The Insurors of Tennessee Bulletin 1322

Changes continue to, and as a result of, the ACA implementation. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee recently an-nounced plans to send around 66,000 letters to Tennessee insureds informing them that they will need to choose a new plan in 2014. That is over half of the in-dividual policies sold in the State.Even former President Bill Clinton has spoken out calling for President Obama’s admin-istration to make good on its promise of “like your plan, keep your plan.”

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) is co-spon-soring a bill with Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) which will allow Americans to keep their current plans in place. Corker stated that, “A couple in Tennessee con-tacted me last week to tell me the policy they’ve enjoyed for five years - as self-employed missionaries - is being can-celled because it doesn’t meet the stan-dards of Obamacare. And now they face the stress of losing their health coverage in January despite failed efforts to enroll in a new plan on the federal exchange. And their story is not unique. Families all across Tennessee are seeing their pol-icies cancelled after being told, ‘If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan, period.’”

Despite all the issues with coverage, HHS reported on Wednesday that over 1 million Americans had completed the

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Insurors of TennesseeWeb: www.insurors.orgPh: 615.385.1898 or 800.264.1898Fx: 615.385.9303E-mail: [email protected]

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ACA Continues to Force Changes in Tennessee

Hundreds of insurance professionals use the Insurors of Tennessee website as a resource for technical data, industry in-formation, job postings, event registra-tion, education and more. And with a greater demand to access these resources from different devices and with increas-ing speed, it was time for us to bring a new platform to your online Association home. On December 6th, the new www.insurors.org will go live, and a new user experience will be at your fingertips.

Now with new navigation, you can sim-ply search for keywords and receive links to a wealth of resources on any given industry topic. Logged in mem-bers will be able to view licensing and CE information, RLI subagent numbers, class history and more directly on their profile page. And with a “responsive” web format, you can search for loss cost multipliers from your smartphone, read the Bulletin on your tablet or register for CE courses on your laptop.

Need an App for that? Not at all, each

New Insurors Website Will Launch in December page and piece of data will conform to your screen, whatever device you choose. Just pull up insurors.org in your browser and find what you need.

Manage your job postings with ease, reg-ister yourself and others for classes and events, read the current industry news, find past articles and technical data all with a few clicks of your mouse or a touch of the screen. We have listened to your concerns about our current site, and many of those concerns have been addressed with the new site’s function-ality.

A host of new features and functions will add to your user experience, all while making it simpler to find the informa-tion you need when and how you want it delivered. As you begin to utilize the new website features, please let us know your feedback. E-mail Daniel Smith at [email protected] with comments and questions and we will try to imple-ment as much of your input as possible on the new site.

Bulletin Vol. 13-22 November 15, 2013


Webinar on Nov. 19 for New Partner DocuSign Are you interested in learning how eS-ignature technology makes it quick and easy for you and your clients to complete paperwork anywhere, any time? Join DocuSign, the Big “I”-endorsed partner for eSignatures, for a live webinar on Tuesday, November 19th at 1 pm EST. The 30-minute webinar will demonstrate the benefits of DocuSign for independent agents, including:

An easier, faster and more conve-• nient way for clients to interact with their agent or brokerThe ability for members to send and • sign anything, anywhere, on any deviceNo more need to fax or send pack-• ages overnight

Sign up for the webinar at https://www.docusign.com/webinars/docusign-train-ing-for-big-i-members to learn how your agency can deliver great service, elimi-nate errors and save time and money with DocuSign. To purchase DocuSign at an exclusive discounted price, visit http://www.docu-sign.com/IIABA

New Webinars Added on ACA RegistrationDue to continued high demand from agents and brokers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has scheduled additional webinars for Big “I” members on the training and registration process in the Federally-Facilitated Marketplaces (FFMs). The webinars, which will resemble previ-ous sessions, will be conducted by HHS staff.

Interested individuals should visit http://www.regtap.info to sign up for any of the following scheduled webinars on “Agent and Broker Participation in the Federally-Facilitated Marketplaces”:

Friday, Nov. 15, 1-2:30 pm EST. • Registration code: ABNV3Friday, Nov. 22, 1-2:30 pm EST. • Registration code: ABNV4

For individuals who have attended ear-lier presentations through RegTap, the log-in process through http://www.reg-tap.info will be the same. For those who have not previously participated in a webinar through RegTap, HHS has com-piled instructions to guide you:

Click the “Register as a New User” linkand click the “Submit” button to create a user account in REGTAP, the Register as a New User screen displays. Complete all of the required fields that contain a red asterisk next to the drop down, or text box. Access your e-mail used dur-ing the registration process and click the link to REGTAP provided in the e-mail. This will advance you to the REGTAP Login page where you may log in with your new credentials.

Project CAP “How-to” Video is Now AvailableThis week, nearly 75% of personal insur-ance consumers will begin their search for new coverage online. Will they find you?

As the new TrustedChoice.com grows through Project CAP, now is your chance to make sure your agency has its online presence secured. CAP has created a short “how-to” video to show you just how easy it is to build your agency profile and be a part of “The Power of Indepen-dents!” Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jXtCjn4nkc&feature=youtu.be to watch the video now.

WC Loss Cost Filings Approved by CommishTennessee Insurance Commissioner Ju-lie Mix McPeak on November 13, 2013 released three orders approving work-ers’ compensation loss cost for the vol-

untary and assigned risk market, the loss cost multiplier (LCM) for the assigned risk plan, and the law only filing to re-flect changes anticipated by PC289 by moving claims handling from a judicial system to an administrative system.

