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Archived Articles
Protecting
Agent and Broker Jobs
Legislation may be soon introduced that would exclude
independent health insurance producer compensation from the
MLR requirements contained in PPACA.
Published January 30, 2012
State
of the Union Address: Health Care Reform
The health care reform law is Obama's biggest legislative
accomplishment, yet it was barely mentioned in his recent
State of the Union Address.
Published January 25, 2012
White
House: Overhaul of Health Care Progressing
The Obama administration says their health care overhaul is
on track in 28 states; while 26 states are asking the
Supreme Court to overturn the health care law.
Published January 18, 2012
AHIP to
Supreme Court: Severability Critical
The Supreme Court should consider whether it's reasonable
for insurance companies to provide unlimited coverage if the
mandate for everyone to purchase insurance is
struck
down.
Published January 9, 2012
New Health Plan Option Name – Same Great Provider Options
Allied National's Indemnity Freedom health plan option has
been renamed Provider Freedom. Online materials have been updated
and printed materials will soon showcase the new name.
Published December 28, 2011
A Piecemeal Approach to Health Law in States
The Obama administration's surprise announcement Dec. 16
that it planned to give states broad leeway to pick the
benefits offered under the federal health care law offers
yet another example of a gradualist approach to carrying out
its signal domestic policy achievement.
But by
giving states more authority, President Obama will most
likely make his plan for health care reform more politically
palatable, potentially encouraging reluctant state officials
to cooperate with his efforts to expand coverage to tens of
millions of Americans who are now uninsured.
Published December 20, 2011
Health Care Reform Rules Foreshadow Tough Time for Insurance
Brokers
Allied weighs in on the challenges facing insurance brokers.
Published December 9, 2011
Common Mistakes Sales Producers Make and How to
Correct Them
Let's be honest everyone makes mistakes. The opportunity
comes from the lessons we learn and actions we take as a
result. Read about the three most common mistakes sales
producers make and how you can learn and adapt to become
more successful.
Published October 17, 2011
Red Flags in Prospecting
Q: I need more prospects -- but is every prospect that comes
my way worth pursuing?
A: In a word, no. Not every
contact is truly a prospect, and it's as important to know
who to avoid as who to approach. Read on to discover which
classic "types" are rarely looking to buy.
Published
September 20, 2011
Agents Want Piece of
Health Reform Pie
Several state insurance commissioners say they've gotten
angry feedback from agents who are worried about their
future. But the commissioners, who are advising HHS on many
components of the new legislation, say the agents role could
become even more important as consumers try to understand
the complex new legislation, which involves coverage
requirements, tax credits and state exchanges.
Published July 27, 2011
PPACA
Regs Require Simple Summaries of Health Plan Options
The Obama Administration issued regulations which will
require employers and health insurance companies to have
straightforward information readily available for new and
existing plan members, should be a point of conversation
between health plan advisers and clients in the latter part
of this year and early next year.
Published August
23, 2011
PPACA Update - March 2011
To keep individuals from waiting until they know they have
cancer or kidney failure to start paying premiums, the act
will require most uninsured individuals with incomes over a
certain level to buy health coverage, and employers with
more than 50 full-time employees to offer coverage.
The base penalty will start at $95 per individual or
employee in 2014 and top out at $695 in 2016.
Published March 21, 2011
Survey: Only 9% of Employers Envision Dropping Health Plans
Almost three-quarters of medium to big companies will keep
offering health care benefits to employees once state-based
insurance exchanges kick off in 2014, according to a survey
by Towers Watson.
Published August 29, 2011
Employers Look to Consumer-driven Plans to Lower
Health Costs
The
rising cost of health care will soon be reflected even more
substantially in employee cost-sharing. A new National
Business Group on Health survey shows that large employers
anticipate their health care benefit costs to climb 7.2% in
2012. To help control those increases ahead of health care
reform’s Cadillac tax in 2018, the survey shows employers
are planning to use a wide variety of cost-sharing
strategies including CDHP premium boosts.
Published August 22, 2011
Circuit Breaker: Individual Mandate Heading to
Supreme Court
Last month's decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta that
struck down the individual insurance mandate has finally put
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on course for
what has been inevitable from the beginning: a date with the
justices of the United States Supreme Court.
