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"title": "BenefitsPRO Magazine-August 2011",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/say-goodbye-to-commissions-2/",
"title": "Say goodbye to commissions?",
"summary": "Between the latest commission regulations and uncertain employer attitudes, brokers are looking at a new health insurance landscape, and many are wondering if there's still a place for them in the market.",
"byline": "Amanda McGrory-Dixon",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/more-docs-leaving-private-practice-for-health-systems-2/",
"title": "More docs leaving private practice for health systems",
"summary": "U.S. physicians continue to sell their private practices and seek employment with health care systems, according to a new Accenture survey.",
"byline": "Kathryn Mayer",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/vendorship-vs-partnership/",
"title": "Vendorship vs. partnership",
"summary": "One of the bright spots in Omaha, Neb., every June is the College World Series. Its a great sporting event that attracts thousands from around the country, including dozens of brokers who specialize in selling benefits.",
"byline": "Marty Traynor",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/naic-backs-away-from-mlr-bill/",
"title": "NAIC backs away from MLR bill",
"summary": "Disheartening some brokers, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners has backed away from supporting a congressional bill that could exclude insurance agent compensation from medical loss ratio calculations.",
"byline": "Kathryn Mayer",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/hands-across-americas-waist-obesity-epidemic-spreads/",
"title": "Hands across America’s waist: obesity epidemic spreads",
"summary": "More than 72 million U.S. adults are obese",
"byline": "Staff Writer",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "182",
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/paid-sick-days-reduce-health-costs/",
"title": "Paid sick days reduce health costs",
"summary": "A new study from the Institute for Womens Policy Research finds that giving employees access to paid sick days reduces visits to hospital emergency rooms, saving $1 billion every year.",
"byline": "Heather Trese",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/stop-loss-becomes-a-go/",
"title": "Stop-loss becomes a go",
"summary": "Ten years ago, benefits self-funding and the stop-loss coverage that typically accompanies it was a world occupied mainly by large employers.",
"byline": "Ingrid Case",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/bad-business-or-bad-reform-2/",
"title": "Bad business or bad reform?",
"summary": "So lets bring up health care again: No matter how you look at it, some employers are dropping employee coverage, or they plan to, or fear its going to happen. And everyone involved is fearing it, too. But was reform legislation really the tipping point, or is itand always has...",
"byline": "Kathryn Mayer",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/make-communication-a-part-of-your-strategy-2/",
"title": "Make communication a part of your strategy",
"summary": "As the competitive landscape for benefits brokers gets tougher, effectively communicating benefits strategies with clientsand helping them better communicate those strategies with their employees becomes even more critical.",
"byline": "Katie Kuehner-Hebert",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/report-5-percent-responsible-for-half-of-us-spending/",
"title": "Report: 5 percent responsible for half of US spending",
"summary": "About 5 percent of the population is responsible for almost half of all health care spending in the United States and for rising premium rates, according to a new report from the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation.",
"byline": "Kathryn Mayer",
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"tags": [],
"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "302",
"timeToRead": "2 minute",
"readtime": "2",
"authors": [
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/should-employers-drop-coverage-in-2014/",
"title": "Should employers drop coverage in 2014?",
"summary": "In June, giant consulting firm McKinsey & Co. released a report declaring 30 percent of employers are likely to drop their health coverage in 2014 as a result of health care reform. ",
"byline": "Eric Johnson",
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"tags": [],
"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "594",
"timeToRead": "3 minute",
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"authors": [
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"webUrl": "/author/profile/eric-johnson/",
"name": "Eric Johnson"
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/some-surveys-are-more-equal-than-others/",
"title": "Some surveys are more equal than others",
"summary": "A number theorist might not even understand all the figures being thrown out from every consulting firm these days. Depending on whos telling you, health reform will be responsible for employers dropping health coverage in record numbers, thus forcing employees to leave their cushy plans; it will be responsible for...",
"byline": "Kathryn Mayer",
"kicker": "",
"tags": [],
"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "2144",
"timeToRead": "11 minute",
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"authors": [
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/tpa-source-list/",
"title": "TPA Source List",
"summary": "TPA Source List",
"byline": "Staff Writer",
"kicker": "",
"tags": [],
"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "6",
"timeToRead": "1 minute",
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/tpas-find-a-silver-lining-2/",
"title": "TPAs find a silver lining",
"summary": "Its been a rough couple of years for insurance agents best case, health reform will drastically change the way brokers do business; worst case, brokers might have their commissions slashed and find that the new insurance exchanges can quickly and easily perform many of the services they offer clients...",
"byline": "Sharon Alt",
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"tags": [],
"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "701",
"timeToRead": "4 minute",
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/optimism-is-a-brokers-best-bet/",
"title": "Optimism is a broker's best bet",
"summary": "Health care reform is bringing dramatic changes to our industry, our profession and our businesses. No breaking news there.",
"byline": "Alan Katz",
"kicker": "",
"tags": [],
"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "479",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/blame-it-on-the-five-percenters/",
"title": "Blame it on the five-percenters",
"summary": "Its really easy to toss numbers around. I know that. And, apparently, so do the nerds over at McKinsey and Co.",
"byline": "Denis Storey",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "399",
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/cook-what-ive-learned/",
"title": "Cook: What I've learned",
"summary": "Troy J. Cook, vice president-client account executiveMarsh U.S. Consumer, Urbandale, Iowa",
"byline": "Denis Storey",
"kicker": "",
"tags": [],
"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
"wordcount": "181",
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{
"uri": "/2011/08/01/recession-hampers-voluntary-sales/",
"title": "Recession hampers voluntary sales",
"summary": "In last months column, we looked at overall voluntary sales for 2010. In this edition, we analyze the results further by looking at product line sales as well as platform.",
"byline": "Bonnie Brazzell, Gil Lowerre",
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"prettyDate": "August 01, 2011",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/study-most-americans-have-no-financial-plan-for-the-unexpected-2/",
"title": "Study: Most Americans have no financial plan for the unexpected",
"summary": "Six out of ten American workers do not have a financial plan in place to deal with an unexpected and costly life event such as a medical emergency, according to a new national study from Aflac.",
"byline": "Kathryn Mayer",
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"uri": "/2011/08/01/making-a-mountain-out-of-mckinsey/",
"title": "Making a mountain out of McKinsey",
"summary": "What these analysts ignore, however, are other factors that would significantly increase the true costs of terminating coverage. For instance, an employer would have to increase wages to make up for revoking coverage or risk losing some of its most valuable employees. The tax consequences of this wage increase and...",
"byline": "Brad Warrick",
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