Bus driver Ms. Katrina Daniels smiles as her bus fills up for a five year bus ride to Less Choice, Texas.
Hurry, The Bus Is Leaving The Station!
June 11th, 2021How Much Do You Charge?
June 10th, 2021
“Your Fees Are Too Damn High!”
By Bill Rusteberg
Early in my presentation yesterday I was asked “How much do you charge?”
New Blood Test Detects More Than 50 Types of Cancer
June 9th, 2021
2022-2023 Health Insurance Options For Texas Public School Districts
June 8th, 2021
With the passage of Senate Bill 1444 (SB 1444) Texas public school districts may elect to exit the TRS ActiveCare (TRSAC) program effective September 1, 2022.
The Reasons Why Most Texas Public Schools Will Stay With TRS ActiveCare
June 5th, 2021
TRS ActiveCare 2021-2022 Renewal Presentation
June 4th, 2021
April 3, 2021
TRS ActiveCare officials met to finalize the TRS ActiveCare 2021-2022 plan year.
Texas School Districts Face Tough Insurance Decisions
June 3rd, 2021
Nostradamus’s December 2021 Prediction
By Bill Rusteberg
For the first time in over 20 years TRS ActiveCare member districts have the freedom to exit the program and seek coverage through the commercial market. What are they going to do?
TRS ActiveCare Renewal 2021-2022 Summary
June 3rd, 2021
Rates & Benefits- 8% rate increase – 7% benefit reduction in High Deductible Plan only
El Paso ISD’s $18,000,000 Health Plan Deficit
June 2nd, 2021
El Paso ISD’s TRS ActiveCare Alternative Plan has successfully established a record $18,000,000 health plan deficit without even trying.
El Paso ISD Proposes 2021-2022 Health Insurance Budget
June 1st, 2021
September 2021 will be the start of EPISD’s second renewal cycle since adopting a TRS ActiveCare Alternative program. How accurate were the underwriter’s financial projections?
Offshore Insurance Scheme Helps American Home Buyers
June 1st, 2021
Insurance scheme plays critical role in making home ownership possible for many Americans . “It eases the burden of down payments and provides a fast track to buying property. Without it, many citizens would have to wait years to save up to purchase their own home.”
School Board Leader Sentenced in Corruption Scheme
May 31st, 2021FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The former vice president of the Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) Board of Trustees has been ordered to federal prison following her convictions of conspiracy and corruption, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
No Claim Experience? No Health Questionaires? No Problem!
May 31st, 2021
Something that has been a long time coming for us at Verikai is almost here! In just a few short weeks the Marketplace will be live, but you can sign up for free TODAY!
“Texas Teachers Have Better Health Insurance Options Than TRS”
May 31st, 2021
TRS ActiveCare will eventually become a de facto high risk pool unless officials incorporate fundamental changes.
TRS ActiveCare Board To Meet 3 June 2021
May 30th, 2021
Some districts are back in the Wiggle Room while others are standing in government holding cells waiting to serve a mandatory 5 year sentence without the possibility of parole…..
Memorial Day 2021
May 28th, 2021
Lt. Col. E. Rusteberg – West Point 1934 – Two Silver Stars, One Bronze Star, Presidential Unit Citation (Battle of Hatten), Purple Heart.
The battalion began the battle of Hatten with 33 officers and 748 en- listed men. Fifty-two hours later it had an effective strength of 11 officers and 253 enlisted men. All others were either killed, wounded or missing in action.
MedSave Major Medical Model
May 28th, 2021
Purpose
A comprehensive employer sponsored medical plan removing most financial barriers to health care at unit costs significantly lower that traditional health care plans.
Benefits
No member financial responsibility if Plan rules are followed. Members who do not follow the rules are subject to $3,000 front end Plan year deductible, 50% co-insurance up to the maximum allowable under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Structure
DPC, Cash Pay Centric, Reference Based Pricing wrap, Specific Stop Loss (in-patient charges only), Specialty Drug risk transfer, Self-funded, Excess Cover, Catastrophic condition risk transfer.
