Michael Looney

This is something that cou;d mean some significant effect in the market all over the country, however the reinsurance progream in the state of Minnespta also puts another wrinkle in this! Stay tuned! #thinkingdifferently #cfoinsights #ceoinsights #hr #hrbenefits #employee experience #ESOPCG

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Lessons from 50+ (prospective) client calls the past 90 days: These calls were nearly all with regional and mutual insurance companies. Our ideal customers. Mostly in the Midwest and Southeast. Not close to any financial hub, so their access to the top tier brokers is limited. We spoke to: ➝ CFOs ➝ GCs and legal pros ➝ And the random woman in Illinois that joked about her responsibilities buying the insurance They all mentioned“surface level,” challenges. Their comments and concerns… “Not sure my broker really understands us, our risks or our company’s culture.” “Not 100% sure we have the right coverage.” “If we have a claim will the coverage work like it’s supposed to?” “When we have a claim, are the insurance companies going to partner with us or “will it be a dog fight,” said the woman in Illinois. Summary of our analysis: We used Otter.ai to sort through the transcripts and summarize their main concerns. The summary reminded us to listen to clients. (the way they describe these things, their words) Most importantly, it was a reminder of the fundamental needs of clients. We’re all guilty of trying to be the smartest person. When all our clients really want to know is: ➝ Do yall understand me? ➝ Am I lbuying the right dern thing? ➝ And do you promise to help me not look like an a$$ internally if this stuff doesn’t work! …If any of this sounds familiar, here are three ways we can help you: 1. Schedule a 1:1 call - learn about our white glove service 2. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter - 5 min hot takes on global insurance events 3. Like + comment “blueprint” - get a FREE 5-day D&O email course on coverage gaps / safeguarding your personal assets   Or follow Mark Flippen for more exclusive content…

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Recent Wisconsin Health News published Wisconsin's health insurance market data. The findings indicate a strong performance among insurers in the region. Below, you'll find an overview of key players, their enrollment figures, and profit margins, providing a snapshot of the current landscape. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin Enrollment: 478,245 Profit Margin: 13.5% Dean Health Plan Enrollment: 254,397 Profit Margin: 2.1% Group Health Cooperative of South-Central Wisconsin Enrollment: 73,285 Profit Margin: 2.9% Network Health Plan Enrollment: 90,831 Profit Margin: 8.3% Quartz (Unity) Enrollment: 252,063 Profit Margin: 0.8% UnitedHealthcare Enrollment: 1,122,375 Profit Margin: 6.6% Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corp. Enrollment: 91,289 Profit Margin: 4.4% These data points indicate they can adapt and grow, and it will be interesting to observe their strategies moving forward and increases groups will face. #WisconsinInsurance #Healthcare #ProfitMargins #Enrollment #InsuranceIndustryInsights #physicians #medicine #practicemanagers

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Benefit Professionals…. Wondering why direct contracting is so powerful to help control costs? Take a look at claims data and see what the average paid claim including member cost share is for a cardiac ct calcium score? I bet it’s a heck of a lot higher than $99 and thanks to the team at Green Imaging for helping set this up for me.

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Who: Ben Krambeck Where: West Des Moines, IA What: A 60 Minutes-style Interview Why: To share the powerful story of ClaimDOC We hope you enjoy this journalistic look at how ClaimDOC came to be. #rbp #referencebased #medicalpricing #medicalbilling #healthinsurance #insurance #claimdoc #selffunded

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ClaimDOC CEO Shares insights on what makes Fair Pricing work and market insight. Quality Fair Pricing Matters. ClaimDOC Matters.

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Very much of a changing landscape for GLP-1 insurance coverage for obesity. Employers need to have a completely separate carved out wholistic program addressing mental health, nutrition, exercise, with medications used as a tool when members get stuck in their health journey with their disease of obesity. #GLP1 #obesitycoverage #wegovy #zepbound #healthinsurance #employeebenefits #PBMs #weightlossmeds #burnhambenefits #theBaldwinGroup

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From Star Trek to streamlining our agency—AI can be your secret weapon! 🚀 My dad, Brian Bartosh's journey with technology began at a young age. He convinced my Grandpa in the early 80's that Top O'​ Michigan Insurance Solutions - TOMIA247 could use automation as a way to support the efforts of the agency. "Even before PCs became ubiquitous, he recognized that there were functions that a computer could perform better and faster than a human, allowing staff members at the agency to spend more time on providing better service to clients." - The Rough Notes Company, Inc. So when I showed him the power of some new AI tools, he dove right in. This was reminiscent of scenes from Star Trek for him. It has transformed how we communicate, automate, and free up time of our team to interact directly with clients, allowing for a better client experience. Curious how AI could reshape your business too? Check out his insights below. 👇 #AIRevolution #InsurTech #AgencyInnovation #Insurance #IndependentAgency #AI

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Pharmacy expense is the fastest growing line item for most employer plans. One way in which USI Insurance Services differentiates itself from other large brokerage firms is that we do not own a pharmacy coalition because we believe it is a conflict of interest for our clients. The article below addresses several concerns employers should be aware of if they partner with a broker that has their own pharmacy coalition, as well as lists a number of ways in which we can help. #USIOneAdvantage #EmployeeBenefits

