Hi All!
Yes, it has only been 1 month since I became President and no, I am not skipping town. Nor have I heard that the Board has ordered the tar and feathers ….yet!


Did you know that some members at large and some Board members take to the road in the name of DAHU? Yep. Often times this travel and training is accomplished at their own expense because they are dedicated and determined to learn and represent you well. This recent travel was across our great state of Texas.

ROAD TRIP #1 AUSTIN, TX
This was not exactly a trip reminiscent of my youth (thank the Lord) but fun just the same. This first trip included Carolyn Goodwin TAHU President Elect; Louanne Trebing TAHU Treasurer, Sandy Longacre TAHU Trustee, Jacqueline St. Hilaire, TAHU Leg Committee and me traveling to Austin to attend the July 21st TAHU Board meeting. DAHU talent is evident on the State Board which meets quarterly to discuss each TX Chapter, TX Annual Convention, Legislation, Membership, Retention, Education, etc. The meeting is a FULL day and the call to arms “Don’t mess with Texas” is evident when these 45 passionate volunteers meet from across the state. TX is the second largest AHU state in the nation, second only to California and we may eventually surpass them. (Did you know that reportedly TX will be the fastest growing state in the nation over the next 5 years?)

I shared with TAHU the goals our DAHU Dream Team elected during our Strategic Planning meeting on July 13th hosted by Waldman Bros., L.L.P. Your DAHU is so on target that it is not surprising our goals are right in line with TAHU’s goals:

  • Increase Membership by 25% Gross and 12% Net.
  • Increase Luncheon Attendances to 90-100. Increase Event Attendance to 150.July was a great start with 92 at the luncheon!! A new July record!
  • Increase DAHU’s Legislative clout by encouraging member attendance at the chapter, state and national events and increase Key Contact participation.
  • Increase the Golf Outing by 20%
  • Increase the number of broker/agent members in the Association.
  • Each Board member committed to achieving Triple Crown in 2006-2007. Triple Crown requires obtaining 2 new members, contributing $150 to HUPAC on monthly automatic bank drafts and participating in 3 Operation Shouts

GO DREAM TEAM GO!!

ROAD TRIP #2 CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
This one was lots of work and lots of fun. This is where we adopt and practice the skills that will help us meet our goals. If only there had been more time for sun, beach and surf! Jacqueline St. Hilaire, Marcia Snell, David Clampitt, Donna McCright, Carolyn Goodwin, Tamela Southan, Frank McCaffrey and I along with Mentoring Ad Hoc Committee member Lorrinda Lattimer traveled to Corpus Christi, TX for the annual Region 6 Meeting. Traditionally it begins on Thursday specifically for Membership/Retention and goes until Saturday afternoon. This meeting is by far the best training in the nation for a Board Chair. Region 6 (TX, OK, LA, MS, AR, KS) has an impressive success reputation at National. Chapter Presidents and Chairs from other states come to Region 6 to hear discussion and learn our award winning processes. Folks are naturally high (even without Redbull) and ideas germinate well in this pumped environment. (This is definitely an example of “the whole” being greater than “the sum of its parts”…..a snowball rolling down a snow-packed hill!) If you want to know more about Region 6 go to www.nahuregion6.org

The July luncheon turnout was FANTASTIC! Heartfelt thanks to Beth Ashmore NAHU President Elect for coming from Lubbock to induct the 2006-2007 DAHU Board and giving us the skinny on NAHU initiatives. We also thank Mike Smith of The Brokerage for the very enlightening CE hours on Long Term Care. Did you know that according to current statistics (1) if you are age 55 and (2) if you started saving today and (3) if your Long Term Care needs started at age 85 then (4) you would need to save $1.3 million to cover your long term care expenses? Amazing! Not many folks could do that. I am so glad I own a LTC policy and my sons appreciate my planning for it.

OOPS! CVENT! DAHU rolled out a new invitation program called CVENT last month and we did not think to tell you all to adjust your spam filters to allow the correspondence through. PLEASE, PLEASE do allow/accept information from www.cvent.com Please see the white paper attached to this newsletter that you can give to your company IT person regarding CVENT.

DAHU is moving towards a total internet, email communication format with the membership to save money and be more effective. We need to know what you like, don’t like, want, don’t want and how we can get you engaged in the Association. WE NEED YOU! If you are not getting correspondence from DAHU, please contact Darrin Spradley at 817.676.9121.

Leadership! This talent/ability is a highly sought after trait in all realms of life. It can be learned, honed and owned. DAHU Board members work on these skills each year and we are scheduling it for August. This is where we learn how to engage YOU because you are the U in Success!

