About Patty

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Patty has created 30 blog entries.

TASC Update for Small Group Compliance

TASC recently hosted a Webinar discussing Small Group Business Compliance Requirements and their new solution. Craig Sayers from TASC led the Webinar and first off, simplified the Compliance requirements for small group based on total employees. 1-19 employees POP (when employer-sponsored premium payments are paid by the employee on a pre-tax basis) ERISA Annual ERISA and ACA Notices Annual Medicare Part D Notices ACA Employer Reporting (self-insured) 20-49 employees POP (when employer-sponsored premium payments are paid by the employee on a pre-tax basis) ERISA Annual ERISA and ACA Notices Annual Medicare Part D Notices ACA Employer Reporting (self-insured) COBRA Statistics indicate that 90-95% of employers have at least one violation of ERISA regulations.   Many businesses have no idea that there are even Compliance requirements.   They find out about it after they receive an audit or an employee files a compliant or lawsuit.  This is really too late to set up these documents. Space What Employers are subject to ERISA? Corporations Partnerships Sole Proprietorships Non-Profit Organizations (Unless exempt under 501a) Governmental and church plans are exempt from application of ERISA Title 1 (includes Indian Tribal Governments) Sound familiar?  [...]

2022-03-09T21:59:28-06:00Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical, Patty's Perspective|
Read More

Humana – Quoting Made Easier for 51+ Groups

Humana is rolling out a new quoting process available 7/1/18 for all underwritten new business with 10-99 enrolled, fully funded or level funded, requesting effective dates of 9/1/18 or later. With this new Quoting Process, Humana intends to shorten the time it takes to obtain an underwritten quote by eliminating the requirement of a base quote and reducing the documentation needed.   For groups enrolling 10 or more lives, Humana has eliminated the need for employee applications, the current carrier bill, the Risk Assessment Form and the current carrier claim report. This quoting method is available for groups with total of 51+ employees and: Has less than 100 eligible employees Enrolling 10-99 employees Groups enrolling less than 10 employees will still need to provide employee applications space space Information required to obtain quote: Agent Name and contact information Legal Name of Group Full Address and phone number SIC code Total number of employees on wage and tax/Number of eligible employees/Number enrolled Total average number of employees including full time, part time, union and seasonal employees on average in the prior year. Number of different prior group [...]

2018-10-30T14:20:08-05:00Medical, Patty's Perspective|
Read More

New, Revised Group Quote Request Form for All Products

MIBS Has Released a New Group Quote Request Form   To simplify your request to quote group benefits through MIBS, we have revised our paper group quote request  form to allow agents to use one form for all group health products including, small group and non-regulated small group (51+), medical, dental, life, disability and vision. Important!   If you are requesting quotes for medical and any ancillary product, use this new paper quote request form. Currently, the electronic quote request form on our website only allows quotes for medical and will automatically ask for the appropriate information for the market segment based on the employee counts entered. This new paper quote form is fillable, with drop down menus to easily select the options you want and color coding to highlight those data fields that need to be completed for specific products.   The form also has a tab at the bottom with instructions on how to fill the form out. This form was created in Excel so there are three tabs on the bottom: Group Information Tab Group Census Tab Directions for Use Tab Group Information Tab space space [...]

2018-10-30T14:19:32-05:00Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical, Patty's Perspective|
Read More

Philadelphia Insurance Companies Specializes in the Religious Organizations Industry

As you are driving around, notice how many churches are in your community and marketing area.   Here is another potential client who needs to have correct coverage with a great carrier which you can access with Philadelphia Ins. Companies and MIBS. 10 Reasons Why to Consider Philadelphia Insurance Companies: Property, Equipment Breakdown, Inland Marine, Crime, General Liability, Professional Liability, Abuse and Molestation, and Automobile coverage bundled into one convenient policy Fine Arts coverage available for religious artifacts Broad definition of building coverage extends to stained glass, pipe organs and foundations Large excess limits available Professional Liability with separate limits of liability including coverage for pastoral counseling, teachers, cemetery professional staff and volunteers $50,000 Donation Assurance coverage included Medical payments for volunteers included Church members as additional insureds included Automobile coverage available for church vans and buses Installment plans available for accounts that generate at least $2,000 in premium Don’t forget about Cyber or Privacy Coverage for your religious organization.    If your client does any of the actions listed below, they need to consider it: Accepts online donations Maintains a social networking page Obtains credit card numbers, driver’s [...]

2018-10-30T14:19:00-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Patty's Perspective, Property & Casualty|
Read More

National General Insurance Update June 2018

Recently, National General Insurance representatives visited MIBS and offered some interesting ideas to consider for your potential groups.  In case you are not aware, National General Insurance offers Level Funded health plans for group benefits.  These plans are made up of three components which are seen in the quote: Administrative fees Claim Fund Account (estimated total of annual claims divided by twelve and included in monthly premium) Stop Loss plan (In the event total claims go over the stop loss amount, this plan starts paying the medical claims) These plans are medically underwritten and not guaranteed to issue so only eligible groups should be considered for these plans.   But for those groups who are eligible for level funded plans, they could benefit from low premiums and the potential to receive premium back if there is a balance in their claim fund account at the end of the plan year.   Once the plan is in place, the employer will only be required to pay their set monthly premium regardless of claims.   They will never owe more than that monthly premium.   In the worse case scenario where the group experiences high [...]

