Understanding Medicare’s Annual Election Period, by Stephanie Cohen

AGENTS SALES JOURNAL, December 2008 — In an article entitled, Understanding Medicare’s Annual Election Period, published in December 2008 by Agents Sales Journal, Stephanie Cohen — the CEO of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen — writes: Medicare’s annual election period — the time between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31, when all Medicare Advantage health plans are open and accepting new members — is an important opportunity, especially for those who have recently lost their job or retired and need Medicare benefits.

Understanding Medicare’s Annual Election Period, by Stephanie Cohen

AGENTS SALES JOURNAL, December 2008 — In an article entitled, Understanding Medicare’s Annual Election Period, published in December 2008 by Agents Sales Journal, Stephanie Cohen — the CEO of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen — writes: Medicare’s annual election period — the time between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31, when all Medicare Advantage health plans are open and accepting new members — is an important opportunity, especially for those who have recently lost their job or retired and need Medicare benefits. Click here to read the entire article.

Highlights of the DC Health Summit Now on YouTube

November 1, 2008 The much-anticipated DC Health Summit drew more than 100 business leaders interested in the future of health insurance reform to a packed the ballroom at the Mandarin Hotel to hear what health insurance company executives, physicians, hospital administrators, and politicians had to say about how workplace wellness programs can lower insurance rates. “This was a groundbreaking event,” moderator Andy Hines told the crowd. “For the first time, decision makers and players from every industry that impact the cost of health insurance gathered in one room. Fortunately, no chairs were thrown, and we had a very interesting discussion.” That was the goal for Stephanie Cohen, CEO of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen, who hosted the event. 

WATCH THE DC HEALTH SUMMIT ON YOUTUBE.com.

Obama Spokeswoman to speak at DC Health Summit

October 29, 2008 — Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin Ph.D. was one of the key speakers today at the 2008 DC Health Summit, a meeting that is bringing together 100 of the top minds in the health care industry on Oct. 29 from 11 am to 1 pm at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington, DC. Dr. Buntin is a health economist and researcher who focuses on health insurance benefit design, health insurance markets, provider payment, and the care use and needs of the elderly. Her current projects include a study of the effects of consumer-directed health care on health care access, costs, and quality and a study of the effects of Medicare payment changes on post-acute care costs and outcomes. Although a representative from the McCain campaign was also invited to attend the DC Health Summit, Amber Johnson, director of scheduling for the campaign, declined due to an overwhelming number of events surrogates need to attend at this time.

Futurist Andy Hines to Moderate 2008 DC Health Summit

October 10, 2008 —Futurist Andy Hines will be the moderator at this month's DC Health Summit, an annual conference that brings together 100 of the top minds in the health care industry. Hines will ask and field questions of an all-star health care panel including Kaiser Permanente's Director of Population Care Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, Neurosurgeon Dr. James Melisi, the National Rehabilitation Hospital's VP Dr. Paul Rao, Maryland's former Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, and UnitedHealthcare COO Kevin Ruth — and Virginia Senator George Barker, who prior to taking office last November worked for 30 years for the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia where he helped contain skyrocketing health care costs, promote quality of care, and ensure access to medical care for all Northern Virginians.  

What will be the Future of Health Insurance? Based on his decades of experience as a futurist, Hines has developed strategic insights of his own. As the director of custom projects at the global futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies, he and his colleagues have worked on several projects that explore the future of health care in America. Hines says some big issues ahead include: 

• Societal views on personal responsibility — Will Americans begin to lean toward accommodation or a punitive approach such as saying obesity is a disease beyond one’s control — or their fault? 

• The implications of a deeper move to holistic wellness — To what extent will innovations like support groups be covered? 

• The buck stops where? — Ultimately, who will be responsible for a person’s health; the individual, employers, the government? 

• From the institution to the individual — How fast and extensive will the shift to consumer-centric health care take place? 

• Incremental vs. transformational approaches — Will changes in our approach to health care happen in slow, incremental steps? Or will an event occur that causes changes to occur rapidly?

Dr. Steven Aldana will be keynote speaker at DC Health Summit

October 6, 2008 — Dr. Steven Aldana will be the keynote speaker at the first annual DC Health Summit, a meeting that is bringing together 100 of the top minds in the health care industry on Oct. 29 from 11 am to 1 pm at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington, DC. A former professor of lifestyle medicine in the College of Health and Human Performance at Brigham Young University, Aldana is a nationally recognized scientist and teacher on the topic of health promotion in the workplace. His keynote, “The Truth About Return on Investment and Worksite Health Promotion Programs,” will serve as an introduction to a broader discussion among Summit panelists and attendees about the future of health insurance in the United States. “Companies are always looking for ways to reduce employee-related expenses and many corporations and organizations are using health promotion programs as a reactionary effort to curtail ever-increasing, employee-related expenses of health care and lost productivity,” Aldana explains. “Dozens of published scientific research articles have evaluated the cost-benefit of worksite health promotion programs and the majority show a clear and positive ROI. Yet, many companies are hesitant to spend any money on employee health promotion efforts, raising the question as to why most health and wellness programs still struggle to get funding and support.”

Stephanie Cohen announces first annual DC Health Summit: Oct. 29, 2008

September 4, 2008 — The health care benefits company Golden & Cohen is hosting the first annual DC Health Summit, a meeting of some of the top minds in the health care industry who will discuss and debate the future of health care in the United States. "Research by the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that in 2006, more than $2.1 trillion was spent on health care in the United States,” says Stephanie Cohen. "That represents 16% of the Gross Domestic Product. By 2017 the amount of money spent on health care is expected to increase to nearly $4.3 trillion, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that by then health care will account for about 20 percent of GDP." These increasing costs mean policymakers, insurers, and the public are going to face some difficult decisions about the way health care is delivered and paid for, she adds. "I have been in the trenches of the health care insurance industry for more than a decade, and what I see happening to my clients when they try to collect on their benefits not only disturbs me as a business owner — it infuriates me as a U.S. citizen and a mother,” Cohen explains. “That is why my partners and I at Golden & Cohen decided to host the DC Health Summit. Our goal is to bring the decision makers together—politicians, health insurance company executives, physicians, academics and hospital administrators—so we can start to come up with workable solutions."

Brokers Battle Back: Stephanie Cohen comments on small business and insurers' restrictions

WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL, April 27 — Health insurance are brokers cut off from small business market, but they band together to fight insurers’ restrictions, lobby area governments, writes staff reporter Neil Adler in today’s Washington Business Journal.

Stephanie Cohen, owner of Gaithersburg-based Golden & Cohen, says she was selected to sell Mamsi and UnitedHealthcare products to small employers because she’s known in the local industry and writes a lot of business.

While Cohen is happy to be a select broker, she empathizes with those who were shut out and says consumers probably would benefit from more independent brokers selling Mamsi and UnitedHealthcare coverage. Mamsi is “a good company with a good reputation and a good network,” Cohen says. Click here to read the entire article.