Why Do You Do Health Services or Health Policy Research? Exploring the "Why" at ARM17

As the new administration and Congress continue to forge ahead on their articulated and emerging priorities and decision makers at the state and local levels consider how to address rising costs and threats like the opioid epidemic, the evidence produced by health services researchers take on a new urgency. It is critical now more than ever that our members and those in our field find their voice and share their work.

Spotlight

USI Affinity

We deliver innovative insurance solutions that spark business growth and support your mission through multi-channel sales, marketing and administration. We know what’s at risk if you don’t succeed at making your members happy, which is why we’ve prided ourselves on being a leading insurance partner to our clients since 1944.

OTHER ARTICLES
Insurance Technology

10 Most Impactful AI-based Insurance Innovations of 2019

Article | July 13, 2022

The year 2019 has been a benchmark in insurance innovations that brought in new value propositions to the industry. What’s more remarkable is — both traditional Insurers and Insurtechs are striving to offer simple, convenient, and value-added customer-centric products coupled with technology initiatives. Here are 10 noteworthy insurance innovations that shaped the industry this year.

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Insurance Technology

Insurance Technology Trends That Will Shape the Industry in 2022

Article | July 20, 2022

The world is changing at a rapid pace, and no industry is immune to the need to evolve, upgrade, and innovate. The effects of mass digitization, artificial intelligence, machine learning, climate change, and the rise of financial-based cybercrime are all being felt in the business world. At the same time, consumer expectations have shifted dramatically, thanks in large part to companies like Netflix and Amazon, which have the technology and business models to provide the instant access to products and services that today's consumers have come to expect. When these changes are considered, it becomes clear that no industry, not even one as traditional, robust, and stable as the insurance industry, can afford to stand still. Trend 1: CARE-Based Distribution Channels Insurance companies are engaged in a "digital arms race," rushing to equip their distribution channels with digital tools to improve customer experiences. While CARE is the core experience that most insurance companies strive to provide in both distribution and sales, few achieve it consistently. Trend 2: Quicker Payouts Pay cycle time is fast becoming one of the most important differentiators between insurance companies. The winners of the future will use insurance technology to help them resolve claims quickly, at the touch of a button. To this end, companies are adopting AI-enabled tools to automate both estimation and inspection. Telematics insurance solutions are expected to provide greater levels of contextual information that will support the smoother, faster, and more comprehensive settlement of claims. Trend 3: The Rise of Usage-Based Models As the pandemic made consumers aware of the waste involved in paying for insurance on cars that sit unused in driveways, interest in usage-based insurance products skyrocketed in 2021. As the nature of work changes and many people's daily commutes become obsolete, winning insurance companies will offer products that are more in line with how their customers live today. Telematics devices will allow insurers to offer products based on how and how far users drive. Trend 4: Intelligent Automation For a long time, the insurance industry has been experimenting with automation. The first phase was robotic process automation (RPA), which was viewed as a way to speed up processes and reduce costs without requiring significant changes to the underlying applications. While this was effective at capturing low-hanging fruit—those ubiquitous repetitive steps that were an unnecessary feature of so many insurance processes—it never really attacked productivity and core functions that required automation.

