Volume 22 Issue 8

August 2012


www.pacounties.org

INSURANCE MATTERS
An e-newsletter of the County Commissioners
Association of Pennsylvania Insurance Programs

 

Owned by Members   Governed by Members   Service to Members
In This Issue
Specialty Lines
New Health Insurance Program for Counties
COMCARE has Eliminated Membership Dues
PIMCC Nurses Seminar
PIMCC Act 22 Services Resources
Fall Workshop Planning is Underway
Coverage Corner
Quote of the Month
 
Quick Links
 
 
Join Our Mailing List

Specialty Lines

 

Greetings!  

This month I want to focus on the employee benefits programs available through CCAP's insurance programs and how they can help your county or county related entity provide benefits for your employees.

 

The first group insurance program we created was for employee benefits - the CCAP Unemployment Compensation Trust (UC Trust) started providing coverage for county employees in 1980. Thirty-two years later it still works very well, is totally self insured and provides a very popular and highly rated Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for the employees of members of the Trust.

 

This month our CCAP Health Alliance is going to start offering a new program, a health insurance pool for counties, through the Delaware Valley Health Insurance Trust (DVHIT) with Aetna as the network, administrative services provider and reinsurer. This new program will provide counties and county related entities with a long term health insurance solution, from a non-profit pool with very low administrative costs, and will be available statewide for midsize and smaller counties (up to 1,000 employees). In addition to health insurance, participants will have the option to purchase life, dental and vision insurance through the pool.

 

I want to add a personal note here about DVHIT. I have known the pool administrator of this program, Rick Lee, for many years. He is a person of the highest integrity and has put together a great program with very low administrative costs. I am very impressed with their staff and program.

 

We are very excited about this new program - watch for more information at the CCAP Annual Conference and see the separate article in this newsletter with more information about the new CCAP Health Alliance program.

 

For more information about our employee benefits programs, contact Julia Jackson at CCAP.

 

Make sure you contact us when you need help with something,

 

                              John Sallade

 

 

PELICAN Insurance Expands Into Maryland

By Christie Ward, Captive Programs Manager

 

Maryland long term care facilities now have a new option for their professional liability and general liability insurance.

 

In a year of exciting changes made by the PELICAN Subscriber Advisory Committee, the most recent step by the risk retention group was to offer coverage to Maryland nursing homes. Non-profit homes are eligible as well as for-profits that have purchased a former PELICAN subscriber.

 

PELICAN is a non-profit insurance program of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, founded by PACAH and licensed in the state of Vermont. Begun in 2003, PELICAN was originally created for county owned homes and has expanded to include non-profit and eligible for-profit facilities in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

 

In addition to the Maryland expansion, the PELICAN SAC has: 

  • Returned a $1,000,000 dividend three years in a row
  • Reduced rates by 5%
  • Instituted a loss control credit program
  • Expanded membership to include for-profits that own a former subscriber

 

For more information on PELICAN, contact Christie Ward at [email protected] or (800) 895-9039.

 

CCAP Health Alliance Debuts New Health Insurance Program for Counties


The CCAP Health Alliance Board of Directors unanimously agreed at its July meeting to partner with the Delaware Valley Health Insurance Trust (DVHIT) to serve as the infrastructure and administrator of its health insurance pool for Pennsylvania counties and county related entities. Membership in the CCAP Health Alliance is now open and proposals are available for January renewals. Stop by the CCAP Employee Benefits booth (Booth #94) at the CCAP Annual Conference, August 5 - 8, to learn more and meet the DVHIT staff.

 

WHY DVHIT?

 

Since 1999, DVHIT has helped its municipal members defy the trends by providing a remarkably stable health insurance platform with rates well below the commercial carriers', while maintaining benefit levels and even offering several plan enhancements. Through its partnership with the CCAP Health Alliance, DVHIT is now able to extend its platform to Pennsylvania's counties and county related entities statewide.

 

DVHIT is an example of the power of collective action. As counties and county related entities contemplate how best to tackle the difficult budget challenges over the next several years, there is now an effective alternative to the annual +10-20% increases in the health benefits line item. The average rate increase for current DVHIT members over the past seven years has been about 6.5% per year.

 

Through this new partnership, the CCAP Health Alliance can offer a complete range of medical plans (HMO, QPOS, PPO and Indemnity), fully customized to meet the needs and interests of each individual county or entity. Participating counties and entities design their own benefit plans and coverage parameters. DVHIT will maintain each county/entity's current rate structure and guarantee rates for the calendar year.

 

For most applicants, the CCAP Health Alliance can now meet or exceed current commercial coverage at lower costs. More than half of DVHITS's current members were previously Blue Cross clients. At no additional charge, standard coverage enhancements include the following:
 

  • A Trust administered fitness reimbursement program for employee and spouse
  • Vision benefits built into the medical coverage
  • Full access to Health AdvocateTM, a care facilitator for employees, dependents and family members
  • A comprehensive Member Wellness Initiative
  • COBRA Administration
  • Ancillary Lines program providing discounted rates on life and long term disability coverage

 

DVHIT will provide side-by-side coverage comparisons with your current program upon request and will accept partial group enrollments (subject to underwriting guidelines).

