West Michigan Association
of Health Underwriters
President’s Blog—Summer 2010
August 10, 2010
From 2010/2011 President: Dominic Siciliano
Well, summer seems to be flying by once again. I can’t believe we’re already talking about the golf outing in just a few weeks! The golf outing always seems to be a great highlight of the summer. It is a very fun event, a chance to see all our friends and colleagues in the industry. It’s a kind of unique and special thing to be able to come together with, in many ways our competition, to enjoy that day.
And boy, do we need a day to let our hair down. If you’re like me, I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of unrest this summer. As wonderful as the weather’s been, we’ve had a different kind of cloud hanging over all our heads since March 23. Whether you’re on the carrier side or the agent side—the news just has not been that great. From commission cuts, to carriers leaving the market, to rate increases, to the federal reforms that very truly threaten our futures, it has been a rough summer.
As we enter this year of WMAHU activity, the board is really trying to balance that understanding that times are tough with the clear need to ramp up activity to support and grow our membership. We are taking the stance that now, more than ever, members need us and we need them. We’re just a little association here, 150 members and growing, but there is no reason we can’t be bigger and there is certainly no reason to believe we can’t make a difference.
Right now, as we speak, (or read), our NAHU folks in Washington are working to ensure your commissions are protected. The NAIC's summer meeting is August 12-17 and Janet Trautwein expects that NAIC may vote on/make a recommendation during that time that agent commissions be considered a ‘pass through’ and not calculated into the minimum loss ratios for administration under PPACA. NAHU also has representatives appointed to two statutory work groups with the NAIC where we actually have equal votes with the commissioners. One is the Consumer Information Subgroup which is working on language for the uniform summary of benefits and explanations of benefits.
Concerned about the exchanges? NAIC is beginning work on model language around exchanges. Did you know that there is a clause in PPACA that there's a state-level waiver process that can address whether or not states allow subsidies outside as well as inside the exchange? NAHU and MAHU will continue to flush items like these out and continue to find places where most of us in this industry can grow and flourish. The bill is passed, the thing is law, but the hard work must continue.
I’m hoping all this does help you feel a bit better about the future. After all, that is why you pay your dues. And, it is my duty and my job to report that at the National Conference, the House of Delegates did vote to raise national dues $75 effective January 1, 2011. We in WMAHU were disappointed by this but resigned to the fact that it is necessary and we can sell it because we did learn how much is being done on our behalf. Still, it isn’t great, it won’t be an easy sell so we are calling on all of our members this year to help us out.
Below, you will find a schedule for late summer into late fall of our programming. Note that our first general membership meeting will not be our traditional breakfast but an afternoon meeting/member appreciation happy hour. We will be introducing our board, sharing our plans for programming that we think will drive membership and retention, and asking for your feedback and support to help recruit new members. Steve Selinsky, our National President and Pat Pennefather, our MAHU Legislative Chair, will be stopping by to join the discussion. We’ll then enjoy some appetizers and beverages in honor of you—the folks who have stuck by year and year out, who support the association and its efforts and who deserve a ‘thank you’ for doing that.
As you can see below, we are changing the way we do business to make it tougher for non-members to enjoy our programming. We have committed to bringing more speaker series programs to West Michigan with very good speakers that members only will have access to. Expo will not be free for non-members and the meetings we do open up to non-members will cost them more to attend. We feel the time has come for us to draw that line in the sand—“IF NOT NOW, WHEN?” We will not be punitive in our attitudes in our efforts but we will firmly communicate that we would like our non-members to join. We need their bodies, we need their numbers, we need their money in Washington to continue the effort of fighting for our industry.
Please save the dates for these meetings and events.
August 25th, WMAHU Charity Golf Classic, 10:00 AM Thornapple Pointe Golf Course
September 23rd, Board Year Kick Off/Member Appreciation and Happy Hour,
3:30 Kick Off Meeting, 4:30 Drinks and Appetizers
October 6th, Membership Drive Meeting
7:45 AM CEO RoundTable Event
Priority Health, BCBSM, United Health Care, Grand Valley Health Plan
November 3rd, Membership Meeting,
Karen Kirkpatrick, National Sales Manager for Infinisource
7:45 AM W2 Reporting, the HIRE Act, 1099 Reporting for 2011
December 1st, Members Only Meeting, Topic TBD
December Member Appreciation and Charity Happy Hour
Just one final note—I mentioned the NAHU National Conference. WMAHU was able to send several people to the conference this year because it was in Chicago. Many of us were ‘first timers.’ I can easily say that if you have never been, please, approach me at one of our events. I want you to find a way to get you there. It was a really cool three days and time well spent. You really get a chance to see the strength and the unity that comes from a group of professionals who truly are working to keep their industry together and viable--that Health Underwriters is much more than monthly meetings, an annual golf outing and an Expo. I think any one of us who has never gone would walk away feeling stronger about the association and more enriched professionally for having attended.
Still on that note, it is certainly not my intention to pass over the dues increase. It is a real and viable threat to growing and retaining members. Still, with the concrete examples of the work we are doing in Washington, we can show members and new members that there is value associated.
Thanks so much for all your support and we’ll see you around and under the trains planes and automobiles in a few weeks!
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