2018-10-30T14:18:19-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical, MIBS Updates, Patty's Perspective|
Read More

Dearborn National Group Benefits with BCBS IL

Dearborn National Group Benefits   Recently, Dearborn National held a seminar here at MIBS and discussed not only their products but also how employers and members can best use them.   Although Dental and Vision are easy to use, Term Life and Disability may be unfamiliar to your employer and employee.  How life insurance and disability insurance works with employees who may not be actively working was new information for me and I felt this was important for agents to know.  I have included this topic toward the end of this blog. Dearborn National is the ancillary carrier partnered with BCBS IL but their products can also be sold stand-alone without medical benefits.  Their products include: Life Insurance Short Term Disability Long Term Disability Vision Critical Illness Accident Contracted agents have access to the Producers Corner on the Dearborn National website where you can see your business and much more. Benefits that might be unique with Dearborn Life include: Dearborn Cares:  provides an advance payment of the life insurance benefit to help beneficiaries cover their immediate expenses without a death certificate.   The remaining balance will be paid after the [...]

2018-10-30T14:17:33-05:00Ancillary, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical, Patty's Perspective|
Read More

News from the Travelers Webinar held March 20, 2018

If you missed the last Travelers Webinar, here are some points that were discussed. Personal Lines How to Handle Customer’s concerns regarding increasing premiums. Even though automobile premiums may be increasing, Travelers remains committed to mitigating the impact of industry trends with enhanced pricing, lower expenses and improved processes. Tips for discussing these trends with your customers: Let your clients know the current trends with auto premiums and why. People are buying more cars Distracted driving is increasing; drivers are texting and surfing the web Injury costs are rising Repair costs are rising Review your client's coverage to make sure all available discounts are taken. Remind them of Travelers' auto loyalty benefits such as incident leniency, youthful driver leniency and longevity credits which could be lost if they leave Travelers. MyTravelers Website for Insureds Travelers allows your insured’s access to their account through MyTravelers.  https://www.travelers.com/Login/#/ Report an auto, home or boat claim Pay your bill View your billing activity, payment details and policy information Locate a repair shop Enroll in one of our automatic payment plans Check the status of an existing claim View and [...]

2018-10-30T14:16:43-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Patty's Perspective, Property & Casualty|
Read More

Boating Season is About to Start

With winter slowly moving to spring, people start looking forward to warm weather and boating.   MIBS agents can assist their clients in finding the right coverage for that new boat with Safeco Insurance and Travelers. Watercraft Rating Categories spacer Safeco’s Watercraft Program Safeco’s Watercraft Program is open to most types of watercraft used for recreational purposes.  They offer a selection of coverages designed to provide protection to the insured operator and the watercraft. Program Advantages / Selling Tips:  Competitive Advantages Coverage for pets, personal property, and equipment such as water skis and marine electronics Standalone watercraft are accepted Agreed-value policy Eligible watercraft up to $300,000 and 40 feet Total price protection available for boats 2 years old and newer Roadside Assistance is available Emergency Assistance (on-water towing) Liability coverage only is available Towing and labor expenses Fuel spill and wreckage removal Optional fishing equipment coverage up to $20,000 Additional Interest/Marina Additional Insured is available spacer Safeco also offers the Captain’s Package Option for boats of all ages The Captain’s Package provides a valuable optional coverage. It can be added to new or existing policies for [...]

2018-10-30T14:15:38-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Patty's Perspective, Property & Casualty|
Read More

Streamline your BCBS IL group enrollment with DocuSign

BCBS IL and DocuSign   Imagine a world where all you need is your portable electronic device and you can complete the enrollment paperwork for a business to apply for a BCBS IL small group health plan.     Recently, BCBS IL presented the DocuSign enrollment tool to the staff at MIBS.   We were all impressed and played at being agents, sending out enrollment paperwork and filling it out too.  I was excited to see how easy and fast it actually was.   Each step of the process is designed to save time, increase accuracy of entered data and provide legible electronically signed documents to the group, the agent, and your MIBS CSR without printing forms, hand writing information, scanning or faxing. Ok, I know some of you will jump on this like, “Patty, tell me how!”   And there are those of my friends who will groan and sigh and say, “I can’t do that technology thing.”   Well, it really is not that hard. In an effort to make this as easy as possible, MIBS created a guide with step by step instructions on how to use Docusign.   You [...]

2018-10-30T14:14:32-05:00Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Medical, Patty's Perspective, Uncategorized|
Read More

Don’t Forget About Humana for Group Benefits

Although BCBS IL still has the market share of business in Illinois, don’t forget to consider Humana as well.  This blog will discuss where Humana might fit your group’s specific needs. Recently, Humana came to MIBS to present Humana for 2018.   Key points that were covered include: Humana Dental and Vision still strong in today’s market (Check out the Humana Bundling Bonus at the end of the Dental Vision section) Humana’s Level Funded Product is strong and competitive (Check out the Humana Level Funded Premium Bonus at the end the Level Funded section) Humana’s CCN HMO network provides a workable solution to contain premium costs space space Humana Dental Next to medical costs, dental expenses can create a serious strain on an employee’s budget.   Groups offering dental not only assist the employee financially, but also increase the health of that employee as regular dental exams screen for many medical conditions increasing chances of early detection. Eligibility for Humana Dental Groups with 2-100 enrolled are eligible for dental coverage. Humana does not enforce contribution requirements for dental plans Participation requirements for employer sponsored is 50% participation after [...]

2018-10-30T14:14:04-05:00Ancillary, Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical, Patty's Perspective|
Read More
Go to Top