07/11/2018
Featured
07/10/2018
Blue Shield of California Q4 Rate Update
Blue Shield of California reports the following Q4 rate action: HMO rates, including Trio, decrease -2.1% in the fourth quarter, annualized for a 1.8% increase in 2018. PPO rates increase 0.7%...
07/09/2018
California Gears Up to Block Association Health Plans
California is pushing back against the Trump Administration’s final rule allowing Association Health Plans (AHPs). Described as a type of Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA), the Administrati...
07/09/2018
Secrets to a Killer Sales Presentation
Nailing your sales presentation can make a huge difference to your sales-conversion rate. It all starts by thinking of your presentation as a conversation — not a sales pitch. Here are some secrets to...
07/09/2018
Industry Leader Makes Move to Join LISI
LISI, Inc, has appointed Kevin Timone as a Senior Vice President of Sales. Kevin will oversee Northern California sales as well as all ancillary sales statewide. LISI President and CEO, Becky Patel...
07/09/2018
Find Public and Private Options for Individuals with PointCare
A central mission of insurance brokers is to help people gain access to health care, regardless of the commissions. With PointCare, you can find public and private coverage options for your individual...
07/05/2018
Community Hospital Long Beach Has Closed
Community Hospital Long Beach, an acute care hospital, closed and discontinued all services on July 3, 2018. Anthem Blue Cross notified affected members and contracted physicians this week. It’s impo...
07/05/2018
Anthem's Specialty Benefits Offer Integrated Care
An increasingly popular trend is to integrate health care so that employees get a range of benefits from a single insurer. Eighty-nine percent of employers are adopting integrated health care or they ...
07/03/2018
Anthem Announces Significant Rate Decreases in Q4
Anthem Blue Cross reports a significant statewide average decrease of -9.1% for Full HMO plans, and -7.8% for Limited HMO plans. PPO and PPO HSA plans report a virtual rate pass. In some regions, Anth...
07/03/2018
UnitedHealthcare Underwriting Update July 2018
UnitedHealthcare has expanded their split carrier guidelines. Beginning July 1, 2018, groups are now able to write up to two staff-model carriers alongside UnitedHealthcare. Previously, only one staff...
07/03/2018
Blue Shield San Mateo Direct Contract HMO Closure
Blue Shield of California will be moving members from the Blue Shield administered pod to alternate IPAs. In an effort to lower the cost of health care, Blue Shield will be closing the San Mateo Blue ...
07/02/2018
UnitedHealthcare Rate and Portfolio Update Q4 2018
UnitedHealthcare has announced rate and plan changes for Q4 2018. Rates will be updated for October 1, 2018 and will remain valid through December 2018. All PPO plans have received a rate pass while H...
07/02/2018
Industry Leader Kevin Timone Joins LISI
LISI has appointed Kevin Timone as a Senior Vice President of Sales. Kevin will oversee Northern California sales as well as all ancillary sales statewide. LISI President and CEO Becky Patel said, ...
06/26/2018
Earn a $50 Per Member Bonus on Groups with 50+ FTEs
Earn a $50 Per Member Bonus on Groups with 50+ FTEs Limited Opportunity from Kaiser Permanente You can now earn a $50 per member bonus on new groups with ...
06/26/2018
DOL Issues New Rules for Association Health Plans
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released final Association Health Plan (AHP) rules. The rules are designed to make it easier for small employers and individuals to join together to offer, or purchas...
06/25/2018
Employers Increase Cost Sharing While Expanding Benefit Offerings
Cost sharing is now a fact of life for most employees with the exponential growth of health care costs. Eighty-three percent of employers now share health care costs with their employees, according to...
06/21/2018
Anthem Blue Cross Provider Updates
Anthem Blue Cross renewed their Commercial Hospital Agreement with Valley Children’s Hospital, located in the City of Madera. The fully executed multi-year contract is effective July 1, 2018. Anthem B...
06/20/2018
Education is Key
Dental insurance is an important part of any employer’s benefits package. Studies have shown that potential hires are turning down jobs due to dissatisfaction with benefit offerings. But simply offeri...
06/19/2018
Health Care Costs Explained
In 2018, healthcare costs averaged $28,166 for a family of four on an employer-sponsored PPO, according to the 2018-Milliman-Medical-Index. That’s a $1,222 increase over last year. The MMI has been in...
06/18/2018
Kaiser Permanente® Announces LISI as New General Agency in Fresno and San Diego
Kaiser Permanente® has awarded LISI a new Large Group General Agency contract for Fresno and San Diego. For Fresno and San Diego brokers, you can now write Kaiser Permanente® coverage for Small and La...
06/18/2018