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) filed for an overall 8.4% reduction in loss cost to be effec-tive March 1, 2014. As required by statue the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council (WCAC) reviewed the filing and recommended to the Commissioner that an overall 6.95% decrease be approved. The Commissioner determined that the 8.4% decrease filed by the NCCI should be modified to produce an overall 6.95% decrease to be effective for new and re-newal business on March 1, 2014.

The Commissioner also issued an order that approved changing the loss cost multiplier for the workers’ compensa-tion assigned risk plan from 1.52 to 1.56 effective March 1, 2014 for new and re-newal business. The combined effect of the decrease in loss cost and the increase in the LCM produces an overall decrease for assigned risk business of 4.5%.

The Commissioner also approved the NCCI filed 5.9% decrease in loss cost to reflect the change made by PC289 passed by the 108th General Assembly and becomes effective July 1, 2014. The most important change is the implemen-tation of moving claims for a judicial to an administrative system. This law only change will be effective July 1, 2014 for new, renewal and ALL OUTSTAND-ING policies.

Based on 2012 Tennessee workers’ com-pensation written premiums of over $831 million the reduction in the requested loss cost decrease from 8.4% to 6.95% means Tennessee employers will pay over $12 million more in premiums than the carriers requested. Carriers could adjust their individual LCMs to produce lower final rates based on the fact that indicated decrease was greater than the actual approved decrease or to write more marginal risks.



CISR -Dynamics of ServiceNovember 20th

NashvilleIn a competitive marketplace, an agency’s or company’s most important asset is...its people.

Give your personnel the tools they need to succeed!

register now at www.insurors.org



Local Board Holiday Luncheons ScheduledTwo of our local boards will be holding their annual holiday luncheons as we near the end of 2013.

First, the Insurors of Nashville local board will host their annual Thanksgiv-ing membership luncheon on Wednes-day, November 20th at Cabana restau-rant. Insurors General Counsel Ashley Arnold will be the speaker and will be discussing the “State of the Industry in Tennessee.” Contact Falon Scott at [email protected] for more information or to register.

The Insurors of Memphis local board will hold their annual Holiday Luncheon & Auction on Thursday, December 18th at the Hilton Memphis. Contact Sally Baker at [email protected] for more information or to register now.

TN Accident Reports Now Available OnlineThe Tennessee Department of Safety has announced that drivers in the state may now purchase accident reports on-line through a new partnership. The pro-gram will be run by Appriss, Inc, who also added partnerships with Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky.

The new service is already online at http://www.tnbuycrash.com and is avail-able 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Crashes investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), as well as local police and sheriff departments, should be available online within seven days of the crash. The cost of an online collision report is $10.

Citizens may continue to visit any local THP district office or law enforcement agency to purchase crash reports. The fee for these options remains $4.

enrollment process, with about 10% ac-tually selecting and finalizing a plan. That includes just under 1,000 citizens in Tennessee that have selected a plan, with over 17,000 completing the applica-tion process.

CMS is hopeful that as more individu-als complete the process, more agents will also complete the exchange’s train-ing programs. Over 70,000 agents have completed the federal training, but they are hopeful that the number will rise as policies go in force on January 1st.

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ACA Continues to Force Changes in Tennessee

Insurors & National All. 2014 Course ScheduleBelow is our schedule for National Alli-ance CIC and CISR courses for 2014:

3/5 CIC-Comm. Property Memphis3/19 CISR-Insuring Casualty Nashville3/20 CISR-Insuring Casualty Memphis4/9 CIC-Life and Health Nashville4/22 CISR-Agency Ops Johnson City4/23 CISR-Agency Ops Knoxville5/7 CIC-Agency Manage. Nashville6/18 CISR-Pers. Residential Memphis7/24 Ruble Graduate Sem. Nashville8/13 CISR-Insuring Casualty Nashville8/14 CISR-Insuring Cas. Chattanooga8/20 CIC-Comm. Casualty Nashville9/15 CISR-Elements of Risk Nashville9/17 CISR-Personal Auto Johnson City9/18 CISR-Personal Auto Knoxville11/5 CIC-Comm. Property Nashville11/12 CISR-Personal Lines Nashville11/13 CISR-Personal Lines Memphis

Get more information or register now at http://www.insurors.org

Big “I” Releases 2013 Best Practices StudyThe Big “I” has released its 2013 Best Practices Study which found an increase in agencies with specializations, expan-sion of technology investment and an in-crease in profitability across most of the study’s six revenue groups. Other find-ings included:

Specialization has increased across • agencies of all sizesTech spending will increase among • top agencies with social media/inter-net marketing at the top of the listAs expected, organic growth has • continued to improve dramatically since last year’s studyStrong revenue growth improved • profitabilityLast year was a strong year for value • creation in agencies

“The 2013 results indicate that Best Practices agencies continue to grow and increase profitability, the key compo-nents of agency value,” says Robert Rus-buldt, Big “I” president & CEO.

Purchase the full study e-book for $59.95 at http://www.iia-b a . n e t /c b s u px /e d u c a t io n / i n d e x .aspx?page=evtpreview&evt=17939

New Flood ResourcesFEMA has released a variety of new re-sources on Biggert-Waters legislation, including:

A fact sheet on what to know and say, which contains a list of talking points that can help guide your client conversations about Biggert-Waters. Available at http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1382115115666-0-f ba8b9a68fef69d546513c6da105bbe/BW12_AgentWhat_to_Know_Say _Sect205_Sept2013.pdf

A quick reference guide that provides an outline of important dates and changes in relation to Biggert-Waters. Avail-able at http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/41ecfedd3b889396440c30d34b9b91ea/Agent_Quick_RefGuide_September_2013.pdf

A Biggert-Waters brochure intended for you to share with your clients so they always have the necessary information when making decisions about their poli-cies. Available at http://www.fema.gov

Documents

The Insurors of Tennessee Bulletin 1322