INSIDER NEWS
MENTAL HEALTH![]()
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week Oct. 2-8 is centered around the theme “What I Wish I Had Known” with a focus on the power of lived experience. Each day throughout the week, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will be elevating the voices of people with lived experience to talk about the components of their recovery where they learned something that could have helped them sooner. For resources click here. Test YOUR mental health here.
NAMI Helpline 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640
Sample video: Krishna Louis: What I wish people knew about anxiety 
Does Medicare Cover Mental Health?
Yes! Outpatient, inpatient, diagnostic tests and more.
Medicare covers inpatient mental health services under Part A, and under Part B it covers outpatient mental health services, including evaluation and visits with a mental health provider. Medicare Part B covers individual and group psychotherapy with doctors or other licensed professionals that your state allows. It also covers a variety of other mental health services. Read more
Employee Mental Health in an Uncertain World: Shifting From a State of Crisis to a Culture of Mental Wellness
Modern Health, a leading workplace mental health platform supporting enterprises globally, published a wide-ranging study of executives, HR decision makers, managers and employees to examine the state of employee mental health in the workplace.
Want to know more about employee mental health in 2022, developing a culture of listening at work, employer fears about the cost of supporting mental health, and more? Click here.
Teens in Crisis: Guidance for Parents in a Changed World
Kids need help to navigate online threats, skyrocketing anxiety and new sexual pressures. Social media, the pandemic and cultural changes have created a generation on shaky ground. Nearly 1 in 10 high school students admitted they had tried to take their own life in the previous 12 months, according to a survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 1 in 5 had seriously considered it.
Suicide rates among adolescents had risen nearly 53 percent between 2010 and 2020; it was now the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 18. Then came the pandemic, and the lockdowns, and the isolation, and the increased reliance on virtual schooling and socializing. And everything got worse.
Solutions? Several are discussed. Above all, just be there. “What children are looking for is love and attention,” says Lauren Coffren, executive director of NCMEC’s exploited children division. “And if they’re not getting love and attention from the places they need it, it’s readily available online — even if it’s not authentic, even if it’s misplaced, even if it’s duplicitous.”
Notably, congress passed bipartisan legislation that made a significant investment in mental health for young people, dedicating $1 billion in funding for school-based psychological support over five years, as well as other resources. Learn more tips and details here.
MEDICARE
Drug Prices to Fall!
Landmark Bill to Cut Prescription Drug Prices Signed Into Law
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will — along with many, many other high impact provisions — help millions of Medicare enrollees better afford their life-sustaining medications, and millions more Americans will be able to pay their Affordable Care Act premiums.
“This law finally delivers on a promise that was made for decades to the American people,” allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, said President Biden. It will take several years to see real price reductions, but the path has been opened, and that’s worth celebrating! Read more.
Lobby Pushes Back Against Inquiry Into ‘Potentially Deceptive’ MA Marketing Tactics
Instead of “criticizing those standing in the gap to help beneficiaries navigate this difficult and complicated process,” policymakers should “modernize Medicare enrollment in ways that offer more transparency in coverage choices and empower consumers,” the Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) president and CEO Mary Beth Donahue said.
Marketing materials for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are already subject to “careful regulation,” must be approved by regulators and adhere to a 53-page set of federal guidelines, Donahue argued in a Tuesday statement on the inquiry. Read more.
BENEFITS
Many Americans would pay more for higher quality care
Care quality is only area in which a majority said they would be willing to pay more
A survey commissioned by revenue cycle firm AKASA showed:
- 57% of 2,023 Americans are willing to pay more for better-quality health care
- 47% are willing to spend more for the ability to receive care from their chosen health care provider
- 41% would spend more for convenience or proximity.
Care about being green? Don’t make your employees come to the office every day
Instead of a place we go to everyday out of habit or because we must, the office is appropriately becoming a place we go to collaborate, to meet clients, and to get to know colleagues. In many places, the office is changing to something more resembling a European cafe.
Does the push to remote work just shift the burden of energy use from the office to the home? It’s not a simple trade off of using energy at home, versus using energy at the office. Keeping workers off the road, using less gas and emitting less pollution is a definite plus for the environment. Given the fact that the average U.S. driving commute time was 27 minutes and around 15 miles right before the pandemic hit, and that the average vehicle emits about 404 grams of CO2 per mile, even a small or partial reduction in everyday commuting will make a substantial dent in carbon emissions.
One statistic shows that if employees split their time 50/50 between the office and the home, it would be the greenhouse gas equivalent of taking the entire New York State workforce off the road.
Benefits of remote work? Less time commuting, more time for ourselves and our families, and more flexibility in general. We’ve proven that we can be every bit as productive this way, and a recent Condeco study shows that the vast majority of us like this arrangement, and want it to continue. Read more
What Benefits do YOUR employees want?