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Insurance Technology

How the Blockchain is Revolutionizing the Auto Insurance Industry

Article | July 15, 2022

The blockchain has penetrated the mainstream. We predicted this in our 2019 article “Blockchain-as-a-Service: the Accelerator for Blockchain Adoption” where we talked about the technology's ease of integration. Companies can seamlessly adopt blockchain technologies by referring to existing use cases like smart contracts, data authentication, and asset management. They can also take advantage of open-source materials. With the blockchain's accessibility on top of its formidable qualities, it’s no surprise that the digital ledger system is being integrated into every industry–from banking and healthcare to gaming and cybersecurity. As a cornerstone of the rise of financial technology or fintech, another industry it’s now serving is auto insurance. Here’s how the blockchain is revolutionizing the auto insurance industry: Benefits of the blockchain in auto insurance Multiple back-and-forths can slow down the manual processing of both insurance contracts and filed claims. Blockchain-based tools can speed this up by accessing necessary information through the data network. Insurers can easily access and verify the personally-identifiable information (PII) required for insurance contracts via the blockchain, as well. This means no lengthy coordination with other parties, shorter queuing time, and less paperwork. Moreover, the blockchain helps those who buy auto insurance worry less about their PII being used by malicious individuals and organizations. Monash University asserts blockchain security effectiveness by pointing out how its design can alert any network of even the most minor changes to the data it contains. This is because blocks containing data are marked with hashes–input strings of computation characters–that become invalid when information is modified. When hashes become invalid, the network is notified. With such a prompt and responsive alert system, insurance agencies can easily detect hacking activities to protect sensitive data. Blockchain applications in auto insurance The most significant benefit of the blockchain’s application in auto insurance arguably lies in optimizing property and casualty (P&C) insurance verification processes. Sound Dollar defines property and casualty insurance as coverage for any damage the possessions stipulated in your contract incurs. Blockchain-based tools, like smart contracts, can immediately gather relevant information from an insurer's network to verify damaged possessions. It can also identify which ones are covered by your insurance contract. This streamlined verification process saves insurers billions of dollars in operational costs and makes filing a claim much easier for the client. The blockchain can also be used to minimize and prevent fraud. Some of the best blockchain-based tools can identify whether an individual claims payouts from multiple insurers. These tools cross-check PII and non-PII with salient information from claims filed elsewhere to check for similarities. Moreover, the Insurance Innovation Reporter found that advancements in anti-fraud blockchain technology can detect third-party helpers, such as garages and brokers. This enables insurers to expand their data on fraudulent networks and prevent future cases of fraud. Challenges to full implementation of the blockchain in auto insurance Before full-on integration, developers and businesses have to address data integrity. While blockchain data cannot be edited, it does not ascertain that encoded information is true. This means data has to be verified before it's encoded on the blockchain. Blockchain-based technology is also expected to become more expensive in the coming years. As it becomes mainstream, demand for the technology and relevant development research will further drive operation and maintenance costs upwards. There is still much work to be done if the auto insurance industry wishes to fully integrate the blockchain into its workflows. But with the long-term benefits it brings, insurers and clients alike will undoubtedly look to blockchain-based technology for improved services and a better overall experience.

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How insurance companies are responding to COVID-19

Article | April 13, 2020

Amid COVID-19, banks began offering mortgage deferrals and slashing credit card interest rates in half for cardholders who need relief. Home and auto insurance companies COVID-19 plans are now being released. How will this impact your insurance right now? How can you save on insurance during COVID-19, while making sure to stay protected?

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Spotlight

USI Affinity

We deliver innovative insurance solutions that spark business growth and support your mission through multi-channel sales, marketing and administration. We know what’s at risk if you don’t succeed at making your members happy, which is why we’ve prided ourselves on being a leading insurance partner to our clients since 1944.

Related News

Core Insurance

NSM Insurance Group Acquires Envisage International

PR Newswire | October 03, 2023

NSM Insurance Group, a global specialty insurance provider with more than $1.6B in premium across 25+ niche insurance programs, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Envisage International. Based in Neptune Beach, Fla., Envisage is a leading provider of global health and travel insurance plans for international students and cultural exchange participants around the world. "The travel insurance market is booming and will continue to grow at a rapid pace — with the industry predicted to reach $41B by 2027. We plan to seize this market opportunity and become a dominant player in the space," said Bill McKernan, President of NSM Insurance Group. "Envisage is a market leader in international education and cultural exchange insurance with a talented team, strong customer base, established revenue relationships and cutting-edge technology infrastructure. They are an enterprising addition to our portfolio as we look to build our footprint in the international health and travel insurance space." Envisage offers a wide range of international health and travel medical insurance products through its two brands, International Student Insurance (ISI) and Envisage Global Insurance (EGI). ISI serves colleges, universities, ESL programs, study abroad programs, students, teachers and scholars with A+ rated plans and best-in-class resources. EGI is the leading provider of group insurance plans to organizations in the J1 cultural exchange and global youth travel market, offering unparalleled service and custom-built technology to its clients around the world. "We're absolutely thrilled to join forces with NSM to help us continue to grow and scale the business," said Keith Clausen, President of Envisage International. "Over the last two decades, our dedicated and talented team has helped us grow into the force we are today, and we look forward to extending that growth with NSM. NSM has the prowess and proven track record to help ISI and EGI grow by expanding our distribution channels, further enhancing our technology platforms and expanding our global market reach." Over the past 33 years, NSM has developed a winning formula for building the industry's most successful and sustainable insurance programs, consistently outperforming competitors and driving industry-leading growth and profitability over the last four years. This latest acquisition complements NSM's robust portfolio of specialty insurance programs and brands for the commercial P&C industry and consumer insurance — backed by the company's state-of-the-art resources, including IT, operations, marketing, HR and finance. For more information about NSM or for investment opportunities, please visit nsminc.com. About NSM Insurance Group NSM Insurance Group is a global specialty insurance provider, exclusively focused on building successful insurance programs. For more than 30 years, NSM has been committed to delivering industry-specific insurance programs that help agents meet the unique needs of their customers and fuel market growth through innovative development, underwriting, distribution and claims expertise. The company has built more than $1.6 billion in premium across 25+ specialty insurance programs and brands around the world focused on collector cars; pets; social services and behavioral health; addiction treatment; coastal condominiums; towing and garage; trucking; sports and fitness; professional liability for contractors, architects and engineers; habitational; general contractors; medical stop loss and managed care; staffing; and workers' compensation. For more information on NSM, visit nsminc.com. About Envisage International Envisage International Corporation specializes in international health and travel insurance under its two key brands, International Student Insurance (ISI) and Envisage Global Insurance (EGI). With more than 20 years of experience, we take a consultative approach to helping our clients understand their insurance needs, creating customized solutions and providing support every step of the way. With offices in the United States, Mexico, China and Europe, Envisage is well placed to help organizations around the world with their international insurance needs. You can find more information about Envisage, ISI and EGI at envisageinternational.com

