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.

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

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,

Arthur J. Gallagher in June 2017 announced the acquisition of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle and Ann Arbor Business Advisors. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Brokerage Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle offers employee benefits, retirement planning, life insurance and human resource consulting, as well as commercial and personal property/casualty coverages, to clients primarily in Michigan and in California. Ann Arbor Business Advisors provides retirement plan services for institutional clients. Laurie E. Riegle,

Arthur J. Gallagher in May 2017 announced the acquisition of Zuber Insurance Agency in Houston, Texas. Zuber Insurance, a full-service insurance agency offering employee benefits, commercial and personal property/casualty insurance, and life insurance in Texas, was founded in 1934 by J.L. Zuber. Alan Zuber and his associates will continue to operate from Houston. As far as employee benefits are concerned, they will report to Robby White, head of Gallagher’s South

Global insurance brokerage Hub International in June 2017 announced that it has acquired Brady Insurance Planning, an East Norwich, New York-based employee benefits advisor. Matthew Brady, the principal, will join Hub Northeast. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Headquartered in Chicago, IL and with offices throughout North America, Hub International provides P&C, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services. Only one day earlier,

International insurance brokerage and risk management services firm Arthur J. Gallagher in June 2017 announced the acquisition of Total Reward Group in Kent, England. Founded in 2005, Total Reward Group is a U.K. consultancy offering remuneration support, executive search, interim placement and corporate training for reward professionals throughout the world. Based in Kent, its consultants work with global brands, mid-size firms, public and third sector organizations across a range

Sirius International Insurance Group, a global (re)insurance company based in Bermuda with a leading position in Accident & Health insurance, in May 2017 announced its acquisition of Indianapolis, U.S.A., -based International Medical Group (IMG). IMG is a provider of global medical insurance products and assistance services and the second addition of an accident & health business to Sirius’s specialty insurance platform in as many months. Allan Waters, Sirius Group Chairman,

In a letter addressed to leaders in the United States’ House of Representatives and shared with all House and Senate members, the American Academy of Actuaries’ Individual and Small Group Markets Committee and Medicaid Subcommittee in April 2017 provided an actuarial perspective on the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The analysis examines the effects on enrollment and on the risk pool of the AHCA’s replacement of the individual mandate

Losing sleep over money? You’re not alone. A recent poll, conducted in April 2017 by Princeton Survey Research Associates International and released by CreditCards.com, reports that 65% of Americans are losing sleep because of money. The most common money-related worry, expressed by 38% of Americans, is healthcare or insurance bills, putting this concern at the top of the list for the first time since the Great Recession. Another 37%

Workplace flexibility – part time work, flextime, and telecommuting – is gaining in popularity, particularly in the fields of advertising and marketing, according to new research from staffing firm The Creative Group. More than 400 U.S. advertising and marketing executives and more than 1,000 U.S. workers aged 18 years and older and employed in office environments were asked “Which of the following work arrangements does your agency/firm currently offer?”.

Management consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in April 2017 announced findings by its Transformational Health team that suggest that analytics adoption among U.S. healthcare payers and providers is not consistent, and that some health systems might utilize advanced enterprise data processing architecture to derive patient-specific insight for every episode of care. Healthcare analytics is widely considered as the key enabler of value-based care, and robust use of analytics allows

Actuarial firm Milliman in March 2017 released its annual report on the U.S. commercial health insurance market’s financial results . Based on medical loss ratio data submitted in 2016 to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the report provides a clear picture of health insurers’ financial experiences in each year, and provides a final accounting of insurers’ financial results after “3R” transfer payments have been completed. The report

CSA Travel Protection, a travel insurance provider, in May 2017 began rebranding to Generali Global Assistance as part of a wider program to rebrand several Europ Assistance business lines in the United States to Generali Global Assistance (GGA). Products and solutions carrying the CSA Travel Protection name will transition over time, while retaining and enhancing offerings and services to customers. As GGA, they will be able to offer a

One out of every six companies allows its travelers to stay at home-sharing properties such as AirBnB, reports a new study by the GBTA Foundation, the research and education arm of the Global Business Travel Association—but more than twice that number are under the impression that it is okay to do so. That means many travelers are booking and staying in properties unsupported by their travel policy—a serious duty

Robyn Cameron in March 2017 joined Korn Ferry as Senior Client Partner, Global Solution Architect in the Korn Ferry Hay Group Rewards and Benefits Solution practice. She is based in New York and is a member of the Rewards and Benefits Solution practice global leadership team, reporting to Bob Wesselkamper, Senior Client Partner and Global Head, Rewards and Benefits Solutions. Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Robyn was the head

The plan to repeal and replace “Obamacare,” more formally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was put in place by President Barack Obama, experienced a rough week in late March 2017, as more Republican leaders sided with Democrats who are feeling reticent about passing the controversial American Health Care Act (AHCA). The defections come after Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that the bill would result in higher

American International Group (AIG) in March 2017 announced that they will open offices in Luxembourg to ensure operations in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland after Britain leaves the European Union are not affected in any way. AIG has long written business in Continental Europe from the U.K. under the umbrella of AIG Europe Limited, which has branches across the EEA and Switzerland. By 2019, AIG will have

Remarks by President Trump in Listening Session with Health Insurance Company CEOs Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary February 27, 2017 THE PRESIDENT:  You are the big ones.  You are the biggest of the big, right?  (Laughter.)  That’s very impressive.  Thank you for being here.  We just had a great meeting with the governors on the horrible effects that Obamacare is having.  We’re going to change

Just days after hiring Jay Fulcher as CEO to replace David Sacks, the interim CEO who took over after former CEO Parker Conrad was ousted over a fraud investigation, Zenefits in February 2017 announced a third and largest round of layoffs in a year that saw the embattled company fined $7 million as part of a settlement with the state of California. The layoffs are part of a plan

Zenefits, designers of all-in-one HR solutions for small businesses, has appointed Jay Fulcher as executive officer and chairman of the board effective in February, 2017. Fulcher, who formerly served as president and CEO of Ooyala, as well as executive vice president of Peoplesoft, brings more than 20 years of senior management experience to Zenefits at a key time in its evolution. The announcement comes days after the company’s second

Aon in February 2017 sold its human resources business process outsourcing (BPO) platform and operations to private equity firm and alternative asset manager Blackstone for $4.3 billion plus an additional $500 million earn-out based on future performance. Closing is expected by the end of the second quarter of 2017. The sale, according to Aon’s website, is a “natural extension of the strategy the firm has pursued over the last

Global broker Arthur J. Gallagher in January 2017 announced its acquisition of Chicago’s Gruppo Marcucci. Gruppo Marcucci specializes in human resource and benefits technology solutions for benefit brokers and consultants, employers, insurance carriers, and service providers as well as the investment community. The acquisition compliments Gallagher’s growing employee benefits and consulting operations. Partners Rhonda Marcucci and Ed Barry, leaders of Gruppo Marcucci, will continue to operate from their Chicago

Optum, a health services company and part of UnitedHealth Group is merging with Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA). The primary and urgent care delivery services business works with over 80 health plans, and will acquire SCA, enabling the company to create expanded capabilities in outpatient surgical procedures. Surgical Care Affiliates is an ambulatory surgery center and surgical hospital provider. The combination of OptumCare and SCI will create a comprehensive ambulatory