TAHU Update Volume No. 5 Issue No. 10 June 2004

President's Message: Nancy Gibson, HIA, MHP

June 8 - Monthly Meeting 11:45AM to 1:00PM

June 22-23 - Day on the Hill – our opportunity to meet with our State elected officials and express our concerns and exchange ideas with them

We will be voting at the June meeting with installation of new officers.

President	Barry Hill
President Elect	Mike Alexander
Vice Presdient	David Smith
Secretary	Nancy Winter/JoAnn Davis
Treasurer	Jay Kennedy
Legislative News	Bill Hendrickson
Newsletter/Media Relations	Elizabeth Barnard
Public Service	Nancy Gibson
Website	Michele Gregory

President

Barry L. Hill

I began my professional career 1983 as a tax auditor for the North Carolina Department of Revenue. I began my insurance career with Paul Revere Insurance in 1988. In 1989 became an Account Executive for the Triangle market with Employers Health Insurance. In 1994 was named Small Business Account Executive for Eastern North Carolina with PHP/UnitedHealthcare. In 2001 I accepted a position as Senior Account Executive for Large Business and relocated to the Triangle Market. In 2004 I accepted the position of Director of Sales and Marketing for the Medical Mutual's Employee Benefit Division.

President–Elect

Mike Alexander

Current TAHU Vice President, Mike began his group insurance career in 1988, joining Jefferson-Pilot as a group representative. After holding similar positions with BCBSNC, CPHP/Healthsource/CIGNA and United Healthcare, Mike formed Magellan Benefits Group, a full-service employee benefits & group insurance brokerage, in 1999. Mike has been a member of NCAHU & TAHU since 1994, acting as the golf tournament chairperson for the last five years.

Vice President

David C. Smith

In the early 1990’s David worked as policy and research advisor to Lieutenant Governor Dennis A Wicker, he was responsible for drafting North Carolina’s major revisions to the Small Group Health Insurance Reform laws. He also served as policy director for the State Health Plan Purchasing Alliance Board, coordinating relations with numerous health insurers, agent associations and other major constituencies during the start-up of the Caroliance program, North Carolina’s experiment in health insurance purchasing cooperatives. From 1997 until earlier in 2002, David worked with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, in numerous capacities in the sales and marketing division. For the last three years, David coordinated relationships with producers throughout the state and developed one of the best-in-class agency performance management tools for the insurer. In 2003 David formed The Benefit & Insurance Law Center, as a law and consulting firm focusing on serving the needs of insurance agents, employers and plan administrators throughout North Carolina and the United States.

Secretary	Nancy Winter
Nancy Winter has been the State AHU law & legislative chair for the past several years, spearheading the efforts to obtain a high risk pool, both for the medically uninsurable, and as a safety net for the individual and very small group health insurance markets in NC. (ncCHIRP.org)

She homeschools her kids and works in their internet based home business, Sellcom.com. Her interest in insurance arose out of years of experience with the medical community. Her family was one of the few to obtain a medical savings account back 1997, and discovering the benefits therein, developed a nonprofit organization with business leaders and physicians to promote this and other free market solutions to our health care financing difficulties (Medsaver.org).

She sees the insurance agent as being a critical player in maintaining private health care in the USA and seeing that the customers are served with the best products. Her ambition is to grow into being an insurance agent for health and LTC products.

Treasurer

Jay Kennedy

Jay Kennedy is currently the Executive Director of Four County Health Network (FCHN), a provider-sponsored PPO network located in Henderson, NC. FCHN offers a PPO product to self-insured employers in the four county area which is just north of the Triangle (Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties). Before coming to FCHN, Jay was at Health Care Savings for 6years as the Manager of Network Development. Jay received a B.A. from Campbell University and a MHA (Master of Healthcare Administration) from UNC-Chapel Hill. Jay has been in the healthcare industry since 1988 with his first healthcare job (a summer job) being that of an admissions clerk at the Duke Hospital Emergency Room (what an experience!). He is married with two young children and lives in Wake Forest.

Legislative News

Bill Hendrickson

Have been in the Group Insurance/Employee Benefit business for almost 50 years. Started out at Connecticut General,(CIGNA)in Hartford, CT and Buffalo, then moved to New York with United States Life as national sales manager. Moved into the broker world with Corroon & Black (now The Willis Group) followed by Marsh & McLennan. Started my own business in New York in 1985 and now am Chairman of Hendrickson & Company, Inc. My son, Douglas, is the CEO still based in New York. Presently Treasurer of the Board of the Rhine Research Center, Durham--the successor to the Duke Parapsychology Lab, founded by my wife's father, Dr. J. B. Rhine. Also on the Board of the Orange County Human Relations Commission and live in Hillsborough.

