the need to change national health care reform legislation. NAHU has prepared a very detailed guide to the election results, examining the changes that occurred on a state-by-state level.Read More
A Good Night for HUPAC
NAHU’s political arm, the Health Underwriters Political Action Committee (HUPAC) had a very good night on Tuesday. In races that have been called thus far, our membership directly supported 169 candidates (including 66 challengers) and 143 of those candidates won, giving HUPAC a winning percentage of 85%! Most of the $300,000 HUPAC distributed over the past three months was given to candidates directly by NAHU members making grass-top connections directly in their home states, which really puts us in a great position when the 112th Congress convenes!Read More
Capitol Conference 2011 Registration Is Open!
Capitol Conference registration is now open! Click here to visit the conference website.
It is vital that NAHU members visit with members of Congress to present ideas for positive change that will work, especially this year. With our new conference venue right on Capitol Hill, those who attend will be poised to be more active than ever before in delivering important information to Congress.Read More
Medicare Open Enrollment Legislation
Earlier this year, NAHU was successful in getting H.R. 6303, the Medicare Beneficiary Choice Preservation Act, introduced, which would restore the Medicare Advantage (MA) open enrollment period (OEP) that PPACA eliminated. Now we need your help in getting cosponsors for this bill so that we can advance it forward in the next Congress.Read More
Low Enrollment in the Federal Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan Shows Need for Agent Involvement
NAHU was invited by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to participate in a meeting yesterday about how to increase public awareness and participation in the federal high-risk pool program, the Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP). Despite initial actuarial projections that hundreds of thousands of people would enroll right away and that an initial $5 billion appropriation would be insufficient program financing, DHHS is now reporting that after being open for business for two to three months in most states, the plans have enrolled only 8,011 people. In many states, the federal pools are operating at less than 10 percent capacity.Read More
Small Business 1099 Reporting Requirement Repeal Remains on Agenda
One thing everyone in the health policy community seems to agree on lately is that the inclusion of expanded 1099 reporting provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was a bad idea that will cost U.S. businesses and nonprofits far too much money for little practical purpose. Unfortunately, as with many things in Washington, political concerns derailed multiple efforts this week to repeal or substantially amend the provisions as part of the small business jobs legislation passed by the Senate, and they may jeopardize a stand-alone measure to repeal the provisions next week, too. The political concerns at hand include disagreements as to how to pay for the repeal of the 1099 requirements, as well as reluctance on behalf of most Democrats to support even a limited repeal of the new health care law. Read More
Small Business Jobs Bill Contains NAHU-Backed Provision to Help Sole Proprietors
The Senate voted 61-38 to approve the Small Business Jobs Act yesterday, and NAHU is very pleased that the measure includes a one-year deduction for sole proprietors on health care costs for payroll tax purposes on their 2010 tax returns. While this is only temporary relief from the tax equity issue NAHU has been working hard for years to address, this is a step in the right direction and a foot in the door. Read More
Census Bureau Releases New Uninsured Numbers
The U.S. Census Bureau released new figures yesterday on the number of Americans without health insurance and, not surprisingly, the numbers are on the rise. In 2009, 50.7 million people were without health insurance coverage, up from 46.3 million people in 2008. Read More
NAHU Submits Comments on the Interim Final Preventive Care Coverage Rule
NAHU submittedcommentsto the Obama administration today on the Interim Final Rules (IFR) for Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Issuers Relating to Coverage of Preventive Services Under PPACA. In our comment letter, NAHU stresses the need for clarification on a number of components of the IFR in order to mitigate confusion for employers and individual health insurance consumers, as well as ensure affordability of private health insurance coverage. Read More
First Democrat Signs the Repeal Petition
Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS) became the first Democrat to sign the discharge petition being circulated in the House by Representative Steve King (R-IA) that would force a vote in the House to repeal PPACA in its entirety. Including Taylor, the petition has 172 signatures, and 218 signatures are needed to force a vote. Read More
Don't miss your opportunity to soar with the elite, apply for the Leading Producers Round Table today! Applications are now available
The following chapters recently received the Silver Seal Certification:
