Maine Community Health Options, the leading insurer serving Maine people under the Affordable Care Act, announced Wednesday, Aug. 20 that they are issuing all members new ID cards as part of a transition to a new ID card vendor.
MCHO says the new vendor will mean faster turnaround times for members.
Here is an image of the new cards:
Anyone with questions can contact Anna Moorman at Allen Insurance and Financial.
We are A Best Place to Work in Maine
Allen Insurance and Financial was recently named one of the 2014 Best Places to Work in Maine. This is the third consecutive year Allen has earned this distinction.
The awards program was created in 2006 and is a project of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) – Maine State Council and Best Companies Group. Partners endorsing the program include: Mainebiz, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine HR Convention.
This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Maine, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. The 2014 Best Places to Work in Maine list is made up of 70 companies in three size categories: small (15-49 U.S. employees), medium (50-249 U.S. employees) and large (250+ U.S. employees).
Allen’s 70 employees puts us in the medium category. Here is a link to the complete list.
To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Have at least 15 employees working in Maine;
- Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity;
- Be a publicly or privately held business;
- Have a facility in the state of Maine
- Must be in business a minimum of 1 year.
Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Places to Work in Maine. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation.
The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings.
Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Maine and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings.
Allen Insurance and Financial and the other companies on the list will be recognized and honored at the Best Places to Work in Maine awards ceremony on Oct. 8 and will be profiled in a special publication by Mainebiz. The final rankings will be announced at the event.
For more information on the Best Places to Work in Maine program, visit BestPlacestoWorkinME.com
WorkBoat Column: The End of a Passenger Vessel and a Business
Each month, Gene McKeever publishes a column in WorkBoat Magazine. In August, he discusses the importance of staying on top of all those little details, especially when you’re trying to expand your business.
Click here for the article.
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Workers' Compensation
The Affordable Care Act does not directly address workers’ compensation issues, but some aspects of the health care reform law will most likely have an impact on workers’ compensation costs and practices.
Benefits for Workers’ Compensation
One of the main goals of the ACA is to provide citizens greater access to health care. Greater access for more people potentially creates two benefits for workers’ compensation.
One benefit of greater access to health care is that overall, employees will be healthier, likely leading to a reduction in workers’ compensation claims. And if employees are healthier, they will be less likely to remain reliant on workers’ compensation with a combination of work-related and other medical conditions, allowing claims to be closed sooner.
Greater access to health care will allow diseases or conditions, such as high blood pressure, to be diagnosed at an appointment with a primary physician rather than in the emergency room after a workplace accident. Diagnosing existing conditions before a workplace accident will help a physician treat injuries more thoroughly, since he or she will know that the patient has it earlier on.
Another benefit of the ACA on workers’ compensation is that increased access to health care will help injured employees recover more quickly from workplace injuries, since employees will be healthier from the start. The sooner an injured employee recovers and is back to work, the less you will have to pay for workers’ compensation costs.
Effects of a Potential Physician Shortage
The ACA has the potential to increase the costs of some aspects of workers’ compensation. Perhaps the biggest potential aspect is the increased demand for physicians.
Because more people will have health insurance, more people will be going to the doctor, straining the current supply of physicians. This could delay initial treatment for an injured employee, cause more time for the employee to be away from work and result in your company paying more in lost wages.
To avoid delayed treatment, your company should enroll in a quality care network and keep those relationships strong. Your medical providers should be carefully selected to ensure that your employees receive quality care in a timely manner
Impact of ACA on Workers Comp
It is still too soon to determine the true effects of the ACA on workers’ compensation. However, some things can be predicted.
The shift to electronic health records (EHRs) from paper records is a key feature of the ACA. There are benefits, such as reduced paperwork and paperwork errors, but also risks, such as the ever-present threat of a data breach and loss of patient information. But overall, the use of EHRs is expected to improve health care and help keep track of a patient’s health history.
The ACA also provides employers with incentives to implement a workplace wellness program. Employers can pay a reduced rate for health insurance by introducing a wellness program. An increased focus on wellness would help employees improve their health and lifestyles and avoid workplace injuries.
We Are Your Workers’ Compensation Resource
Workers’ compensation combined with the ACA is a difficult landscape to navigate. Allen Insurance|Financial is here to guide you and help you understand this new terrain, so contact us today to learn more about the ACA.
This Work Comp Insights is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. Readers should contact legal counsel or an insurance professional for appropriate advice. © 2014 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.
Welcoming Amanda Corson
Amanda Corson
Amanda Corson has joined L.S. Robinson Co. insurance of Southwest Harbor as a personal insurance account executive.
A Bar Harbor native, Corson is a graduate of MDI High School and the University of Maine in Orono. She holds the ACSR (Accredited Customer Service Representative) and AAI (Accredited Advisor in Insurance) designations and brings 17 years of insurance experience to L.S. Robinson.
Outside of work, Corson enjoys gardening, running and supporting her children’s activities at MDI High School. She lives with her family in Trenton, where her husband Steve is the fire chief.
L.S. Robinson Co. has served the insurance needs of Mount Desert Island families and businesses since 1932. An independent agency that is now part of the employee-owned Allen Insurance and Financial, L.S. Robinson also offers health & life insurance and financial and retirement planning services from offices at 339 Main Street in Southwest Harbor.
Investing in Community: P.A.W.S Animal Adoption Center
Pictured here, from left, are Joelle Albury, P.A.W.S. Director of Development, Karen Reed, Allen Insurance and Financial and Amie Hutchison, P.A.W.S. Executive Director.
Allen Insurance and Financial has made a donation in support of the P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center’s capital campaign for the organization’s new home on John Street in Camden.
“Allen Insurance and Financial is a longtime supporter of P.A.W.S.,” commented Amie Hutchison, Executive Director of P.A.W.S. “We are grateful for their help with our Capital Campaign.”
