Broker blog

Late September in New Orleans, Employee Benefit Advisor (EBA) and Employee Benefit News (EBN) hosted their Benefits Forum & Expo. Because it’s virtually the last benefit conference of the year, it’s like the exclamation point on the benefits industry for 2018. 

I attended and taught at more than 30 conferences this year. This particular one has a broader view than most because the attendance is split between benefits consultants and HR experts from mid-sized to large employers. 

What was your first experience at a large industry convention? I just attended my first National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) convention this week and it definitely did not disappoint. From legislative updates and professional development to networking and awards celebrations, it was a full event. 

But, the most amazing aspect was seeing our association grapple with the current industry challenges and discuss innovative solutions. 

I’m sharing our team’s top seven takeaways from this year’s NAHU convention…

We just returned from the first-ever (and sold-out) HLTH Conference in Las Vegas. It was an impressive 4 days. The conference was touted as “the hottest, newest, largest and most important

Did you make it to San Diego for the BenefitsPRO Expo? From machine learning to the Broker of the Year Panel, it was a terrific 3 days of connecting with benefits experts from all over the country.

If you were there, maybe your mind is still swirling with ideas. If not, we believe sharing is caring and hope this recap helps to fill you in.

Below is a compiled list of 10 takeaways from our team....

Has Alexa changed your life yet? Vacuum the floor, start the dishwasher, feed the cat, clean the litter box, order more paper towels and lower the thermostat. That’s just a few items from the to-do list I handed over to Artificial Intelligence today – and all without one manual click or key stroke. Whew, no more straining my index finger to push all those buttons. 

Health Insurance giant Cigna announced on Thursday that it has agreed to buy Express Scripts, the nation's largest pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). This is yet another blockbuster deal that continues to shake the healthcare landscape. 

Twenty years ago, I joined the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU). A year later I traveled to Washington D.C. for the first time to attend their annual "Capitol Conference."

Unless you’ve been under a rock the past few days, you’ve heard that Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase announced a collaboration to do something about healthcare for their employees. While the announcement highlighted goals of transparency, tech innovation, and forsaken profits – it didn’t include details of how these goals would be achieved. So, what are we supposed to think?