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🚨 Breaking News: After years of legal battles, the 2018 rule expanding Association Health Plans (AHPs) has been rescinded. The new standards, reinstated as of April 30, 2024, prioritize compliance with ERISA regulations. #healthcare #employeebenefits #HealthPlans

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As a Wisconsin attorney, you strive to provide exceptional service to your clients, but even the most careful professionals can encounter unforeseen malpractice claims. Did you know that some of these claims could arise from work completed years ago? Wondering if a new legal malpractice insurance policy will cover past work? Dive into our latest blog to find out! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gnbrYvD7 #LegalMalpracticeInsurance #WisconsinLawyers #AttorneyProtection #RiskManagement #ProfessionalLiability #WILMIC #InsuranceCoverage #LawFirm #WisconsinAttorney #LegalAdvice #NewBlogPost

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Nice article on the benefits of OPPI insurance.

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This week we talk to Brad Johnson, and he shares insights from the Rand Hospital Study, which compares hospital payments from private insurers vs. Medicare. The study reveals a widening gap, with private plans paying an average of 2.5 times more than Medicare. This differential varies by state, with Iowa having one of the lowest at 1.84 times Medicare rates, while Georgia has the highest at 3.45 times. As hospital contracts come up for renegotiation post-COVID, medical inflation (currently around 8-8.5%) is expected to rise further. This raises concerns about the sustainability of the current system and the impact on employer health plans. Join the conversation: How do you think this growing payment gap can be addressed? #HealthcareEconomics #MedicareVsPrivateInsurance #HospitalPayments #EmployerHealthPlans Brad Johnson Chris Boling - PPACA

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This week we talk to Brad Johnson, and he shares insights from the Rand Hospital Study, which compares hospital payments from private insurers vs. Medicare. The study reveals a widening gap, with private plans paying an average of 2.5 times more than Medicare. This differential varies by state, with Iowa having one of the lowest at 1.84 times Medicare rates, while Georgia has the highest at 3.45 times. As hospital contracts come up for renegotiation post-COVID, medical inflation (currently around 8-8.5%) is expected to rise further. This raises concerns about the sustainability of the current system and the impact on employer health plans. Join the conversation: How do you think this growing payment gap can be addressed? #HealthcareEconomics #MedicareVsPrivateInsurance #HospitalPayments #EmployerHealthPlans

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In an era of high inflation, medical practices are seeing their overhead costs rise while reimbursement rates continue to decline. As physicians look for places to cut costs, insurance often becomes an obvious target. But what to do about it? Hear more from HUB expert, Pete Reilly in Medical Economics: https://ow.ly/wVOb50SGJqx #SelfInsurance #Medical #Healthcare #Insurance

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On my way to Toulon, Illinois to review claims data. Have you taken the leap and changed your group health plan from fully insured to self funded? If you have, you need to be reviewing claims data with your advisor. If you and your current broker rarely, if ever review claims, feel free to reach out to me for a no obligation review. #data #claims #HR #CFO

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This story is from Illinois. They are trying to remove Step Therapy which is a common complaint of consumers. In simple terms Illinois new law means the insurance company can't force you to try less expensive options before covering treatment your Dr. thinks you should do. I can argue both sides. On the one hand if your trusted Dr. is saying you need to do treatment A then that seems reasonable. On the other hand when the insurance company says treatments B, C, and D show equal effectiveness at a lower total cost... that helps keep premiums down for everyone. Bottom-line is I imagine a lot of states are going to watch and see what happens in Illinois over the next few years. If this law does not cause the cost of medical care and the cost of medical insurance to rise dramatically other states may follow. I don't just sell Employee Benefits, I teach Employee Benefits. I tell my students the great part about our industry is legislation causes it to constantly change. New agents that stay current can compete with tenured agents that don't service "smaller accounts". I specialize in Florida employers 20 to 250 employees. #notyouraverageagency #examfx #naifatampaBAY #naifaproud

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Self-funded employers should understand the headwinds in facility pricing and depending on the situation, steerage, bundled pricing networks and even RBP may need to be on the table for discussion. Very informative!

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If you're a health insurance advisor in Minnesota, I'd love to see you on Wednesday! I'll be delivering the keynote address to MAHU members at 10 AM. The topic? The Insurance Agent Sales Playbook: The 3-Step Process To Go From Unknown to Unstoppable. If you're looking to grab more attention from your prospects this is the talk for you. You'll learn how to build clear answers to the 3 most important questions in marketing: 👉 Who are you talking to? 👉 What are you saying to them? 👉 Where are you saying it? I know your agency is built on service, but nothing gets serviced until something gets sold. And nothing gets sold without effective marketing. Thank you to Lisa Talcott and the MAHU board members for giving me this opportunity. If you're still on the fence about whether you're going to attend, pencil it in. Here's the link to register: https://www.emahu.org/ ***Also*** If you know of any college students considering a career in the insurance industry, get them signed up, as well. The first 5 students to sign up can register at no cost! I'll see you on Wednesday!

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