If you have any recommendations for the Board, please call me or any of the Board members. You can find our contact information at www.dahu.org. I encourage you to be involved even for a 1 hour at a time.

HOW CAN YOU VOLUNTEER 1 HOUR AT A TIME? If you come to a luncheon early and you’d like to help at the sign-in table, grab a chair and dig in. We always appreciate help in selling GRIP tickets at the luncheon, setting up the projector and lap top, putting the handouts on tables. John Mosier is still looking for administrative help with the golf tournament. Jacqueline St. Hilaire would like sign-in help for CE/Sales Day. Sharon Alt is looking for actors/actresses, administration help with Consumer Day. Darrin Spradley needs help making phone calls to lapsed members and checking undeliverable email addresses. These are one time, not-much-time-required opportunities to be involved in without being overwhelmed. It never hurts to try new things! WHO DO YOU ASK? Look for folks with a gold or silver name badge. We are your Board and we are here to help you! (I know that you’ve heard that somewhere else before, but your Board really means it!)

Remember to take care of yourself and those you love!

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT ACQUIRING AN INDUSTRY DESIGNATION?

DAHU IS PLANNING ON OFFERING A GROUP STUDY DESIGNATION PROGRAM BEGINNING IN JULY. THE TWO COURSES UNDER CONSIDERATION ARE

EMPLOYEE HEALTCARE BENEFITS ASSOCIATE (EHBA)

HEALTH INSURANCE ASSOCIATE (HIA)
(Course material is provided by AHIP Insurance Education)

EHBA IS DESIGNED TO EXPLORE WAYS FOR THE INSURANCE PROFESSIONAL TO HELP EMPLOYERS ADDRESS CHANGES IN THE BENEFITS ARENA. THERE ARE TWO (2) COURSES THAT CONSIST OF IN-DEPTH STUDY OF BENEFIT PLANNING OPTIONS, REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND TAX TREATMENT OF THESE REQUIREMENTS, TRENDS, HIPAA, LTC, DISABILITY, LIFE INSURANCE, AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

HIA EXPLORES MARKETING, ADMINISTRATION AND EVALUATION OF VARIOUS KINDS OF HEALTH INSURANCE, EXAMINE PRINCIPLES, CONTRACTS UNDERWRITING AND MARKETING OF VARIOUS COVERAGE, COST MANAGEMENT, PRICING, CLAIMS ADMINISTRATION, POLICY ISSUES AND RENEWAL, GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS AND FRAUD. THE COURSE CONSISTS OF SIX (6) AREAS OF STUDY.

EHBA Course I - $180.00

HIA Course I - $150.00

If you are interested in registering for either of these study groups or further information contact Donna McCright at dmccright@dsgbenefits.com or you can call Donna at 972/241-0044.

LONG TERM CARE
Are you interested in getting your LTCP (Long Term Care Professional) Designation?
DAHU and Mike Smith, the guru of long term care, have teamed up!

Classes are beginning in August to help you earn this designation.

If you are interested contact Donna McCright at dmccright@dsgbenefits.com or Mike Smith Mike@thebrokerageinc.com

Business Communication: It’s Not an Oxy-Moron!
By Lorrinda Lattimore
Sales Director, KMG America

Business – busi-ness noun. 1.a. The occupation, work, or trade in which a person is engaged: the insurance business. b. A specific occupation or pursuit: the best insurance agency in the business.

Communicate – com-mu-ni-cate verb. 1.a. To convey information about; make known; impart: communicated his views to our office. b. To reveal clearly; manifest: Her disapproval communicated itself in her frown. These two simple words put together seem to create confusion and mayhem amongst companies and workers nationwide.

Why is this?

Could it be the fear of the unknown? You never know how another person will respond.

Could it be laziness? It is definitely easier to provide a one-word answer to an email than it is to pick up the phone and have a discussion.

Could it be the lack of time in our day? A-ha, now we’re onto something.

How many times have you found yourself leaving a message or sending an email and making sure the recipient knows you “need an answer a.s.a.p. because this is an urgent matter that needs to be responded to today”? Better yet, how many times have you been the recipient? Oddly enough, you are well-aware that there is no possible way that an answer can be provided “today” and/or the request for an “urgent response” is really left in the hopes of taking care of the matter within the next 24 to 48 hours.

“Less is more” is a phrase that seems somewhat abused today. Originally, less is more was another way of saying that bigger is not necessarily better. In today’s fast-paced business world, it is loosely translated to mean that less overhead equates to more bottom-line profits.