27 December, 2021
May 27th, 2021Beginning Dec 27, 2021, brokers and consultants to group health plans will be required to disclose their compensation…………….
TRS ActiveCare Board of Trustees To Meet
May 26th, 2021
TRS Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 3, 2021 at which time it is expected Plan year 2021-2022 rates will be made public.
FPL Risk Transfer Strategy
May 25th, 2021
Oh Boy, Now What Do We Do Now?
May 24th, 2021It’s now or never and it’s only you………………………..
Doc In A Box
May 24th, 2021
Step inside and be cured. No appointment necessary. The waiting room may be somewhat crowded so don’t forget to wear a mask.
The Cost of Convenience
May 21st, 2021
“More employers are seeing the value of adding a little bit of inconvenience to their health plans these days.”
Risk Tolerance & Reference Based Pricing Strategies
May 21st, 2021
The problem I see with most health insurance consultants is almost all pre-determine a client’s tolerance for risk before determining where the risk tolerance actually lies.
AMA Has Plan For Racial Justice in Medicine
May 21st, 2021
AMA states one goal as “ensuring just representation” of persons of color in medical school admissions, medical schools, and hospital leadership.
How Much Was Your Ticket?
May 20th, 2021
Imagine next time you board a flight to Muleshoe Wyoming. You settle in comfortably, the plane takes off and all is good.
Brokers Should Know How To “Field Underwrite”
May 19th, 2021
Making things simple can save a whole lot of time for everyone. Cost, as always, is a factor in any purchase.
Allstate Facing Lawsuit From Agent’s Group
May 19th, 2021
In its lawsuit, the NAPAA and several former agents allege that Allstate interfered with potential sales of agents’ book of business, which collectively cost them millions…….
Guaranteed No Balance Billing!
May 19th, 2021
Attention Yacht Brokers
May 19th, 2021
Calling all P&C and Surplus Lines licensed producers! We insure vessels across the Caribbean Sea, Europe, Mexico, certain U.S. states and Latin America.
Government Price Control or Free Market Health Care?
May 17th, 2021
“As Congress and states consider ways to address affordability, they should consider policies that address the underlying cost problem—the high prices being charged by providers—and extend those to the employer market. One possible approach is capping prices based on a percentage of Medicare rates.”
Why do we need government to mandate price controls? Plan sponsors can simply pay whatever they deem appropriate and providers can accept or reject the offer. That’s called free market and it works. More and more employers are doing this with good success. The rest remain on the managed care plantation – Bill Rusteberg
How the ICHRA is Changing the Face of Health Benefits
May 16th, 2021
More than 800,000 employers and 11 million employees are projected to participate in an ICHRA over the next few years………………….
Underwriters Are People Too
May 16th, 2021
Why Would An Employer Not Do This?
May 15th, 2021Goodbye, complex health benefits. Hello, simple!
Talking Out Of Both Sides of The Mouth Is An Art Form In Austin
May 15th, 2021
Austin legislators say they support competition to allow TRS ActiveCare member districts to obtain their claim experience from the state in order to seek competitive commercial alternatives. At the same time they vote to end the District of Innovation loophole that allows member districts to seek and obtain competitive commercial alternatives. Then they add a Poison Pill making it almost impossible for member districts to leave the TRS government health plan.
Lowering Medicare Eligibility To Age 55
May 15th, 2021
Lowering Medicare eligibility to age 55 will have a significant impact of health care financing in this country. Turbocharged cost shifting to commercial health plans will spur into action those employers still sitting on the managed care fence and give Reference Based Pricing strategies new life…………..
Texas Legislation Favors Government Health Plan
May 14th, 2021
In a blow to commercial health insurance plan providers, it appears likely SB 1444 will pass giving the TRS ActiveCare government health plan a virtual monopoly.
