The Provider Data Action Alliance, a U.S.-based non-profit cross-section of healthcare leaders, in July 2017 began work on a wide-ranging effort to improve the accuracy of provider data for industry stakeholders and patients. The alliance, which represents health, dental and vision plans; provider organizations, health systems, government and health information exchanges, has developed a roadmap that articulates actionable strategies and vision for obtaining and sharing high-quality provider information that

Global relocation services provider Cartus in July 2017 announced the appointment of Mark Sonders as Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, based in Cartus’ worldwide headquarters in Danbury, Connecticut. He joins the company with over 20 years in business-to-business sales and leadership roles, coming from Vertafore, a provider of technology solutions for the insurance industry. Prior experience included roles at eMind and Thomson Reuters. He earned a Bachelor

Cyber risk analytics firm Cyence and specialty insurance market Lloyd’s of London in July 2017 published a joint report that explores the financial impact on insurers of two specific cyber scenarios in terms of dollars and probabilities. Cyence’s economic modeling platform for cyber risk identified and quantified the potential outcomes that could affect insurance companies’ cyber portfolios. The report focused on two increasingly common cyber events: a cloud service provider

Vaccines manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur in July 2017 announced that its first doses of its range of influenza (“flu”) vaccines for the 2017-2018 flu season have been released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Shipments will begin in early August to support fall immunization campaigns. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single best way to prevent the flu is to get an

Lockton Chairman David Lockton in July 2017 announced that Vice Chairman Ron Lockton will expand his role to become President and CEO of Lockton. He succeeds Glenn Spencer, who has resigned effective immediately. Ron Lockton will work closely with David Lockton, U.S. President Peter Clune, International CEO Neil Nimmo, and Lockton leaders around the world. Ron Lockton joined Lockton Companies in 1990 after working with Aetna as a casualty

Cheryl H. Johnson in July 2017 was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and a member of the executive office at Caterpillar, reporting to CEO Jim Umpleby. Johnson has more than 20 years of experience in HR leadership positions. Most recently, she was executive vice president of human resources for Textron, a very large global and diversified manufacturing company. Her 20-year career with Textron has included a number of

Amber Kennelly in July 2017 joined global insurance brokerage Hub International as Chief Human Resources Officer, in charge of talent acquisition and management, learning and development, employee relations, compensation, employee benefits and payroll. Kennelly reports to Martin Hughes, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Hub Executive Management Team. Most recently she was Vice President of compensation and benefits for Allstate Insurance

Global insurance brokerage Hub International (Hub) in July 2017 acquired HR technology consultants MillsonJames for an undisclosed sum. Based in Florida, USA, MillsonJames advises brokers and employers on HR and benefits technology.  MillsonJames principal Scott Millson now reports to Chris Gardner, President and CEO, Hub Florida.

The Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies in July 2017 passed a reform of the long-term nursing care (LTC) insurance plan provided by Social Security, officially known as “assurance dépendance”. The new provisions that come into force on 1 January 2018 allow for higher individualization of the range of – mainly nursing – services to better meet the daily needs of LTC beneficiaries. New standards and controls and simplified procedures are

Earnings rose in 2016 for the U.S. health insurance industry, with net income for those companies filing a health annual statement rising by 46% to $13.1 billion compared with $9.0 billion in 2015. This, according to an A.M. Best special report titled, U.S. Health Insurance Industry Earnings Up in 2016.  The report notes that net income was supported by a second year of improving underwriting income, which is owed

Crossing the U.S. border often is a time-consuming and sometimes even an unpleasant experience. Sixteen years after September 11, 2001, which marked the beginning of much-heightened security at U.S. border crossings, the government presses ahead with accelerated entry procedures for nationals of certain countries meeting certain requirements. It does so through at least five programs: Global Entry; NEXUS (U.S., Canadian, and Mexican nationals); SENTRI (all countries); the Visa Waiver

As it expands its employee benefits practice in Asia, global consulting and actuarial firm Milliman in July 2017 announced that Mark Whatley will join their ranks as a consulting actuary in Singapore, where he will focus on further developing the firm’s employee benefits business across multinational, local, and government-linked organizations. Whatley previously directed Willis Towers Watson’s benefits practice in South East Asia. A member and Fellow of the Singapore

In a long overdue move, the European Commission in June 2017 unveiled a proposal for a pan-European personal pensions product (PEPP). PEPPs are designed to complement – not replace or harmonize  – existing state-based occupational and national personal pensions throughout the European Union. The PEPP forms part of the Commission’s plan to build a Capital Markets Union (CMU), wherein the Commission believes the new pension product will help to

