Reform, Hospitals, Benefits, Consumers and Medicare
Social Media F-Factor Social media, social networking and social commerce are the new marketing frontier. Each revolves around the influence of friends, fans, and followers on consumers’ purchasing decisions. It’s about how people discover (and design) new products and services, how they rate them and provide personalized feedback, and how the purchasing cycle has become much more of a group buying decision. It’s the friends, fans and followers F-Factor! CLICK HERE
Health Benefit Exchanges (HIX) Creating an efficient healthcare exchange that offers individuals and small groups the maximum number of affordable insurance options requires embracing several core tenets: commitment to consumer choice; innovative provider network and benefit designs, and; risk-sharing mechanisms that reward insurers, providers and consumers for improved health outcomes at lower cost. In New York state, policymakers are hard at work to reform individual and small-group insurance markets. This research paper shares important lessons learned along the way. CLICK HERE
Hospitals Best-of-the-Best Of the nation’s 5,000 hospitals, which ones have the most superior clinical quality? Which are preeminent at in terms of potential lives saved and in-hospital complications avoided? America’s 50 best hospitals are located in 28 cities in 19 states with populations ranging from 266,000 to 18 million people. As it has for the last five years, HealthGrades recently published its annual review of what the top 50 of best-performing hospitals have in common. CLICK HERE
Insurance Agent Dilemma With Medical Loss Ratios (MLR) putting the squeeze on compensation and health exchanges looking to turn health insurance into an online shopping mall, the future for agents isn’t getting easier anytime soon. But wait; product diversification opportunities combined with an onslaught of boomers who hold over 75% of U.S. assets and control 50% of discretionary spending, maybe the opportunity agents are looking for…if they can return to solution selling. CLICK HERE
Medicare Marketing Timeline As usual, the regulations have changed. Compliance is expected to be tougher than last year. The Medicare Advantage selling season is shorter than it’s ever been. And, competitive rivalry shows no signs of letting up. If you haven’t started your 2012 Medicare marketing process by now you’re already behind the curve. This Medicare marketing calendar provides a step-by-step guide so no deadline is missed. CLICK HERE
New Perspective on Employee Benefits Economic turmoil has changed employee benefits forever. Employers need to relook at employee loyalty and satisfaction, or as economic recovery takes hold there will be setbacks for retention and productivity. For example, today’s workforce has grown so dissatisfied and disloyal, that one in three employees surveyed expresses hope they’ll be working elsewhere in the next 12-months. Workers are ready for more personalized, flexible benefits. For employers, balancing costs and benefits is not about spending more — it’s about spending differently. CLICK HERE
State-of-the-States Health At the same time state budgets are crunched by shrinking revenues, 2010 saw an increase in Medicaid enrollments. And plagued by chronic unemployment, we also saw an uptick in most states’ uninsured populations – in last two years 57% of men and women who lost a job with health benefits became uninsured. States are also grappling with their responsibilities under PPACA – high risk pools, exchanges, rate regulation and market reforms. This report from State Coverage Initiatives provides a comprehensive review of what’s going on in health policy at states across the country. CLICK HERE