Broker blog

Are provider sponsored health plans (PSHPs) a good move? While patient benefits could include lower costs, improved care and a more integrated experience, there can be significant hurdles to reaching those pay-offs.

Some PSHPs like Kaiser Permanente, UPMC and Geisinger have experienced long-standing success, but many others haven’t. 

As a former employee of one such PSHP, I’m sharing four challenges I witnessed first-hand that will help you strategize the best alternative plans for your groups. 

If you’re in the Employee Benefits industry, you know things are changing a LOT faster today than they did a decade ago. 

The (above) average health insurance broker is dealing with a mix of issues: commissions vs. consultant fees, Medicare For All, constant legislation and compliance changes, growing your business and building your pipeline, changing technology, self-funding, voluntary benefits, cost-containment, consumerism, shifting employee populations, new benefit plan products and ideas, etc. With all that, it’s important to keep learning and stay connected. 

Another year is almost “in the books!” 2018 brought plenty of merger and acquisition headlines, continued trends toward consumerism tools and no real changes from Washington for healthcare reform. 

As you look toward 2019, be sure to check out Reid’s 10 predictions for 2019 benefits and healthcare. And, check out our 5 most-read articles from 2018…

This article was originally published on Q4intelligence Crushing Mediocrity blog

As your 2018 selling season comes to an end and you finish open enrollments, I’m sure you’ve started thinking about next year: what will change, what will stay the same and what will drive client conversations? 

Over the year, I attended dozens of conferences, spoke with thousands of benefits consultants, and read hundreds of thousands of words about our industry. 

Based on all that and my “few years” in this fine industry, I’m sharing predictions for 2019.

Think about your current clients. Your book of business consists of a diverse set of employers and employees. But, what percent of their employees do you actually serve?

With clear rules stating who is and isn’t eligible for benefits, most brokers zone in on the benefits-eligible segment as they present their strategies to the employer. Obviously, this is a necessary step, but have you considered the untouched opportunity that traditional strategies miss? 

How do you make decisions about technology investments? 

Technology has created new habits in all of us - including our clients. Just consider how you use the internet, apps, social media, or text messaging each day. 

As a professional, you have a choice: to ignore what’s going on or keep up! I say keep up! But, be strategic. Not everything that’s “new and shiny” serves your goals and objectives.

It’s the wild west out there in healthcare! News about mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, venture capital, technology, etc. are in the headlines daily.

If you haven’t heard, Baylor Scott & White and Memorial Hermann recently announced a merger. The planned combination of Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health with Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System would form a 68-hospital system, making it the largest in Texas and among the largest nationwide, with annual revenue in excess of $14 billion.