October 2015
MAHU Newsletter
 
President's Letter 

Hello Fellow MAHU members -
 
Open Enrollment season is here.  I know how busy you all are.  I hope that you are planning to attend our last meeting of 2015.  As an organization, MAHU has decided to forego our normal monthly meeting in December.  We recognize this new environment, and want to respect your needs.

Ken Harpell, a fellow MAHU member and long time industry leader, will be presenting to us in his role as Director of Broker Relations with MNsure.  We are fortunate to have Ken representing the Broker voice within MNsure, and we are sure to have a sold-out meeting. 

We all have very different perspectives and approaches to the Open Enrollment season.  Some of our members have become Broker Enrollment Centers, some are becoming certified for the first time, and some have decided not to certify with MNsure at all.  Whatever your approach is, it is important for your voice and your opinion to be heard.
   
Right now our Legislative Committee is working on our agenda for the upcoming season.  Please watch for ways to become involved.  There will be a Day on the Hill at our State Capitol.  In February, a MAHU team will be going to D.C. to meet with our federal delegation.  And there is always our monthly legislative committee meeting.  Your opinion and expertise is needed.  Please find a way to get involved!

More changes are coming.  It has never been more important to get involved and get informed!
 
Sincerely,
 

 

  

Heidi Michaels Mathson
President, MAHU, 2015-2016



THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNER
 SPONSORS








Professional Development Luncheon Review:
 
MAHU Monthly Meeting Recap - October 7, 2015
1 CE was approved for October program
The Why, When and How of Small Group Self-Funding
Vaughn Francis, New Wave Benefits 
   
The monthly MAHU meeting on Wednesday, October 7th offered a peek into the world of Self-Funding.   Vaughn Francis gave us an overview of why self-funding is gaining in popularity and how, with the increase in health care costs, and the Affordable Care Act the health insurance industry has changed.   
 
Francis indicated that with self-funding, it is all about choices.    Why self-fund?   Ultimately, to save money.   If you have a young and healthy group, it could save the employer quite a bit of money.  Why would you not self-fund?    Because it is complicated to understand and could be quite costly if the group is unhealthy or becomes unhealthy.   
 
The "when" of self-funding, Francis says is anytime.   Plans that are fully insured now can be moved to off anniversary or renewal.   This allows the spread of renewal dates throughout the year.
 
As Francis said, we all know that the young and the healthy help fund claims for the old and unhealthy.   Self-funding works especially well for healthy, young and favorable industry groups and now they can be groups with 10 - 50 employees who want to do something different.
 
How to set up a plan?   Work with self-funded experts to cover the details.
 

Don't miss our next meeting!    It is on Wednesday, November 4th back at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul.   Ken Harpell will be joining us to talk about MNsure 2015 AEP:  What every agent needs to know.    This will be a very popular presentation, so make sure you reserve your spot early! There will be a limited number of seats available. This event might sell out!

 

Also, remember to check out the NAHU website Continuing Education page.   There is information regarding Ethics Training, discounts for CE courses, and, of course, the popular Compliance Corner.    Check it out. 
                   
MEMBERSHIP
MAHU  is proud of our work and service on behalf of our membership. Take pride in your membership and share that affiliation with your clients and colleagues. Request a  MAHU member badge to display on your website and/or email signature. 

Simply email:  office@emahu.org
 
Request the badges for the current year. New ones will be available for 2016 in January for all current members who request them. Thank you for your membership to MAHU!

Chapter Dues Change for 2016
Just a reminder that the dues are going to raise a bit in 2016. It has been 8 years since MAHU raised the dues. Activity on behalf of our members have increased during this time as have expenses, and it is time to keep up with inflation. Annual dues will go from $360 to $395 starting in January. At this rate we are still one of the lowest cost chapters in the region. If you know someone that is considering joining, now is the time to get 2015 rates. Thank you for your past and future membership.



Thank you to our
Advocate Sponsors! 
                  


                         


Legislative Update:
 
As the new legislative session approaches the Legislative Committee is seeking your input, in order to help determine our direction for 2016.  A delegation will be visiting our Federal Representatives, as well as our Senators in February to discuss federal and some state issues. In order to get your input we will be having a webinar to review potential issues.  We are developing our PowerPoint now and will announce the webinar very soon.  The webinar will be free to members and will have a small fee for non-members. 
 