The $167,249.79 Dream
May 14th, 2021
Mary, a 56 year old working mother has a bad back. Her doctor recommended surgery. As she lay unconscious on the operating table little did Mary know the man in a mask lurking behind the surgeon was dreaming of a big payday.
Karnak The Magnificent Nails It Again
May 12th, 2021
Underwriting Dental Plans Is Not Rocket Science
May 11th, 2021
“It’s Elementary My Dear Watson”
Employers who fully insure their dental plans should consider a self-funded approach instead. Savings in premium taxes, insurance company retention charges, agent commissions can be as high as 25% and more. The following will give the reader a good understanding of underwriting pricing.
Sell Insurance While You Sleep
May 10th, 2021
Insurance Broker Hard At Work
Selling insurance has never been easier…………………..at least that’s the message in an unsolicited email we received today (we get lots of these kinds of emails).
Ivermectin – Miracle Cure For The Chinese Flu?
May 9th, 2021
The common antiparasitic ivermectin is being touted as a miracle cure for COVID-19 by doctors and campaigners the world over…………….
Government Requires You Pay Full Billed Charges Whatever They May Be
May 9th, 2021
“The CARES Act requires insurers to pay the full billed charge to the provider. Unless they’ve negotiated, their hands are tied.”
Centivo Launches New Health Plan
May 8th, 2021
Self-funded employers can now offer an affordable health plan to their employees with no deductible, no coinsurance, free primary care……………
U.S. Healthcare Needs To Stop Preying On its People
May 8th, 2021
Brian Klepper
America should resist solutions that require even more money to pay for the current system. Instead, it should establish a process that methodically gets U.S. healthcare back to a system that serves rather than preys on its people.
Underwriting Made Easier
May 8th, 2021
Accurately evaluating groups looking to transition from fully insured to self-funded benefit plans can be a financially risky endeavor, particularly with little, or no, recent claims data to evaluate………………
Diarrhea Pandemic Kills 525,000 Children
May 7th, 2021
Student Ponders Fate – Teachers Demand School Closure
“Precisely 54 children in the Land of the Free have died from COVID (according to CDC data through April 28)”. However “Diarrhea kills around 525,000 children under five every year.” Yet did anyone ever close the schools to prevent the spread of the diarrhea-causing rotavirus? Children Are Far More Likely To Die From Diarrhea Than COVID-19.
Legislative Exhaustion in Austin
May 7th, 2021
I read the latest version of SB1444 this morning (which I suspect will pass) and noticed a change: Regional Education Service Centers to be required to oversee a survey of districts in their service area. Section C is interesting:
The Best Teacher Ever
May 7th, 2021
The following story is an amazing story of a fourth grader who was lucky to get an exceptional teacher at a pivotal time in his life.
Joe Solves Health Care
May 6th, 2021
Joe is from deep South Texas. He started a small company a few years back with only a handful of employees. Through his leadership he grew the business into what it is today. But it’s not the company brand that drives recognition, it’s what Joe has done to control health care costs for his valued employees that catches the spotlight.
WTF Is This Bull Shit!
May 6th, 2021
The Departments (DOL, HHS and Treasury) Require Plans To Show Their Work ASAP!
The Value of Health Care Networks
May 6th, 2021
Networks “could” be a solution to rising healthcare costs, but at this current moment, they are the problem.
George Carlin Warned Us
May 4th, 2021And The Winner Is………………..
May 4th, 2021
Delaware’s Supreme Court rejected without elaboration on Monday Cigna Corp.’s bid for a $1.85 billion deal termination fee tied to the collapse of its $54 billion merger with Anthem Inc. in 2017.
Health Insurance Too Cheap To Ignore
May 4th, 2021If you are uninsured because health coverage seemed too expensive the last time you looked, it’s time to look again.
Nurse, I’m Back!
