Tips: Adding Value to Group Enrollment and Renewal Meetings

Agents can add value to the group health plan that their clients are enrolled in by educating the insureds on how to maximize their benefits.   This also will increase the agent’s value in the employer’s mind.  With many families paying a monthly health premium that is higher than their mortgage, it is even more important to use the plan correctly.  Listed below are some topics and brochures to enhance your enrollment and renewal meetings. Stay in Network – insureds will receive more benefits by staying in network. Both BCBS IL and Humana offer insureds the opportunity to register for their carrier’s member website where they can view accrued deductibles and out of pockets, claims in process, provider searches and more. They also offer members a mobile app, making it very easy to search for an in-network provider while on the go. Since the mobile app is linked to the plan they are enrolled in, the provider search option already has their network, making the search easier and more accurate. Going out of network could result in very high expenses for the insured as those providers can balance [...]

2018-12-04T15:20:24-06:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical, Patty's Perspective|
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National General’s Self-Funded Plans

Health benefit programs designed for small to medium sized business. A realistic approach to employee health benefits: Now, you can help business owners gain control of their health care expenses while providing quality benefits to their employees. By combining the cost savings of self-funding with the stability of more traditional plans, the National General Self-Funded Program gives them the simplicity and cost savings that they are looking for without the hassle of administering the program themselves. A national leader in the self-funded space, National General is able to provide business owners with: • Group market expertise • Immediate access to support • Quick resolution of issues • Hands-on help at time of reissue Self funding used to be a concept only available to large employers. Not anymore. Business owners enjoy the advantages of self funding without taking on added risk. It’s an easy way for your clients to lower their costs while providing quality health care benefits to their employees. Key Advantages of Self-Funded Programs: One predictable monthly payment- determined upfront and guaranteed not to increase for a full year as long as there are no changes [...]

2018-10-18T19:50:16-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical|
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Travelers: Tips for Cross Selling

One Household. More Policies. Lots of Wins. When you sell more policies per household, everyone can benefit. You may see an increase in customer loyalty, agency efficiency and revenue. And, it will be easier for your customers with one bill to pay, one contact point for all their claims and one website to manage their Travelers policies. Why cross sell? Increase Customer Loyalty Increase Agency Efficiency 87% of new business cancellations are monoline. More policies per household saves time that would have been spent to capture lost policies. Increase Revenue and Profitability Profits can increase more than 25% by increasing customer retention by as little as 5% according to research done by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company (the inventor of the net promoter score). Take a Look At Umbrella Policies A Travelers PLUS® umbrella policy can provide extra protection starting at $1,000,000 of additional personal liability coverage.  Umbrella coverage can include court costs and attorney fees, and it may protect you against various liability hazards not typically covered under home and auto policies. It may also extend protection for other personal liability losses, including: libel slander defamation [...]

2018-10-18T19:47:50-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Property & Casualty|
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Group Special Enrollment For 1/1/2019 Effective Date

Group Special Enrollment This is the period when groups who do not meet employer contribution or employee participation requirements can enroll in a group plan. Group submission paperwork can be submitted to MIBS starting Thursday November 1, 2018. The last date for submission to MIBS is 12p.m. on Friday December, 14, 2018. Note- Later submissions (those closer to December 14) need to be complete without any missing information or they will not make the deadline. Group must still be a business eligible for group coverage Only available for the small group market (1-50) Employer does not need to pay any portion of the employee premium Employee participation requirement is waived Perfect for that group that is still on Individual policies Group premiums are usually lower and offer richer benefits than comparable individual plans Businesses on individual policies can have access to a large PPO network with a group plan All carriers must participate with the group SEP Sales Ideas Collect all the names of groups that you have quoted but who did not purchase a group plan Contact them again in October to see if they would be [...]

2018-10-18T19:47:12-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Medical, MIBS Updates|
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Philadelphia Insurance Companies Introduce Cyber Security Liability

Cyber Security Liability for Businesses An insurance that helps you protect what you connect. The average cost of a data breach is $204 per lost record, with more than half of such costs due to lost customers and the associated public relations expenses to rebuild an organization’s reputation. Don't let your clients be unprotected! • Healthcare • Hospitality • Insurance Agency • Manufacturer • Non-Profit Organization • Private School • Professional Service • Religious Organization • Retail • Many more! • Adult Content • College/University • Data Warehousing/Data Broker • Casino/Gambling • Lottery • Mortgage Lender • Municipality • Public School District Key Features • Limits available up to $20M for select risks • Both First and Third Party coverages available • Complimentary access to eRisk Hub™ cyber risk management portal • Excess Cyber is available for clients requiring high limits • Availability of complementary coverages to provide broader risk management solutions including Directors & Officers, Employment Practices, Fiduciary, and Crime • Quick turnaround times for proposals and policy issuance *disclaimer: coverage can change without notice Loss of Digital Assets [...]

2018-09-05T17:08:48-05:00Marketing & Sales Ideas, Property & Casualty|
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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|
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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|
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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|
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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|
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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|
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