CAHU Legislative & Public Affairs Blog

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35858056591066010732009-12-30T09:09:37.115-08:00CAHU Legislative & Public Affairs BlogCAHUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918294075280635400noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-52850480686398128832009-12-23T16:41:00.000-08:002009-12-23T16:47:14.053-08:00NAHU's Concerns with the Senate-Passed Legislation

In addition to NAHU's detailed analyses and formal letter of opposition, the following are the most serious concerns NAHU has with H.R. 3590, as amended:• A minimum loss ratio requirement that applies to all fully insured plans including grandfathered plans as of January 1, 2011, which will negatively impact coverage choice and affordability, especially during the transition time prior to 2014

Patrice Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06000584715624337033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-65307863224735841292009-12-23T09:47:00.000-08:002009-12-23T09:54:04.065-08:00New COBRA Subsidy Provisions Signed into Law

On Monday, December 21st, President Obama enacted legislation extending certain provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 related to the COBRA continuation coverage subsidy.The new provisions do the following:Change the end date of eligibility for the COBRA ARRA subsidy from December 31, 2009 to February 28, 2010 (a two-month extension) Expand the ARRA premium subsidy to

Patrice Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06000584715624337033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-70466645247554836662009-11-19T11:00:00.000-08:002009-11-19T11:05:06.586-08:00Senate Bill HR 3590 Released Last Evening

As you may know, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released a merged version of the Senate comprehensive reform legislation last night, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or H.R. 3590. NAHU is in the process of reading through the 2,074-page bill and will include a detailed analysis in tomorrow's edition of Washington Update. In addition, we will provide talking points and

Patrice Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06000584715624337033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-21799600907861842352009-09-04T09:23:00.000-07:002009-09-04T17:10:55.559-07:00Health Care Reform Discussions - It's all about how it's done...

Neil CrosbyCAHU Vice President of Public AffairsAs I am reading about the most recent casualty of a Health Care Reform gathering Wednesday night in the LA area where a portion of a person's finger was bitten off by a demonstrator from MoveOn.org, which is a group focused on pushing for the type of reform that President Obama is calling for and who would really like to see more government

Neil Crosbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01897241938254067388NeilC@WarnerPacific.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-42871698014278772172009-07-15T13:52:00.000-07:002009-07-15T13:57:46.085-07:00"NAHU may have saved Agents' Jobs!"

I am forwarding the e-mail below from CAHU member Ron Masters, that was issued as a result of today's NAHU orchestrated "Fly-In" to DC of 1000+ agents form several agent organizations in America. This news is indeed very inspiring !!!=====================================From: "Ron Masters" Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:04:38 -0700Subject: NAHU may have saved Agents' Job!Friends,Below is a message I

Bill Robinson- CAHU V-P of Legislationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743848584550790841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-78795681707250435832009-05-13T15:37:00.000-07:002009-05-13T15:46:58.934-07:00AB 23-AGENT & BROKER Q & A FROM DOI

The recent federal stimulus plan provides for a 65% reduction in COBRA premiums for eligible individuals for up to nine months. Assembly Bill 23 (AB 23) requires insurers to mail a notice of the right to elect Cal-COBRA health insurance coverage to everyone who was laid off between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. This includes current Cal-COBRA recipients and allows them to choose the

Patrice Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06000584715624337033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-71758632884454263542009-04-24T16:47:00.000-07:002009-04-24T17:09:55.453-07:00CAHU Plays a Major Role in Gutting AB 1521 & Also in Editing the Proposed New Language for This Bill by Assemblyman Dave Jones

For all CAHU Members who responded to our AB 1521 Operation Drumbeat E-Mail Action Alert...THANK YOU SO MUCH! We can't thank you enough for taking the time to respond to CAHU's Operation Drumbeat. YOUR pressure made all the difference in making it possible for CAHU to succeed in totally changing this bill! This past week, AB 1521 was gutted and amended to remove both the commission disclosure and

Bill Robinson- CAHU V-P of Legislationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743848584550790841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-50829267332614783662009-03-23T14:58:00.000-07:002009-03-23T15:12:01.644-07:00Craig Gussin of SDAHU Appears on Channel 6

Congratulations to Craig Gussin of the San Diego Association of Health Underwriters for his continued outreach into the community and his recent appearance on San Diego's Channel 6 News as a part of their coverage on the new ARRA COBRA changes.In addition to doing an excellent job on ARRA COBRA, Craig also touted the importance of working with your own professional agent who should be a member of