There has been a change in legislation at the Federal level that will affect employers with between 51 and 100 employees.  Prior to the new legislation that was enacted groups between 51 and 100 employees would have been considered small group effective January 1 of 2016.  This would have had both positive and negative effects.  On a positive note, employers with a sicker than average employee population would have been guaranteed issue at the same community rate as all other employers in their same geographic area for the same plan.  This rule had a bad side as well, in that employers with a healthy population would have paid more for their insurance.  Additionally employers would have been confined to the plan designed assigned by the insurance carriers without the same flexibility as they had previously.  In addition, rates would be assessed on an age and family demographic basis so administration and to some degree contributions would be different based on age.   There would not have been composite rates as is currently the case for these size groups. So, as you can see there is good with the bad.  Since this part of the ACA was thrown back to the states, the State of MN reverts back to small group being defined as 1-50. 
 
Additionally the final regulations and forms for 6055 and 6056 filings have been established.  If you have not reviewed these rules, Dave Racer has an excellent archived webinar to review these rules with you.
 
As most of you know the MAHU Legislative Committee has won the most prestigious award available from NAHU.  This is due to the hard work and success of our committee and our lobbyist Tim Wilken and our scribe Dave Racer.  In order to continue this important work it takes money.  Our legislative efforts over the last several years have caused the MAHU reserves to dwindle.  As a result we are going to be asking for your support in funding the Legislative Committee directly.  Very soon you will receive an impassioned plea for your support.  The work we do will help us provide valuable services to our clients and helps you continue in the business you love.  Thanks in advance for your support.
 
The Leg Com meets the first Wednesday of the month immediately following the monthly luncheon.  The meeting is open to all members.  We very much value your input and opinions.  I have been happy to welcome a number of agents who write individual and voluntary insurance plans and hope to welcome many more.
 
Dave Wiest,  ACBC
President & CEO Emex Benefits
Co-Chair Legislative Committee

2014 Legislative Excellence Award

Your Board of Directors have been Busy!

The last couple of weeks have been very busy for the Board of Directors at MAHU. Heidi Mathson your President attended the MNsure Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday and testified about the enrollment issues during this enrollment season. Along with Bob Stein, your president elect, information was given to make an urgent decision to allow early access to the broker portal and get access to information about clients. Heidi also attended Health Insurance Advisory Committee and again spoke in regard to the plight of the professional insurance agent and the small amount of time to service all of the clients in need this coming year.

Mike McGuire attended the Governor's Health Care Financing Task Force meeting and testified regarding the lack of certified MNsure brokers due to technical problems in the past. It was also discussed that there will be a surge in enrollment this year due to the huge spike in individual premiums which will bring more enrollee's toward getting approval for subsidies or tax credits.

All of the board members have been assigned committees and will need your help to keep up with testifying and speaking on behalf of brokers. One of our members, Steve Dabelow, testified at the Southeastern Health Care Summit held in Cannon Falls. He did a great job getting the important information regarding the premium differential in the Southeastern market, in the hands and ears of an extensive panel that included members of DHS, MNsure and MAYO. If anyone knows about these types of meetings taking place please attend and/or let us know when they are being held, so we can get you information to present or we can plan on behalf or our members and profession.

              
Thank you for everyone's help! 

Communications Committee!
    
Thank You to our Agency Sponsors! 

   

Michael McGuire  Aflac Agency 

SPONSORSHIP

The Sponsorship Committee will be busy promoting the annual convention in the next month. You will have access to the convention sponsorship opportunities within the next couple of weeks. Please check the website and download the benefits packet  www.emahu.org for more detailed information and help us continue our work on behalf of our members and our industry, to advance our mission: To improve our members' ability to meet the health, financial and retirement security needs of all Minnesotans through advocacy, professional development, and public education.

If your agency and/or company wants to sponsor our Annual Convention, April 20, 2016 at the DoubleTree Minneapolis South in Bloominton, MN, and have access to the best brokers in MN please contact Randy Nelson, Chair of the sponsorship committee.
 
A big thank you to the following sponsors that have committed their support to MAHU for 2015 - 2016:
 
Partner Sponsors
Advocate Sponsors
Agency Sponsors
Agency Bundle 
PreferredOne
Ameritas
AFLAC/Michael McGuire Agency
Crosstown Insurance
Alliance Benefit Group
Newman Long Term Care
GoldenCare USA 
LeClair Agency
Delta Dental
Direct  Benefits
 
Dyste Willams
Medica
LeClair Group 
 
Seven Hills Services
 
BlueCross of MN
 
Sorensen Benefits

Health Partners


 
Sincerely, 

Randy Nelson
Sponsorship Chair 
randy.d.nelson@healthpartners.com
952.883.5391
 
   Partner Sponsors
                                                                 
                  


            
      

                                     Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters
                                                 5353 Wayzata Blvd. Suite 350
                                                       Minneapolis, MN 55416