Published August 19, 2011
The Emergency Survival Plan for Health Insurance
Specialists
If the post-reform world of health
insurance has you feeling like
your plane crash-landed in a
strange jungle God knows where, you're not alone.
The good
news is that your rescue crew is on its way. This is the first in a
series of articles that will give you seven critical tactics you can
deploy in your health insurance practice tips that will help you not
only survive but prosper immensely in the immediate future, as well
as for years to come.
Published August 18, 2011
Comparing Health Plans Just Got Easier
The Departments of Health and
Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury proposed new rules
Wednesday under the Affordable Care Act that will provide consumers
with standard forms to make understanding health coverage and
comparing options easier.
Published August 17, 2011
From Employers to Employees: How to Succeed in
Tomorrow’s Small-Business Market
If
you could examine the employee benefits sales toolbox of tomorrow’s
successful insurance agent, you would discover three items that do
not exist today, particularly for those operating in the small and
medium-sized business markets: integrated decision-support software
and call center services designed for individual employees and their
families; affordable wellness and lifestyle management resources;
and methods to educate employees about how they can become better
health care consumers.
Published February 24,
2011
11th Circuit on PPACA: Can’t Make 'Em Buy Broccoli
A 3-judge panel at the 11th
Circuit Court of Appeals has declared the individual health
insurance ownership mandate in the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to be unconstitutional.
Published
August 12, 2011
MLR and Agent Fees: NAIC
Study Group Supports Change
Read about how recently,
a National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
working group charged with studying the issue recommended
support for a bill by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) is
working to remove agent/broker commissions from the MLR
calculation and what to expect if this happens. Written for
Munich Health North America, Inc. Healthcare Newsletter by
Joseph Sabol.
Published Summer 2011
Monumental Changes Mean New Opportunities in the Healthcare
Market
The healthcare industry is in the early stages of fundamental change
due to a variety of reasons: health reform, shifting demographics
and a current business model that’s largely unsustainable. This
means the next few years will create once in a lifetime
opportunities for innovative organizations to make significant
improvements to their top and bottom lines. Written for the
Munich Re Healthcare Newsletter
by
Mike Shevlin
Published
Summer, 2011
5 Things Advisors Don't Say to Their Clients (but Should)
Five suggestions on how Advisors can impletement a process
to regualary approach clients and leads. Written for the
Agent Sales Journal by Michael Goldberg.
Published
August 10, 2011
Ask
the Expert about PPACA
Samuel H. Fleet, from Employee
Benefit Advisor answers many frequently asked questions by
brokers on his Be Advised blog. Written for Employee Benefit
Advisor by Samuel H. Fleet.
Published August 8, 2011
Are You Driving the Benefits Strategy?
Getting
proactive with solutions will put you in the driver's seat
with your clients. Written for Employee Benefit Advisor by
Nelson Griswold.
Published August 1, 2011
Looking Ahead: Compliance After 2011
Now that the
earliest health care reform compliance deadlines have passed
formost employer sponsored plans, many employers are looking
ahead to the changes that will become effective after 2011.
Written for www.willis.com.
Published July 2011
Small Businesses don't Trust Health Reform will Lower
Insurance Costs: Survey
Small businesses don't trust
the health care law's power to control costs, but most who
offer health benefits to their workers will continue,
according to a new report. Written for ProducersWeb by
Lauren McNitt.
Published July 26, 2011
Survey: Health insurance brokers vital in years to come
As the health insurance landscape
changes, so do middle market companies’ views on their relationships
with brokers. The majority of companies surveyed by TNS, a Kantar
Group company, view their employee health insurance broker or agent
as a valued partner. Written for the Employee Benefit Advisor by Carrie Burns.
Published
July 18, 2011
A Look to the Future: Why Exchanges Need Agents
Between now and Jan. 1,
2014, we can expect to see legislation establishing
state-specific health insurance exchanges passed and signed
by governors across the country. (In some states, this has
happened already.) We will see the appointment of exchange
boards, the selection of exchange vendors and the
development of exchange IT systems. And with open enrollment
for exchanges beginning in September 2013, brokers don't
have a moment to lose if they are to establish themselves as
a key ingredient in helping individuals and families and
employers make the best health insurance choices.
Written
for the Agent Sales Journal by Ron Goldstein.
Published
July 15, 2011
Out of Sight is Out of Mind
Read some approaches you can put into practice to jump start
your ways of keeping in touch with clients and prospects. Written
for the Agent Sales Journal by Michael Goldberg.
