15 Jul 2019

Ep #275: Benefits from a CFO’s Perspective – with Steve Watson

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Steve Watson is a CFO/CHRO of a 500-life group who has learned that there is a critical lack of understanding about benefits among his peers. In this interview, Steve offers his candid impressions about his efforts to educate other C-suite leaders and how benefits advisors can be more effective when talking with them.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How Steve started his benefits education journey.
  • What surprised him the most as he learned more and more.
  • How should benefits advisors talk with C-suite dwellers?
  • How does an advisor get the attention of a corporate leader?
  • Why words matter.

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08 Jul 2019

Ep #274: Creating a JV with an Accounting Firm – with Adam Rosenfeld

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We have had guests talk about benefits and P&C mergers, but how do you create a successful joint venture between benefits and accounting firms while managing the complexities of a highly regulated market? On this episode, we chat with Adam Rosenfeld, President of BT Benefits about the challenges and successes of just such a joint venture.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How the joint venture came about.
  • What an underwriting background brought to the table.
  • The importance of training.
  • The challenges of dealing with the highly-regulated NY market.
  • How to deal with provider challenges.

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01 Jul 2019

Ep #273: The North and The South – Managing a Complex Market – with Jim Garrison

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How do you deal with a bifurcated market, and what can we learn from our Taft/Hartley cousins? Jim Garrison, President at Pacific Federal, a private TPA in Southern California, discusses that and more in this episode.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How to deal with different market segments in the same state.
  • How the cannabis industry is changing benefits delivery.
  • Why agency rollups are both a curse and a blessing.
  • How the field service component is still the key.
  • What can Taft/Hartley accounts learn from traditional plans?

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24 Jun 2019

Ep #272: Starting An Agency In Today’s Climate – with Adam Berkowitz

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A personal encounter with the medical system led to a decision that making a difference required a different approach. So Adam Berkowitz launched an agency that takes a new-day perspective in its operations and interactions with clients.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • The personal experience that began the process.
  • Leveraging technology to control expense and enable scaling.
  • Focusing on being educational and consultative.
  • The St. Louis market and its influence.
  • Working with the shifting mindset of clients.

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17 Jun 2019

Ep #271: A Good Shepherd Making a Huge Difference – with Phil Baker

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Creating a pharmacy model that provides help for underserved populations using reclaimed prescriptions required a pharmacist with a mission, a change in legislation and a vision. Phil Baker is a pharmacist on a mission who has created a whole that is more than just the sum of its parts.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • The voyage from a national company to a Memphis neighborhood pharmacist.
  • The Plavix example.
  • How this initiative goes from an idea to reality – and then expands.
  • What is a “membership model” pharmacy?
  • Where does this program go from here?

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10 Jun 2019

Ep #270: The New “Masters In Health Plan Design” Degree – with Tom Scott (Part 2)

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With the massive amount of creative disruption happening in our industry, the need for advisor education is greater than ever. The University of Lynchburg’s Tom Scott has relied on industry experts and others to create a new Masters degree which focuses on the practical aspects of the new world of health benefits.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How a Ph.D. in quantitative analysis found his way to the healthcare space.
  • Why health care education is a true blue ocean – and why that can’t continue.
  • Looking at health care costs from square 1 was the starting point.
  • Structure as 5, 10-week courses with top industry figures as lecturers and teachers – all online.
  • Solutions are available for our challenges – if we work and study together.

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03 Jun 2019

Ep #269: The New “Masters In Health Plan Design” Degree – with Tom Scott (Part 1)

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With the massive amount of creative disruption happening in our industry, the need for advisor education is greater than ever. The University of Lynchburg’s Tom Scott has relied on industry experts and others to create a new Masters degree which focuses on the practical aspects of the new world of health benefits.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How a Ph.D. in quantitative analysis found his way to the healthcare space.
  • Why health care education is a true blue ocean – and why that can’t continue.
  • Looking at health care costs from square 1 was the starting point.
  • Structure as 5, 10-week courses with top industry figures as lecturers and teachers – all online.
  • Solutions are available for our challenges – if we work and study together.

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27 May 2019

Ep #268: Don’t Forget The Most Important Part – with Tom DiLiegro

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With all of the focus on deconstructing health plans, the technical aspects of self-funding, advising clients on compliance, and more – it is often hard to remember the amount of good we do as an industry. Advisor Tom DiLiegro’s experience as a young man drove that point home in a very personal and long-lasting way.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How his personal experience drove his professional choices.
  • How to make an impact on a personal level.
  • How the Charleston, SC market impacts plans, decisions, advising and more.
  • Why small businesses are too often forgotten.
  • Discussing and overcoming the challenges of fully insured plans.

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20 May 2019

Ep #267: Better Communication and Plan Branding Yields Happy Clients – with Ellen Anreder

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It doesn’t do a lot of good if a firm has the best benefit plans in the world, but the employees don’t really know about them or understand how they work. What are some of the key tools and techniques you should use to make sure your client’s message is getting through? Ellen Anreder, Owner of Bleiweiss Communications, has spent her career helping Taft/Hartley Plans and others do just that.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How a picket line became a transformative event.
  • The 5 key components of an effective communication plan.
  • How to set measurable goals to assess your communication success.
  • Why it is important to brand your benefits plan.
  • Email and text messages alone fall short of getting the job done.

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13 May 2019

Ep #266: Opportunities Offering HR Services To Employers – with Barry Cohn

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Many firms are diversifying their client offerings and beefing up their value propositions to achieve success in the current environment. Some firms are finding that path by offering HR services. Barry Cohn and his wife’s firm have been moving in that direction and are about to make a big-time change to their practice.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • The story starts with Barry’s wife, Renee.
  • The synergy between plans and employee benefits.
  • How including HR changes the conversation.
  • The benefits of a mastergroup.
  • Can sole practitioners survive in the future?

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