A Monthly Publication of the Award Winning
East Texas Association of Health Underwriters
Be Connected. Be Heard. Be Informed.
July 2019
In This Issue
Should I answer that call coming in on the Red phone?
ETAHU Review
August 16, 2019
Modernizing Medicare
Speaker Mike Smith
Course #: 117973
Provider #: 32637
Course: 1 Hour
In This Issue
2 President’s Report
3 Calendar of Events
4 July Speaker—Michael Stephens
5 Meet Brenda Massey
6 Website Sponsor—Allstate
7 ETAHU—Pacesetter Winner
8 Soaring Eagle Winners
9 Food For Thought
10 Words Matter
11 HIPAA Privacy & Security Certification
12 New Member Information
13 NAHU Convention
14-15 Voters & Healthcare Debate
16-17 Be A Sponsor
18 ETAHU Board 2019-2020
2019-2020 ETAHU
Be Connected. Be Heard. Be Informed.
July, 2019 ETAHU President’s Report
Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday!
So begins another year for ETAHU. Some new happenings—we are moving the meetings back to the third Friday
of the month—location to remain the same. Shortly we will have a new website with the ability to pre-pay your
lunch meeting on the website. I will send out an announcement when that is completed.
At the June 2019 meeting we had a distinguished panel speaking to us about the good, the Bad and the Ugly on As-
sociation Health Plans—I would like to thank everyone that was on the panel (Jay Huminsky, Mark Bellman and
Dave Jochum) and the moderator Ed Oleksiak.
I would also like to thank Tonya Booth (new TAHU President) for coming in to do the installation of officers
At NAHU convention ETAHU came home with the Pacesetter award—thanks to everyone for making that happen.
For July 2019 meeting we will be having Michael Stephens from Oklahoma and the topic will be “The Future of
Healthcare Reimbursements”. This is a 1 hour CE.
Please let me know any ideas for programs for the months coming up or if you have a favorite speaker you would
like for me to try and get.
See you at the Meeting—July 19th!
With Appreciation,
Cynthia Swanson, SGS, BAM ETAHU Chapter President; 2019-2020
“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” - John Maxwell
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ETAHU CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2019
July 2019
July 19, 2019 ETAHU Board Meeting — 10:30 - 11:30
ETAHU —11:30 -1:00
Location — Hollytree Country Club
Speaker: Michael Stephens
Subject: The Future of Healthcare Reimbursements
Provider #32408—Course # 118542
August 16, 2019
August 16, 2019 ETAHU Board Meeting — 10:30 - 11:30
ETAHU —11:30 -1:00
Location — Hollytree Country Club
Speaker: Mike Smith
Subject: Modernizing Medicare
Provider #32637—Course # 117973
September 20, 2019
September 19 , 2019 ETAHU Board Meeting — Date and Time TBD
September 20 , 2019 Education Day!
Location — Studio Movie Grill
Time: 8:00 am—3:30 pm
Speakers: See page ?? For line-up
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1. What is your favorite music?
I like all kinds of music. My favorites are the classics like the Beatles, Foreigner, The
Eagles, Metallica, Christian, Country, classical. Current songs I like include: “&Run”
by Sir Sly, “God Only Knows” by King & Country, and “idontwannabeyouanymore” by
Billie Eilish.
2. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii or the Virgin Islands because of the natural beauty and the
ocean.
3. Why did you choose this profession?
I didn’t choose it; it chose me. Kind of like a wand in Harry Potter.
4. If you won the lottery, what would you do?
First of all, I would not tell anyone! Secondly, invest it wisely and then distribute it
wisely to charities. Buy a home. Go on vacation. Send my child to college debt-free!
Help a family member in need. I would not quit work but I would not stress about work
anymore!
5. If you were president, what is the first thing you would do?
I would never want to be President.
6. What are you most surprised by in today’s world of technology?
Society’s willingness to trade quality for convenience.
7. What do you see as society’s largest concerns in the future?
Homelessness and racial discord.
8. Seen anything lately that made you smile?
Every time I see one of my daughters.
9. What was your first job out of high school/college?
I worked at The Villages resort (now Holiday Inn). I greeted people and drove them to
their townhomes to check in. Gave them a bottle of champagne and instructions on
where everything was.
10. Got any phobias you’ like to break?
Yes, fear of flying.
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Website Sponsor
Page 6 ETAHU Review: July 2019
Congratulations East Texas
Pacesetter Award from NAHU
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Congratulations to our own Soaring Eagles!
D’Ann Miller &
Judith Robinson
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Get over forgiving people because they deserve it. You should forgive peo-
ple because you deserve it. You deserve to get on with your life. Forgive
others so you can be happy.
Sometimes you’ll not enjoy your work. Sometimes it will suck and you’ll
hate it. That’s when you remember the deal you made when hired: That
you would show up and work. That deal was not conditional on loving
your job. Your coworkers, clients, and company should not have to suffer
just because today you aren’t having fun. Suck it up an go back to work.
No Time for Tact
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Name the famous service that uses the slogan, “Accomplish everything of which you are
capable.” The service is the U.S. Army. That credo, translated into ad language, is “Be all
you can be.” Conservatively, those five words have been worth billions of dollars. What if
they had used the other phrase? Nothing. Few would have been moved to act.
“Be all you can be,” though, passed through the ears in route to the heart and soul,
where it lands like an anthem, a call not just to arms, but to achievement.
The ideas of these two slogans are identical. Yet the effects couldn’t be further apart.