The question is if “less is more”, then how does any business provide “value-added” services? I’ll save that topic for another time.

Getting back to the subject…. We are constantly battling time. The high-tech super highway is traveling at warp speed and we are trying desperately to keep on track. So what do we do to survive? We email, we leave voice messages and we text message one another until someone decides to make a decision and do something. Typically, this takes a conversation.

Conversation – con-ver-sa-tion noun. 1.a. The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk. This can also be called communication. And if it happens within a company this can be called business communication. There aren’t many requirements to communicating. Most circumstances, in fact, do require more than one method. Let’s not knock the emails we send and the voice mails we leave. But we need to remember that at the end of the day someone still has to do something to make things happen and this in all circumstances will require two or more people to talk to one another.

If everyone is having these wonderful conversations, what could possibly go wrong?

This is where things get a bit more complicated. I think we are all guilty of selective hearing at one time or another. Most of us might think about our closest relationships at first. But think about some of the people we work with on a day-to-day basis. There are people you work with who you talk to more than your own family. It might be a good idea to check for understanding when conversing on an important topic. Think of it this way, the more complex the topic the more the understanding needs to be checked.


Understand – un-der-stand verb 1a. to grasp the meaning of. Understand Russian. b. to grasp the reasonableness of. His behavior is hard to understand. 2. to have understanding; have the power of comprehension.

At this point, good ole father time is once again not in our favor. But, if everyone is clear on the project at hand from the beginning we could prevent some of the confusion and mayhem mentioned earlier.

Think about the last project you worked on that involved other people. It could have been five minutes, five days or five months ago. Did anything have to be re-done? Do you find yourself answering this question with something like, “Yes, but he did not understand what to do….” Or maybe you thought, “Yes, well I told them what to do and they just didn’t listen to what I wanted….” We’ve all responded to situations this way and this will not change. The simple reason is that the way each person comprehends information varies. That is what makes us human and life so fascinating!

Now think about the last email you sent. Better yet, think of the last response you received to an email you sent. Did it start with, “I am not sure what you are looking for, but…” Or maybe it was from someone you know well and they just flat responded to you by saying, “What did you want when you sent this?” Please don’t be offended or angry by these responses, be thrilled. This is checking for understanding which brings communication full circle!

One basic component of communicating is keeping things simple. Impress people with your knowledge and your personality, not big words. You can find good examples of this in the daily newspaper.

People need to check for understanding often. People are dynamic by nature and what may make sense today could be gibberish tomorrow. This is also a good reason to be kind. You may be the one having a “gibberish” day.

The most important part of communicating, ironically, is listening. There is an old saying, “Two ears, one mouth – Do the math.” This is a difficult task for most “A” personalities, but truly valuable in today’s world.

Competition is fierce and people have too much to do in too little time. In the end, business communication is really not an oxy-moron. It is using communication, conversation and understanding effectively to manage business in our hectic working lives.

DAHU August Luncheon
Wednesday, August 16th, 2006
11:30 a.m
Prestonwood Country Club
Speaker: Cindy Marcotte Stamer
1 Hr. C.E. – New USERRA Regulations, Course #46000CG010

Board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Ms. Stamer’s practice focuses on design of insurance, compensation, benefit and health care delivery arrangements and helping businesses use employee benefits, human resources and risk management strategies to motivate people and manage operations.

Ms. Stamer is the author of numerous highly acclaimed publications on privacy, health care, human resources and other matters, serves as Vice Chair of the ABA’s Health Law Section Managed Care & Insurance Interest Group, Chair of the AGA RPPT Section Welfare Plan Committee, and on the editorial advisory board of BNA’s Employee Benefits Library on CD and in numerous other employee benefit and human resources related leadership roles.

Cynthia Marcotte Stamer’s 1 hour CE will address new USERRA regulations. Invite your clients/colleagues to join you at the DAHU luncheon, August 16th.

New Member Orientation – Prestonwood Reception Area following the luncheon

Bellman’s Blog

Mark Bellman, RHU
Vice President – Small Group Sales
UnitedHealthcare

HSAs as an emergency “rainy day” fund?

I make several trips to San Antonio every week and have miles and miles to ponder strange thoughts. On a recent trip last week it occurred to me that we (collective insurance community) may be missing a great way to sell HSAs!

I know that we are selling some HSAs in the market, but why aren’t more people buying it? This is especially true for people that CAN save?