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) in 2016 issued work permit fines to over 52,000 organizations for a total of 141,000 fines for incomplete work permit registration or late renewals, hitting approximately 15 per cent of UAE companies. The fine is Dhs100 per day, capped at Dhs2,000 (USD 544 or EUR 476 at June 30, 2017 exchange rates). An organization cannot not receive any further work

Actuarial firm Milliman in June 2017 released a white paper: The 2016 US Group Disability Market Survey, which discusses employer-paid and employee-paid short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) insurance products, and includes an analysis of premiums, cases, and covered lives from new sales and in-force business in 2015 and 2016. The white paper determined that the combined STD and LTD in-force premium among contributing companies in 2016 was

U.S. banking group Wells Fargo in June 2017 announced that it had sold Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA (WFIS) to USI Insurance Services. Wells Fargo group is refocusing on core banking products and services. Wells Fargo’s Personal Insurance business remains with Wells Fargo group and will report to its Consumer Lending division. WFIS provides small business, middle market, large corporate and high net worth clients with property and casualty,

Joos Louwerier, current CEO of Allianz Life Korea, in June 2017 was named Country Manager and CEO for Allianz Life Indonesia, replacing Joachim Wessling. Louwerier will oversee the growth strategy and have overall management responsibility for all Allianz operations in Indonesia. A graduate of the University of Amsterdam, Louwerier also holds two Executive MBAs from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the National University of Singapore. He brings

Handojo G. Kusuma has been appointed Deputy CEO for Allianz Life Indonesia. He will oversee Distribution and Market Management to expand sales and channel growth.

Global consulting and actuarial firm Milliman in June 2017 released the findings of a study titled “Participating business in Asia: 2016 Edition.” The study analyses and compares participating (par) business across seven Asian insurance markets, most notably Singapore, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, mainland China, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The report collates in-depth information not otherwise available and provides insight from survey results about par business in Asia and includes:

Generali Global Health (GGH), the international health insurance division of Generali, in June 2017 launched a new product in Spain, Global Choice, an international health insurance plan for groups with globally mobile employees. GGH has partnered with sister company Generali España to launch Global Choice in Spain. Since its launch in select markets throughout 2016, including the UAE and Hong Kong, Global Choice has been updated and the Spanish

GEB in June 2017 announced the appointment of three senior executives to its leadership team. As part of the investment drive enabling its growth strategy, Generali’s global employee benefits network has hired three well-known global employee benefits leaders from MAXIS and AXA. Thierry Mestach joins GEB as director of Network Management & Partnerships, after 19 years with AXA and MAXIS which he joined in 2000, soon after its launch.

The Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) Board of Directors in June 2017 elected Priscila Conduta Elias, President and CEO of Harmonia Brazil, to serve on the board of directors as the regional representative for South and Central America. Elias replaces her father Jose Roberto Conduta, who stepped down from the board in April 2017. Based in Sao Paulo, Elias has served as the President and CEO of Harmonia Brazil since 2011.  In her current role, she is

WBN (Worldwide Broker Network) in June 2017 announced the addition of Pacific Prime as its latest member. Pacific Prime is a brokerage firm headquartered in Hong Kong, and a growing international health insurance advisor and property & casualty broker that leverages its close relationships with over 60 insurance companies. Founded in 1999 by Neil Raymond, Pacific Prime employs more than 400 staff including 35 nationalities. Raymond began his working career at Shell

Australian broker network Steadfast in June 2017 announced it had acquired a non-controlling stake in unisonBrokers, a German-US broker network based in Hamburg, Germany. The purpose of the deal is to grow the global distribution platform for both networks. Steadfast is the largest network of general insurance brokers in Australia and New Zealand and has 1,200+ offices across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe. Many of its members also

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that up to half a million people per year develop multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, presenting an increasing threat to global health, while cases of particularly resistant bacteria strains have increased 600-fold in the U.K. between 2003 and 2015. The rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria has been attributed to the overuse of antibiotics in medicine and farming, but a new study, published in May 2017 in the

As existing P/C captives expand to include employee benefits risks, often under the guidance of risk managers, understanding their concerns and challenges may prove useful for client relationship managers more accustomed to dealing with human resources departments. Risk managers face a growing confusion of challenges and new demands according to a Lockton survey of risk management professionals. The survey, presented officially at Lockton’s Complex Risk Symposium in mid-June 2017,