P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center provides a safe, caring environment for homeless and abandoned dogs and cats until they can be placed with loving families. P.A.W.S. serves the towns of Camden, Rockport, Lincolnville, Belfast, Northport, Searsmont, Liberty, Islesboro and Swanville. For more information about P.A.W.S. and its Forever-Home Capital Campaign visit the center at 146 Camden Street in Rockport or www.pawsadoption.org.
Allen Insurance and Financial is an personal and business insurance, employee benefits, and financial services agency with offices in Rockland, Camden, Belfast and Southwest Harbor. In 2014, the company is proudly celebrating 25 years of employee ownership.
WorkBoat Column: Communication is Key
Each month, Gene McKeever publishes a column in WorkBoat Magazine. In July, he discusses the importance of communication.
Click here for the article.
L.S. Robinson Co. Celebrates 20-Year Partnership with Concord Insurance
L.S. Robinson Co., our Southwest Harbor office, recently celebrated 20 years of partnership with Concord Insurance, including a dinner at the Claremont in Southwest Harbor.
From left: Ken Salvatore, Bonnie Lewis, Cindy Murphy, Holly Shields, Amanda Corson and Brad Bicknell.
Around the table, from left: Kathi Jones, Renee McKenna, Holly Shields, Amanda Corson, Jean Dutch, Bonnie Lewis, Wayne McLean, Concord Insurance; Brad Bicknell, Cindy Murphy, Michael Laliberte, Concord Insurance; John Goodwin, Concord Insurance and Ken Salvatore.
From left: Brad Bicknell, L.S. Robinson Co., Wayne McLean, Senior Vice President and COO, Concord Insurance and Ken Salvatore, L.S. Robinson Co.
Partnering with Penobscot Bay YMCA on Capital Development Project in Rockland
From left: Bailey Curtis, Bob Fernald, president and publisher, Down East Enterprise; Jim Butler, VP Operations Downeast Enterprise and Y Board member; Leslie Eaton, YMCA Board President; Andy Clement, Business Unit Manager, Fisher Engineering; Tyler Jones, Donations Committee, Fisher Engineering; Karen Reed, Business Insurance Specialist, Allen Insurance and Financial; Mike Dufour, Executive Vice President, Allen Insurance and Financial; Jeanne Rimm, Chief Financial Officer, SteelPro; Bill Leone, Y Board member; Barrett Brown, President, CedarWorks; Troy Curtis, YMCA Executive Director and Bryce Curtis.
Local businesses and individuals are joining the Penobscot Bay YMCA in its drive to bring programs and services to southern Knox County.
By donating to the Y’s $300,000 financial development campaign for a satellite facility in Rockland, these contributors are generating funds from an anonymous $100,000 matching opportunity.
Several local business people, mindful of the benefits the new program center will bring to the region have joined with YMCA board members and other volunteers in a Rockland Program Center Task Force to donate funds themselves and encourage others to do the same. Volunteers serving on the task force include Dan Bookham, Jim Butler, Andrew Clement, Jim Nelson, Bill Leone, Pen Bay Y Executive Director Troy Curtis, and Y Board President Leslie Eaton.
Eaton, a local business owner, commented on the importance of volunteer leadership:
“The Penobscot Bay YMCA and this community are fortunate to have individuals who are willing to volunteer their time to ask others to financially support projects, such as the new Rockland Program Center. Without their dedication and support, it would be difficult to move these projects forward.”
The planned program center at 12 Water Street will include a fitness center, indoor and outdoor exercise areas and a childcare center. Programs to be offered include day care for infants through preschoolers, after-school programming for school age children, and senior exercise offerings, along with the LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA wellness program for cancer survivors. The center is designed to make Y activities more accessible to Southern Knox County residents.
Clement, who is business unit manager at Fisher Engineering in Rockland, noted the importance of the Y’s child care. “The Pen Bay Y childcare program in will provide working families in Rockland an affordable option,” said Clement. “Everything from infant care to after-school programing will be available right in town.”
Allen Insurance and Financial President Michael Pierce, whose company was an early contributor to the campaign, emphasized the Pen Bay Y’s exceptional reputation with health and wellness programs. “The Y’s expansion into Southern Knox County should give many more people access to activities that promote a healthier lifestyle,” said Pierce.
Alvin Chase, co-owner of Eastern Tire, understands the value of community service. “The Pen Bay Y’s expansion into the Rockland area reinforces the organization’s desire to serve everyone in and around Knox County,” said Chase, explaining his company’s early support of this fundraising drive. “Current members of the Y will benefit from the newest location as well, since it will bring some programs and services closer to them.”
Down East Enterprise is another of the businesses to make an early commitment. Said President and CEO Bob Fernald, “The Pen Bay YMCA makes a difference in countless lives, and the Rockland Program Center will only add to that good work. We’re thrilled to be a part of the effort.”
To join the partnership program contact YMCA Executive Director Troy Curtis at 236-3375.
Marketplace Checks on Health Insurance Subsidy Eligibility
Individuals who have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (via healthcare.gov) may have heard from the federal government in recent days as inquiries are being made to verify information provided for subsidized health insurance.
According to an article in the NYTimes June 15, of the eight million people who signed up for health insurance through insurance exchanges under the ACA, two million reported information that differed from data already in government records.
The government has hired a company to resolve these inconsistencies and consumers are being asked for additional documents to verify their income, citizenship, immigration status, Social Security numbers and information about health insurance coverage they may have via their employer.
People who do not provide the information requested risk losing their health insurance subsidy and may have to repay subsidies next April, via their income tax return.
7 things to know if the Marketplace asks for more information (click for article)
Contact Anna Moorman for more information at 236-4311.
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