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-9727748376040280192009-03-06T10:07:00.000-08:002009-03-06T10:50:09.371-08:00www.CoverageForAll.org Showcased by Insurance Commissioner

Sam Smith, CFPVice President, Public AffairsCalifornia Association of Health UnderwritersFriday, March 6, 2009Sacramento Business JournalPoizner Showcases Web Site With Information on Health InsuranceOn Thursday, California State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (R) showcased the website www.coverageforall.org intended to highlight health insurance options for unemployed people, according to

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-15298581898508096192009-02-08T18:15:00.000-08:002009-02-09T10:27:14.229-08:00If We Could Just Be More Judicious About Our Choice of Words…

I am posting this meaningful message taken from NAHU's B2B Internet discussion group. As posted 2/7/2009 on NAHU B2Bby Tom Gibson - Senior Market Services - Camas, WA (he is a NAHU member but not a CAHU member)You would think that over 20 years of insurance reform and over a thousand state and federal mandates later someone might have realized that trying to cure our health care system through

Bill Robinson- CAHU V-P of Legislationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743848584550790841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-39095787024885322752009-02-03T07:28:00.000-08:002009-02-04T14:59:37.932-08:00CAHU Steps Into Leadership Role to Help Shape California's Future

MD Sam Smith, CFPCAHU VP, Public AffairsOn January 26th, the California Association of Health Underwriters was invited to give testimony at the first public hearing by California State Auditor Elaine Howle to solicit comments about the processes that should be established for individuals to apply to become members of the new Commission established by the California Voters First Act (Proposition

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-31741626212839816372009-01-19T11:04:00.000-08:002009-01-19T11:13:19.357-08:00Put a Health Insurance Expert to Work for You!

Kansas City Star, (Diane Stafford)MD Sam Smith, CFPCAHU VP, Public Affairs“If you’ve lost your health insurance in a layoff…If you’re confused about which retirement health plan you should take…If you’re buried under hospital bills and don’t know what to do next…Steve Luptak feels your pain.”So begins a recent newspaper story about Steve Luptak, a member of a growing cottage industry of

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-78157545095072788792009-01-03T14:30:00.000-08:002009-01-03T14:37:39.743-08:00LAAHU & Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Health Care Conversation

The Hollywood Chamber of CommerceHealth Care Committee-LAAHUHealth Care Discussion Meeting December 30, 2008On Thursday, December 30th, thirty two participants attended the Health Care Community Discussion hosted by the Health Care Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Saban Free Clinic of Los Angeles and Genesis SmithBenton, a local employee benefits consulting

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-14222289284764263512008-12-15T16:56:00.001-08:002008-12-17T08:13:49.672-08:00An Urgent Message from Bill Robinson

Bill RobinsonVP of LegislationI ask you, as a member of CAHU, to read the important message below and then please seriously consider holding one of these "health care community discussions in homes, churches or even a local coffee shop, anytime from December 15 through the end of the year."This is one way in which NAHU members from all over America CAN have a voice in the health care reforms to

Patrice Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06000584715624337033noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-73905966821111050132008-11-16T08:57:00.000-08:002008-11-16T09:00:08.380-08:00NAHU Statement of Sen. Baucus Health Care Reform Proposal

Sam Smith, CFPCAHU VP Public AffairsNAHU Statement on Senator Baucus’ Blueprint for Health Care Reform (Arlington, VA) – Janet Trautwein, CEO of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), issued the following statement in response to the health care reform proposal released by Senator Max Baucus:“The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) congratulates Senator Baucus for

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-34194274003596568212008-11-05T15:08:00.000-08:002008-11-05T16:00:39.230-08:00Governor Declares Prop 11 Victory-CAHU Grass Roots Involvement Acknowledged

Sam SmithCAHU VP Public RelationsAt 10am on Wednesday, November 5th, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gathered the key leaders of the Yes On Prop 11 Campaign on the steps of the Los Angeles City Hall and declared victory in his fight to bring redistricting reform to the California legislature. Flanked by Campaign Co-Chairs Jeannine English, California State President, AARP; Janis R. Hirohama,

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-85303564285457527622008-10-31T15:35:00.000-07:002008-10-31T18:28:38.060-07:00PROP 11 POISED FOR VICTORY-But We Still Need Your Help!