Membership

Beth Donner

I am the president of Diversified Planning, Ltd. starting that business in 1997 originally specializing in selecting and servicing health insurance plans for small to mid-size companies in the Triangle. My background includes 15 years as a Registered Nurse with experience working in hospitals, home health, medical case management, HMO and insurance carrier settings. My medical background has been invaluable to me in understanding the complexity of the health insurance industry. During the past 7 years I have transitioned into helping clients with their entire benefit packages and currently hold licenses in Life & Health, Medicare Supplement and Long Term Care and am NASD Series 6 & 63 registered.

Law and Legislation: Bill Hendrickson

HEADLINES

NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE ACTIVE WITH NEW
HEALTH LEGISLATION
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO OFFER HEALTH SAVINGS
ACCOUNTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND RETIREESBR> PATIENTS IN SOME URBAN AREAS RECEIVE SUBSTANDARD CARE
WOW! HEALTHCARE CHEAPER AND FASTER IN INDIA!

• A bill to establish a Study Committee on High Risk Health Insurance Pools. This has been a top issue for us in the Triangle and a top priority for NAHU.
• A bill to provide a tax credit for small businesses that pay at least 50% of the premium for health insurance for their employees. If the business offers an acceptable health plan, it will receive a $700 tax credit for each covered employee and $1,300 for employees who cover at least one family member.
• A very extensive bill to reform Medical Malpractice action. This bill includes quality assurance provisions, litigation reforms, and an overhaul of professional liability insurance. This bill will receive much attention from many sources—the media, the medical profession, and the trial lawyers group. Watch the papers!
• A bill to establish a commission to study Health Insurance Innovations. This bill should be closely watched by NCAHU and our association should be in the center of this discussion. I assume we will be represented on the commission.

Washington is putting its money where the legislation is. The Federal Government will offer Health Savings Accounts to both active and retired federal employees starting in 2005. Since the enactment of the Medicare Reform Act of 2003, HSA’s have been a hot topic of discussion among health insurance professionals and many clients. This government action should encourage alert employers to actively consider making HSA’s a part of their plans.

The RAND Corporation published a study in which it says that patients who were studied in 12 metropolitan areas receive substandard care in both preventive medicine and in various types of treatment. Based upon treatment of 30 of the top chronic and acute conditions, patients received substandard care about 50 or 60 percent of the time.

Care for high blood pressure was among the best, while care for diabetes ranked among the lowest quality of care.

The causes for this inadequacy of care include poor record keeping, cultural bias toward expensive technology, and a system that rewards intervention instead of prevention. Are your clients and their employees and families receiving adequate care?

BELIEVE IT OR NOT!—India is becoming an alternative for health care services. Along with the many times we speak to people in India about our home technology problems, we now can travel to India for cheaper and faster health care.

There are 37 Apollo Hospitals in India, all privately owned and patients from around the world are enticed by their high-quality service and competitive costs. For example:

• Cardiac surgery costs $4,000, compared to at least $30,000 in the U. S.
• Orthopedic surgery costs about $4,000 which is less than one quarter of the cost in the U. S.
• Complete medical check-ups range from $90 to $180.

AT OUR MAY LUNCH MEETING, 14 MEMBERS COMMITTED TO ATTEND THE DAY ON THE HILL, JUNE 22 AND 23. PLEASE TRY AND ADD A FEW MORE FOR THIS CRITICAL EVENT.

And it’s not too late to register for the NAHU convention in Baltimore, MD, June 27 -30. This is an experience you’ll remember for years and TAHU needs to be represented. The registration material is in the latest HIU magazine.

William Hendrickson
Hendrickson & Company, Inc.
2219 Lawrence Road
Hillsborough, NC 27278
919 644-8636
919 644-6433 Fax
bill2219@mindspring.com

Special Announcements:

Please remember that the cost of lunch for TAHU members is $12. Guest and non-member lunches are $16.

There will be a $3 charge for lost or misplaced name badges. Please remember to turn in your badge at the conclusion of each meeting.

As the success of the Triangle Association of Health Underwriters largely depends upon the benevolence of corporate contributors, we are proud to honor the following organizations for their continued support of our many programs and activities:

Please extend your appreciation to the Triangle members representing these organizations and remember their generosity when placing coverages.

Triangle Association of Health Underwriters
P.O. Box 19177
Raleigh, NC 27619-9177