 

RISK FINANCING
 

As with other CCAP Insurance Programs, the CCAP Health Alliance is working towards a long-term solution to healthcare financing. DVHIT's risk sharing model offers a number of advantages, including: 
 

  • Excess funds are returned to the membership. A rate stabilization fund (RSF) is a unique tool allowing each member the option of applying credits to monthly premium, thereby reducing payments. Members also have the choice of rolling their credit balance over to future years. In effect, the RSF allows each member the discretion of choosing the most opportune time to apply its own rate relief. DVHIT adds interest to any rolled over balance. To date, over $20 million has been allocated to member RSF credits.
  • An expense ratio well below commercial fully insured or self-insured programs, without brokerage commissions or premium taxes.
  • Investment income accruing only to the benefit of the membership.
  • Improved control of health insurance premium dollars, products, services and management. For example, utilization information and key underwriting data has become the property of the DVHIT.
     

Networks

 

DVHIT contracts with Aetna, Delta Dental and Guardian for access to their provider networks and discounts. Subscribers will receive the provider networks' ID cards. DVHIT will conduct an analysis that will show a high percentage overlap in provider participation between DVHIT's service providers and the incumbent providers. DVHIT also contracts with Aetna for claims processing services and reinsurance support.

 

Ancillary Lines

 

DVHIT is also able to provide discounted fully insured rates for Group Life and AD&D, Long-term Disability and Short-term Disability coverage. By leveraging the buying power of DVHIT and the CCAP Health Alliance, we can offer preferred pricing and coverage enhancements. Premium savings will range between 10% and 20% and the package includes multi-year rate guarantees.

 

Organization

 

DVHIT is owned, managed and controlled by its public entity members. Each CCAP Health Alliance member will appoint a trustee to the board of Trustees. The Board elects five officers who serve on an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee meets monthly with staff and directs the operation of DVHIT.

 

For more information or to request a proposal, contact Julia Jackson, CCAP Employee Benefits Program Manager, at (800) 895-9039 x 3305.

 

COMCARE Has Eliminated Membership Dues!
By Christie Ward, Captive Programs Manager

 

COMCARE is the County Managed Care Resource, an intergovernmental cooperation agreement among counties affiliated with CCAP.

 

In a recent strategic planning session, the COMCARE Board of Directors approved the elimination of member dues. While COMCARE has maintained a 64 county membership for years, we struggle with excluding non-members from vital training and information opportunities. Equally difficult is determining a cost to charge non-members in very tight budget years.

 

Charging just $.01 per MA eligible, our dues income had been approximately $14,000 annually. When compared to the benefits of partnering with a statewide organization and not having to address the issue of their member counties that were not members of COMCARE, the decision was an easy one!

 

COMCARE members are the counties of Pennsylvania and each member county has identified a delegate. Every delegate has received a membership form that must be completed and returned, confirming membership. New members have received a new member form to confirm membership and name a delegate. This annual form will be the only membership requirement.

 

For more information, please contact Christie Ward [email protected] or Susan Horne [email protected]. Both can also be reached at (800) 895-9039.

PIMCC Nurses Seminar

By Christie Ward, Captive Programs Manager

 

PIMCC will hold its annual nurses' seminar on Tuesday, September 18, 2012. Attendance is free for PIMCC members. The cost for non-members to attend is $150. Pre-registration is required.

 

This session will focus on motivational interviewing, a positive approach; psychotropic medication and women's correctional health care. For more information consult your Fall 2012 Glimpse or check Glimpse online.

 

PIMCC members are the counties of Bucks, Carbon, Clarion, Columbia, Elk, Greene, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Perry, Potter, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union and Wayne. Northumberland County is an associate member.

 

For more information on PIMCC, please contact Ruth Moraski Keller. For information on the Nurses' Seminar contact Carole Rusnak. Both are at Cost Management Plus and can be reached at (800) 552-2752. 

PIMCC Act 22 Services Resource
By Christie Ward, Captive Programs Manager

 

PIMCC maintains an online resource for counties receiving act 22 services. Available 24/7, it includes instructions for entering a COMPASS application, the eligibility form available for printing, payment scenarios, frequently asked questions and more!

 

What's the most recent question added to the FAQ's?

 

Q: My COMPASS login and password won't work,
    what do I do?

          OR

    What if I forget my COMPASS login and password?

 

A: Community Partners' passwords expire every 60 days. If you don't use your dashboard within this time frame, you will not receive a prompt to change your password and will not be able to log in. when your password needs to be reset, you should always first try going to the self-service password reset function Forgot/Change Password? Found below the Community Partner login on the COMPASS home page. If that doesn't work, contact Carole Rusnak at Cost Management Plus, at (800) 552-2752.