Published
July 13, 2011
PPACA: NAIC Ices Agent Comp MLR Exclusion Effort
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has
backed away from
the idea of supporting a congressional bill that
could exclude insurance agent compensation from medical loss ratio
(MLR) calculations. Written for the
National Underwriter by Arthur D. Postal
Published
July 12, 2011
Health Care Reform: The
Agent's Evolving Role
As health care reform begins to
take full effect, your clients will have many questions.
Your role as an insurance agent will grow and change as more
regulation begins, and you will be asked to provide ongoing
counsel and education to your clients between now and 2014.
Read on for best practices on how to offer strategic
guidance to your clients during this transition. Written for
the Agent Sales Journal by Cathy Harbison.
Published
July 7, 2011
PACA: NAIC Panel Backs
MLR Measure
The Professional Health Insurance
Advisors Task Force at the National Association of Insurance
Commissioners (NAIC) has endorsed H.R. 1206, a U.S. House
bill that calls for removing agent commissions from medical
loss ratio (MLR) calculations.
Written for Life and
Health National Underwriter by Arthur D. Postal
Published July 1, 2011
Fighting Low Commissions
How packaging the right products can save your business.
Written for the Agent Sales Journal
by Nichole Morford.
Published
June 30, 2011
Trends in Health Insurance
Gary Ashley, Executive
Vice President, discusses the future trends in group
health insurance.
Published June 28, 2011
MLR Bad Deal for Brokers
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.,
told the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee last
week that health insurance agents and brokers are in a
"desperate situation," due to medical loss ratio
determinations. Written for Employee Bnefit Advisor by Pat
Speer.
Published June 27, 2011
HSAs: Unlocking the Vault
According to numbers provided annually by America’s Health
Insurance Plans, health savings accounts have become
increasingly popular in recent years and despite a number of
concerns, more and more folks are socking away cash in HSAs.
Written for the Agent Sales Journal by Julie Knudson.
Published June 6, 2011
The Brave New World of Health
Insurance
Agent Sales Journal’s 2011 Health Insurance
Market Study shows that the ACA is a true game changer for
agents and clients alike. Written for the Agent Sales
Journal by Heather Trese
Published June 6, 2011
Insurance agents say MLR rules create 'desperate' situation
Small businesses and insurance agents say that the cost and
quality of healthcare will get worse because of healthcare
reform rules that let the federal government review rates
and set limits on how insurance companies spend their money.
Written by Sam Baker for TheHill.com
Published June
2, 2011
The Two Alternatives For Health Care Policy
Peter Ferrara comments on two alterntative health care
policies to the current PPACA bill.
Written by Peter Ferrara for Forbes.com
Published June 2, 2011
Insuring the Uninsurable
A short and quick guide on
how to advocate for clients with pre-existing conditions.
Written for the Agent Sales Journal by Cindy Holtzman.
Published June 1, 2011
Mapping the road to 2014
A look at how employers are
viewing the prospect of health insurance exchanges -
including some outside-the-box new ideas. Written for
Employee Benefits Advisor
by Kathleen Koster.
Published June 1, 2011
Consumer-Directed Health Plans: Administrative Issues For
Flexible Benefit
Service Providers
The mix and match approach of
combining health savings accounts (HSAs) with health
flexible spending accounts (HFSAs) and health reimbursement
arrangements (HRAs) may look great on paper but can result
in administrative nightmares if you're not careful. The more
complicated designs can even result in a CDHP's failure.
This article is a follow-up to make sense of the
administrative issues that come along with administering
CDHP - providing sweet dreams instead of nightmares for your
consumer-directed health plans. Written for Broker World
Magazine by
Janet LeTourneau
Published June
2011
NAIC white paper ripples through industry
The recently released white paper from the National
Association of Insurance Commissioners on the role of
producers in state exchanges s intended to help state
officials identify and resolve the major issues concerning
the roles of navigators and producers in state exchanges
under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Marli D. Riggs from Employee Benefit Advisor dicuss both the
helpful insight and questions forming in the industry from
the white paper.
Published May 31, 2011
MLR update: NAIC says excluding broker commissions could
reduce
consumer rebates
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners suggest
that average consumer rebates would have been more than 60%
lower if agent and broker commissions were excluded from
medical loss ratio calculations in 2010. Written by
Elizabeth Galentine for Employee Benefits Advisor.