May 4th, 2021
High-Value Health Care: A Model for the Future
May 3rd, 2021
Batman Slaps Down Status Quo Broker
Dramatic changes to the status quo are necessary in order to create a health care system that is universally high in quality, affordable and egalitarian.
Another Bite Of The Apple – HB4078
May 3rd, 2021
| Relating to participation in and rates for coverage provided under the uniform group coverage program for active school employees. HEARING SET FOR MAY 5 |
Israeli Company Develops New Technology – Destroys Cancer Tumors
May 2nd, 2021
Israeli company develops new technology that can destroy cancerous tumors……
How Much Should We Pay Hospitals Boss?
May 1st, 2021
CFO: Boss, what should our self-funded health plan pay hospitals?
CEO: “Authoritative research shows that Medicare plus 25 percent is the reasonable amount for hospitals to charge….”
Employers Fed Up With Insurance Companies
May 1st, 2021
Any employer who relies on payer contracts they can’t see has got to be dumb…….
Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Account (ICHRA)
April 30th, 2021
Good news for frustrated Plan Sponsors. They don’t have to screw with group health insurance anymore………………….
Plan Consistently Pays Less Than Medicare & Providers Are Happy
April 30th, 2021
Cash Pay Centric Health Plan Model
A 400 life case implemented a Cash Pay Centric Plan effective January 1, 2021. To date results have been good.
Funny Money, Risk Management & Financial Planning
April 30th, 2021
Man Pays $4,532.09 In Cash At Grocery Store
With all this funny money being printed without anything of value backing it, I suspect we will see a Jimmy Carter economy unfold in full force within the next 18 months.
Rush To Exchanges Puts Employers At Risk
April 29th, 2021
The Rush Towards Individual Coverage Gains Momentum
“The employer mandate penalty trigger is if an eligible employee qualifies for a subsidy through an exchange. So if more people are suddenly rushing to the exchanges to see if they might be eligible for cheaper coverage, employer liability risk might be going up. ”
Are Texas school districts for example, many of which don’t pay all the cost of employee health insurance, at risk too?
Texas Classroom Teachers Association’s Risk Management Solution
April 29th, 2021
TCTA’s Solution To Controlling Costs – Pay More
The Texas Classroom Teachers Association recently posted “Why ActiveCare may be on the verge of a big, big problem” and offered AN IDIOTIC SOLUTION TO CONTROL HEALTH CARE COSTS.
What Can I Save With RBP? What Benefits Will My Budget Support?
April 28th, 2021
Significant savings are achieved using a cost plus approach to health care provider reimbursement on hospital charges. Little savings are evident on professional charges.
Cash Pay Health Plans Rock
April 27th, 2021
Why TRS ActiveCare Is No Longer Relevant
April 27th, 2021
TRS ActiveCare Requires Intensive Care – Prognosis is Guarded
We are in a different world now than the one we were in twenty years ago.
Risk Management Dilemma
April 27th, 2021
Student employs proven risk management strategy against personal injury risk, putting university at risk of financial loss through potential litigation should student’s strategy be triggered.
Battle Rages In Austin – Will TRS ActiveCare Win The Day?
April 26th, 2021
Proposed Senate Bill 1444 was amended this afternoon to include provisions that would prevent Texas school district members of the TRS ActiveCare government health plan from offering competitive commercial health care alternatives for their employees.
Reference Based Pricing Network
April 26th, 2021
USA Managed Care Organization, Inc. (USA MCO) introduces Alter-Net Medical Services, Inc. Alter-Net offers self-funded employer groups and insurance companies a predictable payment model through Alter-Net’s Reference-Based Pricing Network.
We Don’t Cover Specialty Drugs (Wink Wink)
April 25th, 2021
Get Appointed Through 20 P&C companies & 54 Life Companies
April 23rd, 2021
Agents enjoy direct access to numerous carriers such as Encompass, Travelers, Berkshire, Liberty Mutual, Allstate & more……………