 

For information on the PIMCC Act 22 Services, please contact Ruth Moraski Keller, [email protected], or Carole Rusnak, [email protected], at Cost Management Plus, (800) 552-2752. For administrative questions on CCAP support for the services, contact Christie Ward at [email protected] or (800) 895-9039.  

Fall Workshop Planning is Underway
 
By Linda Rosito, Insurance Training Director
 

The fall workshop season is quickly approaching and topics are being finalized. We have a great season planned with topics such as compassion fatigue, dealing with difficult people and an advanced course in dealing with unions. The fall season also includes our always popular Excellent Supervisor Seminars with topics of selecting the right candidate when interviewing and evaluating for accountability.

 

As a reminder, most of the workshops are FREE to attend if your county is a member of the sponsoring Insurance Programs. To check if your county is a member of the sponsoring program, please refer to Glimpse Online and CCAP Insurance Programs Member Listing.

 

Here is a quick look at the upcoming fall workshop season. Mark your calendars!

 

FALL WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES:

  • Thursday, September 6 - Defensive Driving Course, Best Western/Country Cupboard, Lewisburg
  • Thursday, September 6 - Excellent Supervisor Seminar, Regional Learning Alliance, Cranberry Twp.
  • Tuesday, September 11 - Defensive Driving Course, Scranton Hilton, Scranton
  • Wednesday, September 12 - Excellent Supervisor Seminar, Scranton Hilton, Scranton
  • Thursday, September 13 - KEYS: Advanced Course in Effectively Dealing with Unions, CCAP North Office, Harrisburg
  • Tuesday, September 18 - KEYS: Advanced Course in Effectively Dealing with Unions, Regional Learning Alliance, Cranberry Twp.
  • Tuesday , September 18 - PIMCC Nurses Seminar, CCAP North Office, Harrisburg
  • Wednesday, September 19 - Compassion Fatigue: When You Are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel
  • Tuesday, September 25 - KEYS: Dealing with Difficult People, Best Western/Country Cupboard, Lewisburg
  • Thursday, September 27- Excellent Supervisor Seminar, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College
  • Thursday, September 27- Defensive Driving Course, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College
  • Tuesday, October 2 - Compassion Fatigue: When You Are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, CCAP North Office, Harrisburg
  • Wednesday, October 10 - Safety Workshop, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel
  • Thursday, October 11 - KEYS: Dealing with Difficult People, Scranton Hilton, Scranton
  • Tuesday, October 16 - KEYS: Crime Prevention and Active Shooter Training, CCAP North Office, Harrisburg
  • Thursday, October 18 - Compassion Fatigue: When You Are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, Scranton Hilton, Scranton
  • Tuesday, October 23 - KEYS: Dealing with Difficult People, Regional Learning Alliance, Cranberry Twp.
  • Wednesday, October 24 - Annual Producers Meeting, CCAP North Office, Harrisburg
  • Thursday, October 25 - Compassion Fatigue: When You Are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, Best Western/Country Cupboard, Lewisburg
  • Wednesday, October 31, County Risk Managers Council, CCAP North Office, Harrisburg
  • Thursday, November 1 - KEYS: Dealing with Difficult People, CCAP North Office, Harrisburg
  • Thursday, November 8 - Prison Personnel Workshop, The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College
  • Wednesday, November 14, County Risk Managers Council, Regional Learning Alliance, Cranberry Twp.

 

The CCAP Insurance Programs continues to collaborate with the Academy for Excellence in County Government. Please refer to our website for additional information on co-sponsored events. These workshops are FREE to current Academy participants.

 

Glimpse Online and online registration will be available August 6. Look for your copy of the fall Glimpse mid-August!

 

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Linda Rosito or Jenn James at (800) 895-9039.

 

We hope to see you this fall!

Coverage Corner 

Reminders and Pointers about Insurance Coverage and Risk Management

 

Your Local Insurance Producer 

Your insurance producer (agent) works for your county or county related entity! You select the producer you want to use and you can change insurance producers whenever you wish without disrupting your insurance coverage. Your policy can remain in place if you change producers as your new producer simply picks up the administration of your existing policy.

 

We have not seen a lot of change in local producers over the years, as counties and county related entities appreciate the local service they receive. We also hold an Annual Producers Meeting at the CCAP North Office to update producers on each insurance program.

 

Several of CCAP's insurance programs require members to select an insurance producer: PCoRP, PComp, PELICAN, Volunteers AD&D and Tax Collector Bonds. For other programs this is optional, including the new CCAP Health Alliance health insurance program. CCAP staff will work with the producer you choose to provide the insurance services you need. Check with each insurance program you are in to see what the commission levels are and how the local producer is paid for their work.

 

Questions or comments? Contact Karen Cohen, CCAP's Property and Casualty Programs Manager.

 

Quote of the Month 

 

"Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

 

- A.A. Milne 
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Contact Us: John Sallade, Managing Director, CCAP Insurance Programs