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Core Insurance, Risk Management

Risk Strategies Acquires Benefit Design Group LLC

GlobeNewswire | August 31, 2023

Risk Strategies, a leading national specialty insurance brokerage and risk management firm, today announced that it has acquired Benefit Design Group LLC, a retail agency specializing in health, life and retirement solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Based in Portland, Oregon and led by Joel Biernat and Dennis Warneke, Benefit Design Group (BDG) is an independent insurance agency specializing in health insurance solutions for businesses, individuals and seniors. With a client base across Oregon and Washington, the firm serves businesses seeking tailored employee benefits programs across a wide range of industries, including aged care, education, hospitality and manufacturing, as well as individuals and seniors. “As a national specialist in the increasingly complex world of employee benefits, we’re always seeking new partners who can add to both our geographic presence and expertise,” said John Greenbaum, National Employee Benefits Practice Leader, Risk Strategies. “It’s why we’re excited to bring Joel, Dennis and the BDG organization into the Risk Strategies family.” BDG offers a broad array of products to its individual and group insurance clients including medical, dental, life insurance, Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, among others. BDG as constituted today, was formed in 2017 when Biernat merged the firm with Warneke’s company, The Warneke Group, LLC. That firm primarily specialized in providing services and products for employers offering group employee benefits to their employees. “We’re extremely excited to join Risk Strategies,” said Biernat, President, Benefit Design Group. “We know that being part of a true specialty brokerage with national scale will bring a myriad of benefits to our people, business and especially our clients.” The purchase of BDG adds to Risk Strategies’ presence in the Pacific Northwest. It builds upon the firm’s previous acquisition of the Fournier Group, a full-service commercial and personal lines retail insurance agency. About Risk Strategies Risk Strategies is the 9th largest privately held US brokerage firm offering comprehensive risk management advice, insurance and reinsurance placement for property & casualty, employee benefits, private client services, as well as consulting services and financial & wealth solutions. With more than 30 specialty practices, Risk Strategies serves commercial companies, nonprofits, public entities, and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets. Risk Strategies has over 100 offices including Boston, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Grand Cayman, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Washington DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco. RiskStrategies.com.

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Health Insurance, Insurance Technology