Especially when people can’t see what you are offering, words matter. Craft, sand, and
polish your words religiously.
The Invisible Touch
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New Member Information
Contacts Effective July 1, 2019
People to contact with questions: Cynthia Swanson , President - [email protected]
Cynthia Swanson, President Elect—[email protected] Wendy Bratteli, Secretary – [email protected]
Joe Sherman, Membership – [email protected] Jeff Sherrod, Treasurer - [email protected]
Meetings: Every first Friday at Hollytree Country Club, Tyler, TX
Time – 11:30 registration/lunch; Program begins at 12:00
Websites: East Texas Association of Health Underwriters – www.etahu.org
Texas Association of Health Underwriters – www.tahu.org
National Association of Health Underwriters – www.nahu.org
Please be sure to visit all the websites for information on what is available as a
member.
What you missed
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Voters Are Tuning Out the Health Care Debates
By Drew Altman, KFF
Details: We conducted six focus groups in three states (Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania), facilitated by Liz Hamel, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s director of Polling and Survey Research. Each one had 8–10 people who vote regularly and said health care will be important in their presidential vote in 2020.
The highlights:
These voters are not tuned into the details — or even the broad outlines — of the health policy debates going on in Washington and the campaign, even though they say health care will be at least somewhat important to their vote.
Many had never heard the term “Medicare for All,” and very few had heard about Medicare or Medicaid buy-in proposals, or Medicaid and Affordable Care Act state block grant plans like the one included in President Trump’s proposed budget.
When asked what they knew about Medicare for All, few offered any description beyond “everyone gets Medicare,” and almost no one associated the term with a single-payer system or national health plan.
When asked about ACA repeal, participants almost universally felt that Republicans did not have a plan to replace the law.
When voters in the groups were read even basic descriptions of some proposals to expand government coverage, many thought they sounded complicated and like a lot of red tape.
They also worried about how such plans might strain the current system and threaten their own ability to keep seeing providers they like and trust.
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Voters Are Tuning Out the Health Care Debates
(cont.)
By Drew Altman, KFF
Between the lines: Most voters in these groups don’t seem to see the current health reform proposals on either side of the aisle as solutions to their top problems: paying for care or navigating the health insurance system and red tape.
That, combined with a general distrust of politicians, can make these voters wary of any plan that sounds just a little too good to be true to them.
The bottom line: For most voters, the debate will be more meaningful when they see stark differences on health between the Democratic nominee and President Trump in the general election. Then they may be able to focus more on what the differences
on health reform mean for the country and their daily lives.
A full-page ad in our award winning local newsletter the ETAHU Review circulated electronically each month to all 80+ East Texas members & archived on our website. (etahu.org)
5 minutes at the podium to pitch your company.
Table in meeting room to display your marketing materials. Distribution of your marketing materials to all
meeting attendees.
Verbal Recognition at the meeting, in meeting agenda distributed to attendees & on website.
!
The East Texas Association of Health Underwriters (ETAHU)
Invites you to become a Luncheon Sponsor
Contact Angie Pascual, ETAHU Sponsorship Chair to sign up!
Email [email protected]
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East Texas Association of Health Underwriters
LUNCHEON SPONSOR
Name ______________________________ Company Name ____________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________________
City ____________________________ State _______________ Zip _____________________
E-mail ________________________________________________________________________
Please provide a copy of the information you want on our website and in our newsletter.
AMOUNT DUE: $125.00
Method of Payment _______Check Enclosed (Payable to ETAHU)
_______ Credit Card Charge my credit card in the amount of $________
(Circle one): MasterCard Visa American Express Discover
Cardholder Name _________________________________________________________
Card number __________________________________________________________
VAL Code (3-4 digit code on card) ______________ Exp. Date _______________________
I authorize ETAHU to charge my credit card in the above amount. I understand that my
Billing statement will read “East Texas Health Underwriter’s”.
Signature _________________________________________________________________
YOU MAY REQUEST A CHANGE WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE MEETING.
NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED, YOU MAY RESCHEDULE.
Please mail this form with payment to:
ETAHU
PO Box 133214
Tyler, TX 75713-3214
Or e-mail to Jeff Sherrod, ETAHU Treasurer at [email protected]
If you have any questions, please contact:
Angie Pascual, ETAHU’s Sponsorship Chair at [email protected]
Or call 936-637-3444
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East Texas Association
of Health Underwriters 2019-2020
Page 18 ETAHU Review: July 2019
President* Cynthia Swanson 903-561-8484 [email protected]
President Elect Cynthia Swanson 903-561-8484 [email protected]
Treasurer Jeff Sherrod 903-759-2471 [email protected]
Secretary/ Hospitality Wendy Bratteli 903-570-5351 [email protected]
Professional Development Angie Pascual 903-539-4405 [email protected]
Website Beau Bentley 903-842-4315 [email protected]
Public Service Brenda Massey 903-561-8484 [email protected]
TV/Radio Relations Craig Smith 903-509-2292 [email protected]
Media Publications Brenda Massey 903-561-8484 [email protected]
Sponsorships Angie Pascual 903-539-4405 [email protected]
Membership Joe Sherman 972-404-2621 [email protected]
Retention Donna Blackwell 903-561-8484 [email protected]
Legislation/HUPAC Mary Ann Blair 903-939-6403 [email protected]
Sergeant at Arms Mark Everett 903-509-8808 [email protected]
Immediate Past President Chad Panepinto 469-406-9474 [email protected]
*Newsletter, Communications, Awards