We (collective insurance community) are mired in talk of copay’s, deductibles, coinsurance, prescriptions costs, and consumer behavior modification. These issues are informative and possibly interesting to some, but they do not lead to a compelling reason to adopt this “new” way of financing health care. Yes, it is probably true that the copay is responsible for distancing the consumer from the actual cost of health care. Yes it is probably true that this “distancing” has encouraged over use and waste. But benevolence is a good reason for my neighbor to adopt an HSA and not a good enough reason for me!

I think that we (some of us) may be missing a really good reason to adopt an HSA: it happens to be one of the most efficient and LIQUID ways to save and accumulate money! I would argue that it rivals the 401k and the IRA as first option financial investment vehicles.

Liquid? Yes…I said “Liquid”.

Yes, I know that most everyone in this industry realizes the tax advantages, but everyone also understands that very few people save. Therefore, it is hard to sell just the tax advantages alone. However, for people that CAN/SHOULD save….I think I may have a way….

Consider this…

Isn’t it true that we all should have at least 3 months of expenses saved for a “rainy day”? Yes, Yes, I know that most Americans don’t have this. However, most Americans will acknowledge that they should save.

I believe that HSAs should be used as the financial vehicle to fund everyone’s “rainy day account” (for those that save or desire to save) Here is how it would work:

1. Person X adopts and HSA plan
2. Person X puts money that he/she would have saved in their “rainy day” fund into the HSA
3. Money is deposited on a pre-tax basis and grows tax free
4. Person X pays for services incurred over several years on an AFTER tax basis
5. Person X saves his/her receipts
6. Should person X ever need the money for an emergency (medical or non) or “rainy day”, person X would take money from HSA account and use saved receipts to justify withdrawal from HSA account on his/her taxes (as there is no statute of limitations or time frames for the age of the receipt since only eligible services and personal eligibility at the time of service is all that matters).

In a nutshell, 213d eligible receipts are your ticket to HSA account money. Therefore, as long as you have an equivalent dollar amount in receipts, one would have legal tax advantage access to the assets at any time!

Compare the HSA liquidity and tax favored treatment with the tax implications and penalties of accessing 401k or IRA dollars prior to retirement! Other than a vested employee match in a 401k (assuming that the employer does not fund the HSA), the HSA account wins hands down! However, the 401k currently has the advantage of a higher dollar contribution rate.

Obviously there are certain assumptions here.

First that the person saves or at minimum desires to save a “rainy day” fund. If the person cannot save then the person would probably not be candidate for the HSA. However, if the person can save and does have a “rainy day” fund then they should seriously consider using the HSA as this funding vehicle.

Second, that a person can fund their medical costs up to the deductible with out of pocket dollars not including the HSA account money.

Obviously it is more desirable to save both a “rainy day” fund AND HSA dollars for the future, but realistically this is a stretch for many Americans today. However, for those that do have their “rainy day” fund, they should seriously consider using the HSA as their 1st choice for these dollars.

So, what should you do?

If you have a “rainy day” fund, take the equivalent of the max HSA contribution and dump it from the “rainy day” fund into the HSA. Save your receipts so that you have access to the funds if you ever need it. Then watch the money accelerate like a rabbit in the tax efficient account while your money market snails along!

Incidentally, my musings are in beta testing with Misty Baker’s clients as I type this sentence. I’ll report back on how it goes later!

MR. BRYAN DODGE
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 at 11:30 a.m.
Prestonwood Country Club
15909 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75248

Bryan Dodge probably holds the record of being the busiest speaker in the United States. A popular choice for conferences and conventions, last year alone he made well over 300 speaking appearances all across the United States and Canada. He is the author of several professional development programs including, How to Build a Better You, How to Build a Complete Sales Person, and How to Build a Purpose Guided Life, as well as being the co-author of the book, Becoming the Obvious Choice.

WHAT YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE CAN EXPECT TO LEARN

Mr. Bryan Dodge’s program, entitled “How to Build a Better You” focuses on three key areas. The first will be how to have your best year ever by creating consistent upward growth in your life. The second area will be how to take ownership of leadership of your life. Bryan will reveal the three main laws of leadership. The third is how to keep focused on the things that really matter in life. You will also learn about the power of personal energy and where it comes from. Bryan’s program is refreshing and entertaining, yet informative and educational. His lively and spirited delivery style makes learning fun and memorable.