Sam Smith, CFPCAHU VP, Public AffairsWith just three days until Election Day, Proposition 11, California's redistricting measure is headed for victory, but a large undecided block of voters still threatens this important reform. The California Association of Health Underwriters has invested heavily in time, talent and resources to help make this reform a reality.The Field Poll released today

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-29740722261950973762008-10-21T16:02:00.000-07:002008-10-21T16:21:45.012-07:00The Powerful Pendulum of Politics

Sam Smith, CAHU VP of Public AffairsAs we enter the final stretch of this year's general election, all indications point toward Democratic victories across the board nationally. The Presidency, 3 United States Senate seats and 16 US House of Representatives seats. Not my statistics, these are the conservative projections of Republican strategists. While this will create a challenging landscape

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-17039680611479475222008-10-13T15:58:00.000-07:002008-10-14T12:29:36.211-07:00"The 9 Most Important New Health Insurance Laws from the 2008 CA Legislative Session"

I have just completed my annual year-end report on the details of the most important new health insurance laws form the 2008 legislative session and signed into law by the Governor. Every CAHU member should be aware of the content of these laws, as they affect all of us to one degree or another. You may download the PDF document for this 4 page report from the "Bills & Legislation" section on the

Bill Robinson- CAHU V-P of Legislationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743848584550790841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-24751105778627875072008-09-30T21:19:00.000-07:002008-09-30T23:42:27.286-07:00AB 1945 & SB 1440 VETOED !

To All CAHU Members......CAHU has GREAT NEWS for you! ! !As of late Tuesday, September 30 (the deadline for the Governor to sign or veto some 900 bills passed by our state legislature), among the many bills he vetoed were many health care related bills......among which were.....AB 1945 - Individual Health Plan Rescission Bill -VETOEDSB 1440 - 85% Medical Loss Ratio Bill -VETOEDSB 840 - Single

Bill Robinson- CAHU V-P of Legislationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743848584550790841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-79974145765149243192008-09-29T09:54:00.000-07:002008-09-29T10:38:34.059-07:00Freedom of Choice

Sam SmithCAHU VP, Public AffairsIt has been said that "freedom of choice is a universal principle to which there should be no exceptions". Actually, it was Mikhail Gorbachev who made this statement in an address to the United Nations on December 7, 1988. Mr. Gorbachev was right. Freedom to choose to succeed and freedom to choose to fail are certainly paramount in the list of choices we make every

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-24060681839730376712008-09-01T13:03:00.000-07:002008-09-01T16:08:37.901-07:00Legislative Session Ends with Qualified Success

2007-2008 Legislative Session-Chaos and CompromiseSam SmithCAHU VP Public RelationsWhile the majority of Californians enjoyed the Labor Day holiday, both the California State Senate and Assembly were busy doing what they do best (and what that actually is would be good fodder for debate). In describing the closing hours of this session, Assemblyman Roger Niello, a Republican from California's 5th

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-11406634348925782752008-08-28T08:09:00.000-07:002008-08-28T08:59:20.188-07:00CAHU Campaign Update!

Operation Drumbeat-a resounding success!Sam SmithCAHU VP Public AffairsAll across California, members of our association answered the call to initiate Operation Drumbeat messages to their assembly members regarding SB 1522 (Steinberg), the individual health insurance 5 coverage choice categories legislation. I am pleased to report the response to this call for action was nearly DOUBLE the

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-83204601870512252892008-08-16T18:16:00.000-07:002008-08-16T18:21:57.621-07:00URGENT ACTION REQUIRED: SB 1522

Sam SmithCAHU VP, Public AffairsThis bill, authored by Sen. Darrell Steinberg, Senate President Pro Tem in waiting and in the “honeymoon stage of his ascension” (to quote Alan Katz of http://www.alankatz.wordpress.com/ ) will categorize products in the individual health insurance market in to five classes of plans and specifically eliminate an entire class of affordable plans currently providing

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585805659106601073.post-77599230501588191712008-08-12T13:03:00.000-07:002008-08-12T13:14:26.341-07:00SB 840 Moves to the Assembly Floor for a Vote

Sam SmithCAHU VP, Public AffairsIn the last week, Senator Sheila Kuehl’s Single Payer SB840 was voted out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is currently on its way to the Assembly floor for a final vote. If the bill passes in the Assembly, SB840 returns to the Senate floor for concurrence and then it goes to the Governor’s desk for signature or veto.SB840 is expected to be voted on in

Sam Smith, Vice President-Public Affairsnoreply@blogger.com0