Enhance Health Expands Capabilities with Acquisition of Jet Health Solutions

PRnewswire | July 26, 2023

Enhance Health, a digital health insurance brokerage and care navigation platform, is excited to announce the acquisition of JET Health Solutions, a premier Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) platform. The acquisition reinforces Enhance Health's commitment to serving its members and scaling its operations effectively through technology. "We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of JET Health Solutions," said Matthew Herman, CEO and President of Enhance Health. "Since Enhance's founding, we've been committed to leveraging technology in new ways to simplify the enrollment process. JET's advanced EDE platform improves our already best-in-class member and agent experience." With hundreds of thousands of members enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans as well as Medicare Advantage plans, Enhance Health has established itself as a trusted partner in the healthcare industry. The acquisition of JET empowers Enhance Health to fully own the enrollment process, enhancing its capabilities and expanding its services with one of the few CMS-certified Phase 3 EDEs available in the market. "Joining forces with Enhance Health is an exciting opportunity to drive meaningful change in the healthcare industry," said Asad Shamim, Founder and Managing Partner of JET Health Solutions. "Together, we are well-positioned to revolutionize the enrollment process and improve healthcare access for individuals and families across the nation." Since its establishment in 2008, JET Health has equipped healthcare payers and providers with cutting-edge tools to excel in the ever-evolving healthcare marketplace. "Integrating an EDE into our technology stack solidifies Enhance as the leader in the digital health insurance space," said Jeff Tang, CIO of Enhance Health. "Fully integrated with our CRM and other agent systems, this platform will fundamentally change the way we interact with our members through streamlined agent workflows, actionable data, and enhanced data security." About Enhance Health Founded in 2021 by industry veteran Matt Herman and backed by Bain Capital Insurance, Enhance Health has experienced rapid growth due to the record number of Americans enrolling in ACA health plans in 2022. Enhance Health has grown its membership base to hundreds of thousands, and is rapidly expanding into other insurance business lines.

Read More

Core Insurance

NSM Insurance Group Acquires Envisage International

PR Newswire | October 03, 2023

NSM Insurance Group, a global specialty insurance provider with more than $1.6B in premium across 25+ niche insurance programs, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Envisage International. Based in Neptune Beach, Fla., Envisage is a leading provider of global health and travel insurance plans for international students and cultural exchange participants around the world. "The travel insurance market is booming and will continue to grow at a rapid pace — with the industry predicted to reach $41B by 2027. We plan to seize this market opportunity and become a dominant player in the space," said Bill McKernan, President of NSM Insurance Group. "Envisage is a market leader in international education and cultural exchange insurance with a talented team, strong customer base, established revenue relationships and cutting-edge technology infrastructure. They are an enterprising addition to our portfolio as we look to build our footprint in the international health and travel insurance space." Envisage offers a wide range of international health and travel medical insurance products through its two brands, International Student Insurance (ISI) and Envisage Global Insurance (EGI). ISI serves colleges, universities, ESL programs, study abroad programs, students, teachers and scholars with A+ rated plans and best-in-class resources. EGI is the leading provider of group insurance plans to organizations in the J1 cultural exchange and global youth travel market, offering unparalleled service and custom-built technology to its clients around the world. "We're absolutely thrilled to join forces with NSM to help us continue to grow and scale the business," said Keith Clausen, President of Envisage International. "Over the last two decades, our dedicated and talented team has helped us grow into the force we are today, and we look forward to extending that growth with NSM. NSM has the prowess and proven track record to help ISI and EGI grow by expanding our distribution channels, further enhancing our technology platforms and expanding our global market reach." Over the past 33 years, NSM has developed a winning formula for building the industry's most successful and sustainable insurance programs, consistently outperforming competitors and driving industry-leading growth and profitability over the last four years. This latest acquisition complements NSM's robust portfolio of specialty insurance programs and brands for the commercial P&C industry and consumer insurance — backed by the company's state-of-the-art resources, including IT, operations, marketing, HR and finance. For more information about NSM or for investment opportunities, please visit nsminc.com. About NSM Insurance Group NSM Insurance Group is a global specialty insurance provider, exclusively focused on building successful insurance programs. For more than 30 years, NSM has been committed to delivering industry-specific insurance programs that help agents meet the unique needs of their customers and fuel market growth through innovative development, underwriting, distribution and claims expertise. The company has built more than $1.6 billion in premium across 25+ specialty insurance programs and brands around the world focused on collector cars; pets; social services and behavioral health; addiction treatment; coastal condominiums; towing and garage; trucking; sports and fitness; professional liability for contractors, architects and engineers; habitational; general contractors; medical stop loss and managed care; staffing; and workers' compensation. For more information on NSM, visit nsminc.com. About Envisage International Envisage International Corporation specializes in international health and travel insurance under its two key brands, International Student Insurance (ISI) and Envisage Global Insurance (EGI). With more than 20 years of experience, we take a consultative approach to helping our clients understand their insurance needs, creating customized solutions and providing support every step of the way. With offices in the United States, Mexico, China and Europe, Envisage is well placed to help organizations around the world with their international insurance needs. You can find more information about Envisage, ISI and EGI at envisageinternational.com