Rather than following trends, Pause, take a step back, and then ask employees what they value in benefits and compensation. Their answers might surprise you. That said, there really aren’t surprises in the value placed on schedule and location flexibility, as well as basic health benefits. Become an Employer of Choice by being responsive to YOUR workforce. Read more.
Here’s a list of the most popular benefits — no surprises here!
- Remote work
- Healthcare
- Paid time off
- Flexible hours
- Four-day work week
- Free food in the office
- Student loan assistance
- Pet insurance/pet friendly offices.
- Fitness perks
MARKETPLACE
Customers don’t value, so Amazon Care to shut down
By year’s end, the retail giant will shut down Amazon Care, due to lack of popularity. The move indicates it makes more sense for Amazon to buy healthcare services instead of building them in-house. The decision comes a month after Amazon announced plans to acquire One Medical for almost $4 billion. Read more.
Inflation Passes Over Healthcare Costs – So Far
Prices for medical care have historically risen faster than overall consumer prices. Amid today’s inflation, however, healthcare costs are taking a backseat.
- Inflation hasn’t yet rippled through the healthcare sector, even as the consumer price index hit a four-decade high in recent months, according to a tracker maintained by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Peterson Center on Healthcare.
It will take years for contracts to be renegotiated and for inflation to be more fully reflected in healthcare costs the research found. But ultimately, “it is yet to be seen whether or to what extent rising prices in the rest of the economy may eventually affect health prices,” the Kaiser Family Foundation report said. Read more
45% CSR Insurance Agent Turnover Rate – Why?
The rate of insurance Customer Service Rep (CSR) contact center turnover is 30-45% — more than double the average for all other occupations. Insurance companies are especially vulnerable to this because insurance products are complex and require skilled selling with access to data and information to respond to customer needs quickly and effectively. Read more.
- 6-9 months salary – the cost to recruit, on board and train new CSRs
- 6 months – time it takes for CSR to provide optimal customer service LIFE
Does life insurance cover COVID-19?
Good question! Here’s answers to that and other important questions, like “Can I purchase life insurance If I’m diagnosed with COVID-19?” Read more: https://www.progressive.com/answers/does-life-insurance-cover-covid-19/
WHO’S WHO
Warner L. Thomas is joining Sutter Health as the next chief executive officer, effective Dec. 1, 2022. Read more. Thomas is recognized as an innovative leader focused on building healthier communities.
GOOD NEWS
10 Ways to Be Politely Persistent
1. Communicate regularly.
2. Keep it simple.
3. Always bring something new and valuable.
4. Engage with them.
5. Be where they are (virtually).
6. Be where they are (physically).
7. Remember the rule of six.
8. Share success stories.
9. The phone message strategy.
10. Let them know what you want.
EVENTS
Featured: Ell
evate Women’s Leadership 2023 Summit, March 13-15, 2/23. JW Marriott just outside Las Vegas. Registration NOW OPEN. Don’t miss it!!!! Register
evate Women’s Leadership 2023 Summit, - DCAHU Annual Medicare Summit, Sept 15, 10-3pm, Palm Desert, Register
- LAAHU 7th Annual Medicare Symposium, Sept. 15, Burbank Marriott Hotel, Register
- NAIC Insurance 2022 Summit (in person & virtual), Sept.19-23, Kansas City. Register
- InsurTech Connect: The Future of Insurance is Here, Sept. 20-22, Las Vegas. Info here
- Remodel Health: ICHRA for Clients webinar Sept. 20 1:30 p.m. EST / 10:30 a.m. PST. Register
- CAHIP Virtual Medicare Event, Sept. 21, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Register
- GGAHU Complimentary Webinar: Modifications to Medicare and the Medicare Marketplace for 2023, Thurs., Sept. 22. Register for one CE credit.
- WIFS National Conference, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, Phoenix, Arizona. Info here
- National African-American Insurance Association (NAAIA) 2022 Annual Conference & Empowerment Summit, Oct. 5-7, Baltimore, MD. Info here
- Self Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) ENGAGE National Conference & Expo, October 9-11, Phoenix. Info: (800)851-7789 www.siiaconferences.org
- Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) 2022 Annual Conference, Chicago, Oct. 16 – 18. Register
- HLTH 2022 Health Innovation Expo, Nov. 13-16, Las Vegas. Register
Regal Medical Group looks forward to partnering with you during open enrollment as you continue to bring quality healthcare benefits to your clients throughout Southern California. More info here.
Visit regalmed.com and click on “Brokers.” Questions? Email BrokerInquiry@regalmed.com
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