Steven Saladino

Waldean Wall

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We just completed “I Love NAIFA Month.”  Members from across America took advantage of the new member referral promotion. Congratulations, to those members who earned  a $10 Starbucks gift card.  Although the promotion has ended we encourage every NAIFA-Broward member to refer new members at every opportunity.  Please make sure you send your referral to www.naifa.org/join and have them add your name to the referral field!  It’s also a great opportunity

Greetings all,

On March 16, 2022, NAIFA-Broward held its first in person CE meeting since the start of the year at The Fort Lauderdale Country Club.  We had a reasonably good turnout, considering it was our first in-person meeting since the pandemic.  I would like to extend our sincere thanks to our Sponsors, especially Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and their representatives who travelled from out of state. Their presenters Ryan Niederkorn and Waldean Wall were outstanding and there presentation was very informative.  We learned a lot about Tax Strategies for the current tax environment.

We look forward to our next meeting which will be held at the same venue, The Fort Lauderdale Country Club on April 20, 2022. It will be a hybrid meeting, Zoom and in-person.  This will be a 1 hr. CE class presented by Steve Saladino and Joe Nagy, discussing “Solutions for Business Owners “.  We look forward to having a great attendance.

NAIFA’s Seventh Symposium on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be held May 23, 2022. in Washington, DC.  There is no cost to attend the Symposium, and participants are encouraged to register for the Congressional Conference immediately following the Symposium.  This year’s Congressional Conference will be held May 23-24, 2022.  At the conference NAIFA members get the opportunity to educate legislators on the needs and challenges affecting main street Americans.  NAIFA members who want to participate, receive advocacy training and briefings and tips for maintaining relationships with their legislators.  Appointments with legislators are arranged for NAIFA members, and there are photo opportunities with legislators.  Registration has started, if you are interested please visit NAIFA’s website https://belong.naifa.org

If you are interested in becoming more involved in our Chapter, or if you have any questions, kindly contact our NAIFA-Broward Association Executive Rhonda Milrot at 954-753-2262 or admin@naifa-broward.org

to create and use your own personal referral link.  Getting your link is easy; just create a NAIFA connect profile at www.naifaconnect.org and it will generate automatically! Post in your emails, social media posts and via any other opportunities that apply.

NAIFA-Broward continues to provide member value through continuing education events, networking opportunities and sales ideas.  Last month Susan Luskin of Diversified Administration, Inc. providing Section 125, HRA and COBRA administration, moderated our February program titled “IRS 226J letter.”  Each agent attending this virtual continuing education class received one hour of Florida CE.   We really appreciate quality moderators like Susan who provide relevant information that assists our members serve their clients.

This month I am excited that we are having an in-person Florida approved continuing education program hosted by Allianz Life Insurance Company.  I am really looking forward to a great program and visiting with you.  Please see above for details and registration information.

Are you interested in getting more value out of your membership?  Email admin@naifa-broward.org with More Value in the Subject line and your contact information in the email to learn more.

• ADVOCATE; EDUCATE; DIFFERENTIATE

  NAIFA offers a special program for agencies and firms that have every producer as an active of member of NAIFA.  100% Agency participants receive special promotion and are publicly acknowledged on NAIFA’s consumer website called financialsecurity.org.

  NAIFA’s Financial Security Champion program allows companies and large firms to belong to NAIFA under a group membership structure.  Benefits include special promotion and publicity for the organization.

  Reach out to Michele Friedlander to find out more about how to get your firm to 100%!  Visit the site: Belong NAIFA

  Welcome New/Reinstated/Transferred Members

  Samuel Adam Katz, Coastal Wealth
  Koren Marinberg, OneSouth FL Wealth Advisors

Are you a new Financial Advisor?  We have discounted membership rates!

Reach out to me at skeidan@blsfinancial.com for more information.

Most People Have Access to Medium – or High-Quality ACA Marketplace Plans

However, there may be tradeoffs between higher-rated plans and premium costs for marketplace enrollees.

By Alan Goforth | March 18, 2022 at 09:08 AM

Policymakers should make efforts to ensure that consumers have access to an adequate supply of insurance offerings to be able to choose plans based on quality. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Most consumers who enrolled for coverage on the ACA marketplace in the plan year 2020 had access to medium- or high-quality plans. However, there may be tradeoffs between higher-rated plans and premium costs for marketplace enrollees.

With the development of the ACA Marketplace Quality Rating System, quality ratings ranging from one to five stars now appear alongside listings of plans on HealthCare.gov. The goal is to empower consumers to make better-informed health insurance decisions while also incentivizing improvement of health plan quality through public reporting. These data also allow consumers to assess trade-offs among the breadth of coverage, cost of premiums and quality of marketplace plans.

Related: ACA marketplaces see decreasing premiums, healthier competition

With increasing enrollment in the marketplace, it was unknown whether there is equitable access to plans from high-rated insurers. If counties with a higher concentration of impoverished or racial and ethnic minority customers have access only to plans from lower-rated insurers, it could exacerbate underlying disparities in health care access.