Read More

Core Insurance, Risk Management

Risk Strategies Acquires Benefit Design Group LLC

GlobeNewswire | August 31, 2023

Risk Strategies, a leading national specialty insurance brokerage and risk management firm, today announced that it has acquired Benefit Design Group LLC, a retail agency specializing in health, life and retirement solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Based in Portland, Oregon and led by Joel Biernat and Dennis Warneke, Benefit Design Group (BDG) is an independent insurance agency specializing in health insurance solutions for businesses, individuals and seniors. With a client base across Oregon and Washington, the firm serves businesses seeking tailored employee benefits programs across a wide range of industries, including aged care, education, hospitality and manufacturing, as well as individuals and seniors. “As a national specialist in the increasingly complex world of employee benefits, we’re always seeking new partners who can add to both our geographic presence and expertise,” said John Greenbaum, National Employee Benefits Practice Leader, Risk Strategies. “It’s why we’re excited to bring Joel, Dennis and the BDG organization into the Risk Strategies family.” BDG offers a broad array of products to its individual and group insurance clients including medical, dental, life insurance, Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, among others. BDG as constituted today, was formed in 2017 when Biernat merged the firm with Warneke’s company, The Warneke Group, LLC. That firm primarily specialized in providing services and products for employers offering group employee benefits to their employees. “We’re extremely excited to join Risk Strategies,” said Biernat, President, Benefit Design Group. “We know that being part of a true specialty brokerage with national scale will bring a myriad of benefits to our people, business and especially our clients.” The purchase of BDG adds to Risk Strategies’ presence in the Pacific Northwest. It builds upon the firm’s previous acquisition of the Fournier Group, a full-service commercial and personal lines retail insurance agency. About Risk Strategies Risk Strategies is the 9th largest privately held US brokerage firm offering comprehensive risk management advice, insurance and reinsurance placement for property & casualty, employee benefits, private client services, as well as consulting services and financial & wealth solutions. With more than 30 specialty practices, Risk Strategies serves commercial companies, nonprofits, public entities, and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets. Risk Strategies has over 100 offices including Boston, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Grand Cayman, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Washington DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco. RiskStrategies.com.

Read More

Health Insurance, Insurance Technology

Enhance Health Expands Capabilities with Acquisition of Jet Health Solutions

PRnewswire | July 26, 2023

Enhance Health, a digital health insurance brokerage and care navigation platform, is excited to announce the acquisition of JET Health Solutions, a premier Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) platform. The acquisition reinforces Enhance Health's commitment to serving its members and scaling its operations effectively through technology. "We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of JET Health Solutions," said Matthew Herman, CEO and President of Enhance Health. "Since Enhance's founding, we've been committed to leveraging technology in new ways to simplify the enrollment process. JET's advanced EDE platform improves our already best-in-class member and agent experience." With hundreds of thousands of members enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans as well as Medicare Advantage plans, Enhance Health has established itself as a trusted partner in the healthcare industry. The acquisition of JET empowers Enhance Health to fully own the enrollment process, enhancing its capabilities and expanding its services with one of the few CMS-certified Phase 3 EDEs available in the market. "Joining forces with Enhance Health is an exciting opportunity to drive meaningful change in the healthcare industry," said Asad Shamim, Founder and Managing Partner of JET Health Solutions. "Together, we are well-positioned to revolutionize the enrollment process and improve healthcare access for individuals and families across the nation." Since its establishment in 2008, JET Health has equipped healthcare payers and providers with cutting-edge tools to excel in the ever-evolving healthcare marketplace. "Integrating an EDE into our technology stack solidifies Enhance as the leader in the digital health insurance space," said Jeff Tang, CIO of Enhance Health. "Fully integrated with our CRM and other agent systems, this platform will fundamentally change the way we interact with our members through streamlined agent workflows, actionable data, and enhanced data security." About Enhance Health Founded in 2021 by industry veteran Matt Herman and backed by Bain Capital Insurance, Enhance Health has experienced rapid growth due to the record number of Americans enrolling in ACA health plans in 2022. Enhance Health has grown its membership base to hundreds of thousands, and is rapidly expanding into other insurance business lines.

Read More

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