Published May 26, 2011
Interim Guidance Issued On Group Health Insurance Reporting
For W-2s
Interim guidance on the who, what, when and
how for W-2 reporting
of group health insurance was
issued and some of the more complicated areas to report have
been delayed until further guidance is issued. Written by
Janet LeTourneau for Broker World Magazine.
Published
May 2011
What do we do now? Updated Health Care Reform Timeline
A snapshot of the Health Care Reform today and what you can expect,
as well as an updated compliance timeline.
Source: www.willis.com.
Published
May 2011
Allied's
Future
Allied's Sales and
Marketing Director, Randy Radcliff, writes about Allied's
future
in the post-PPACA industry and Allied's joint efforts with
its Agents. Written by Randy Radcliff, Allied Sales
and Marketing Director.
Published April 2011
Health insurance agent troubleshooting guide for 2011
William Hammett
Sr. gives ProducersWeb.com a out-of-the box troublshooting
guide for challenges most agents will face when selling
health insurance in 2011. Written by William Hammet Sr. for
ProducersWeb.com.
Published April 7, 2011
Senate Okays Repeal of 1099
Provision in Healthcare Law
Senate passed
legislation repealing the much-criticized 1099 reporting
provision in the healthcare reform law and sent the bill to
President Obama for his signature.
Published April 5, 2011
Three ways agents should utilize their most
valuable selling asset: the e-mail list
Brett
Kitchen explores three ways to utilize an
e-mail list to drive traffic to your Web
site in this article from ProducersWeb.com.
Published March 29, 2011
GAO: Broker Incentives Could Help Replace
PPACA Mandate
GAO researchers
say that Broker incentives could help
replace the PPACA mandate. Read about
the study, the mandate, and the producer
idea in an article written by Allison Bell
for the National Underwriter.
Published March 29, 2011
NAIC Delays MLR Action
The latest update
on health care reform and resolution of agent and broker
commission and MLRs in an article by Arthur D. Postal from
the National Underwriter.
Published March 28, 2011
5 Myths About Health Insurance Exchanges
Author Ron Goldstein clarifies 5 myths about
health insurance exchanges for the Agent
Sales Journal.
Published March 24, 2011
The Incredible and Wasteful
Complexity of the US HealthCare System
Humphrey Taylor and Ian Morrison explain the complexity of the US
HealthCare system and apply that to the misunderstanding and
confusion
regarding PPACA Mandates.
Published March 24, 2011
"This is not a crisis"
Best
Selling Magazine interviews Mary Jane Fortin, CEO of American
General Insurance Company, and gets her take on health care reform
and where American General fits in the future market.
Published
March 2011
From
Employers to Employees: How to Succeed in Tomorrow’s
Small-Business Market
Mike Sullivan explores three tools to help agents succeed in
selling health care benefits to the small to medium sized
business market for the Agent Sales Journal.
Published Febraury 24, 2011
CoreValue Cash Bonus
Earn a cash bonus by selling CoreValue!
Published February 12, 2011
What Health Care Reform Means for your Business
Links to an articles that outlines the many key provisions
of the PPACA law that may affect your business.
Published June 22, 2010
New
Tax Credit Under PPACA
An article about the new tax credit for small business
under PPACA written by
David L. Fear, Sr. RHU.
Published May 15, 2010
CoreValue Health
Plan
Introducing Allied's newest health plan that combines a
High-Deductible Health Plan with supplemental benefits to help employees manage their own health care costs and bridge the gap of
their deductible.
Published May 10, 2010
Celebrating 40 Years
Allied celebrates it's 40th anniversary.
Published February 2, 2010
Updated Forms
Allied has updated our applications and brochures.
Published January 12, 2009
Now is the Time
for Cost Saver
Cost Saver a is the perfect option for employers to lower
their costs instead of dropping their health insurance benefits in times like
this.
Published January 12, 2009
Cobra
Coverage
COBRA Continuation Assistance program information.
Published January 12, 2009
Century Health PPO
Allied partners with Century Health Solutions.
Published August 5, 2008
Oklahoma O-Epic
O-EPIC has approved Allied plans underwritten by our A+ rated carrier, American
Alternative Insurance Corporation (AAIC), to participate in the O-EPIC program for Oklahoma residents.
Published May 12, 2008
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