A study reported in Health Affairs used recently released ACA Marketplace Quality Rating System data to examine three main questions. First, what is the variation in quality star ratings across U.S. counties, and what are the characteristics of counties with access to plans from low-, medium- and high-rated insurers? Second, is there a relationship between premiums and quality star ratings? Third, what factors predict county-level access to high-rated plans?

The results suggest three important implications for policymakers:

• First, the release of the quality star ratings provides an important opportunity to monitor the quality of plans offered on the ACA marketplace.
• Second, there is a trade-off between plan affordability and quality.
• Third, policymakers should make efforts to ensure that consumers have access to an adequate supply of insurance offerings to be able to choose plans based on quality.

“Overall, counties with three or more insurers and those with the highest percentage of county residents obtaining individual coverage through the ACA marketplace were most likely to have access to plans from high-rated insurers,” researchers concluded. “Importantly, there does not appear to be any evidence of reduced access to high-rated plans among Black and Hispanic consumers. Policymakers should explore additional options to encourage insurers to enter the ACA marketplace, which remains an important source of nongroup insurance coverage.”

NAIFA is hosting the Congressional Conference in Washington, D.C. 

More than twenty NAIFA-Florida members have already registered for this event! We need to show strong representation from NAIFA-Broward.  Click on the following link to register.

https://community.naifa.org/events/register.aspx?id=1593313&itemid=7da25033-8730-45ef-8e73-f32a92fe490e

May 23-24, 2022

Join Us in Washington, D.C.

• Meet with your lawmakers.
• Learn to be an effective advocate.
• Influence policies that impact your business and clients.

Each year, we list the names of attendees who pledge to advocate for their clients, communities, and country. 

NAIFA’s annual Congressional Conference is crucial to our grassroots advocacy strategy. The event brings NAIFA members together as a critical mass to advocate on behalf of their businesses, clients, consumers, and the insurance and financial services industry. It provides targeted advocacy training with briefings on specific legislative issues, best practices for conducting congressional meetings, and tips for developing impactful long-term relationships with legislators. 

LEND YOUR VOICE: REOPEN THE CAPITOL

Over the past few weeks, NAIFA has encouraged Congressional leadership to expand access to the US Capitol campus. Numerous reports confirm Congressional leadership is working on a bicameral reopening plan for the entire Capitol grounds.  With the 2022 Congressional Conference merely two months away, we are happy to hear that leadership is working on a phased reopening plan.  By reopening the Capitol, we will be able to get back to our in-person visits which allow us to discuss issues relating to the financial services industry and explain the impact that certain policies have on your clients and businesses.  

Please join us in encouraging members of Congress to join the reopening efforts!  If you would like to send a message to your legislator, please “Take Action” and urge your elected official to reopen the “People’s House.”

Take Action

SPEAKING AS THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY

The Congressional Conference bolsters NAIFA’s prestige among lawmakers and industry partners and enhances our standing as the leading voice for insurance and financial professionals. It is crucial for ensuring lawmakers understand the essential roles NAIFA members play in:

• Providing products, services, and advice that improve the financial security of 90 million American families.
• Promoting financial literacy and self-sufficiency in diverse communities.
• Strengthening the U.S. economy and contributing to the financial health of communities in every congressional district.
• Representing the best interests of their clients and promoting the success of Main Street Americans and businesses.

 BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

The personal stories of insurance and financial professionals profoundly illustrate how public policies impact their clients. These are stories lawmakers want and need to hear. No one can tell them better than NAIFA members, and the Congressional Conference is our best vehicle for reaching a large, captive audience of policymakers.

The Congressional Conference offers a great opportunity to get more NAIFA members to participate. Register today, and encourage your colleagues to join you.

The greater our numbers, the louder and more influential our voice!

IFAPAC/IFAPIC Committee Opportunity

I am seeking a few NAIFA-Broward members interested in political advocacy to engage with other members to help raise PAC funds, seek out legislative connections, deliver PAC checks, and speak with legislators.  If you are the type of person who wants to make a difference, contact me so we can determine if this committee is a good fit.  joe@retirementcouncil.com

The NAIFA-Florida Education Foundation was reestablished in 2015 to educate the public, NAIFA-Florida members, and those wishing to pursue a career in Financial Services.

As we secure funding we will offer the following initiatives:

• Programs through which NAIFA locals can provide workshops for the public educating them in the areas of insurance and financial services
• Scholarships for NAIFA-FL members to pursue Leadership in Life Institute (LILI) and Life Underwriting Training Chartered Fellow programs (LUTCF)
• Scholarships for those interested in pursuing a career in Insurance and Financial Services

For more information please reach out to one of our board members.

What is NAIFA? Why are we Here?
Founded in 1890 as The National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU), NAIFA is one of the nation’s largest associations representing the interests of insurance professionals from every Congressional district in the United States. NAIFA members assist consumers by focusing their practices on one or more of the following: life insurance and annuities, health insurance and employee benefits, multi-line, and financial advising and investments.

Mission Statement
The mission of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors is to advocate for the positive legislative and regulatory environment, enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of our members.

100% of contributions are tax deductible, 100% of monies donated go directly to the foundation, and our board is made up of all volunteers.

Please, Support your NAIFA_Florida Foundation:

Support the Foundation | | NAIFA Florida Education Foundation (nfef.org)

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