TESTIMONIES FROM PAST APPEARANCES:

“Bryan, many thanks for conducting a terrific seminar at yesterday’s conference. Rarely does one get an opportunity to learn so much in such a short time.”
– Sam Zurawel, Merrill Lynch

“Bryan, you have impacted our lives and touched us for the better to influence people in a positive way and make our world a happier place for all of us.”
– Liz Butler, Henry S. Miller Co.

“Bryan, today I was truly awakened, literally, spiritually, and intellectually! Your energy and enthusiasm is very refreshing. Keep up the great work!”
– Carol R. Davis, Women’s Business Initiative

“Bryan, we really enjoyed having you at our sales meeting. Tidbits have been popping back into my mind all day, like I need more of those $1.00 employees! Your session was super; man, you covered a lot of ground. Unbelievable!
– Bob Jenkens, TM Century Inc.

www.bryandodge.com

DAHU Members,

We really need your help. As you know DAHU is a non profit organization that depends heavily on sponsorship dollars in order to fund our various industry related activities such as luncheons, continuing education courses, speakers, a legislative lobbyist and sending members to Austin and Washington D.C. to lobby on our behalf. We also need funds to offer special programs like Legislation Day, CE Day and the annual Golf Tournament. In the past we have solicited funds on a monthly or program basis and we’ve often had to depend on the generosity of several reliable sponsorship partners in order to fund these programs. However, due to some recent mergers and acquisitions, some of our past sponsors are no longer available. With this in mind, we would like now like to offer several different sponsorship packages that are based on an annual commitment. Please see the sponsorship packages below and contact me if you think your organization can help.


• Associate Sponsorship ( $1250 ) - a table for display at six DAHU luncheons or programs with a few minutes at the mike, six mentions in the corresponding monthly emails, fax blasts, newsletters and a banner on the DAHU website.
• Annual Luncheon Sponsor ( $2500 ) - Luncheon title sponsor, a table for display at all DAHU luncheons, a few minutes mike time at all DAHU luncheons, a front page mention in all emails, fax blasts and the DAHU newsletter, plus a monthly luncheon banner on the DAHU website.
• Annual CE Sponsor ( $2500 ) - Continuing Education title sponsor, a table for display at all DAHU luncheons, a few minutes mike time at all DAHU luncheons, a front page mention in all emails, fax blasts and the DAHU newsletter, plus a monthly CE banner on the DAHU website.
• DAHU Annual Sponsor (Gold) ( $4000 ) (1 available) - signage at all DAHU luncheons, a front page mention in all emails, fax blasts and the DAHU newsletter, plus a large front page banner on the DAHU website, * plus a Gold Golf Sponsorship at the Annual DAHU Golf Tournament.
• DAHU Annual Sponsor (Platinum) ( $5000 ) ( 1 available) - signage at all DAHU luncheons, a front page mention in all emails, fax blasts and the DAHU newsletter, plus a large front page banner on the DAHU website, * plus a Gold Golf Sponsorship at the Annual DAHU Golf Tournament, * plus * plus a Gold Sales Congress Sponsorship and more.
For additional information or questions, please contact:

David W. Clampitt
DAHU Sponsorship Chair
Dclampitt@delta.org
Delta Dental Insurance Company
(972) 410-3700 ext. 3307

Come Join the FWAHU, DAHU and the Society for Human Resources for the very first stage Production of ….

“So you think you know why your insurance premiums are so high????”

Where: UT Arlington

Date: September 8th, 2006

Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Why: Because we must reach out beyond our own AHU borders to educate!

Consumer Education Day is our very first attempt to reach beyond our Association’s borders to inform and educate the general public – the consumers of health care!

Our goal is to create a FUN and FESTIVE environment with snacks, balloons, and crazy, over the top characters who will perform skits that will educate, inform, and ultimately protect the consumers of health care and ensure that our current health care system remains in the private market! This is a lofty goal and we need the help of our membership!

Issues we will cover – The MYTHS vs. the REALITY...
Ø Government run healthcare vs. Private health care
Ø The Uninsured – Who are they? & Why are they uninsured?
Ø Consumerism / Transparency – What does that really mean?
Ø The need for Long Term Care Insurance
Special guests will include: Congressman Michael Burgess, NAHU’s very own Janet Trautwein, and many more….
We cannot afford to remain the silent majority any longer … it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work!
TITLE SPONSOR: HUMANA

For more sponsorship information, reservations and volunteering (whether acting or stage hand) please contact Sharon Alt @sharonalt@benefits.com or 817-507-6409

DAHU

would like to take this opportunity to thank

Ameriplan

for their recent Annual Continuing

Education Sponsorship!

Thank you for your DAHU support.