NAHU Marks 90 Years With Virtual Convention

The National Association of Health Underwriters was scheduled to mark its 90^th birthday by having its 2020 annual convention in Chicago, the city where the organization had its start.

Instead, NAHU moved its convention online. COVID-19 concerns led the organization to conduct this year’s event virtually.

About 950 people have registered for the virtual convention, which takes place Sunday and Monday. That’s an increase from the average in-person attendance of 600 for the annual convention, said Kelly Loussedes, NAHU’s senior vice president of public relations.

NAHU was founded by J.P. Collins, L.D. Edson, A.G. MacKinnon and George Brown in 1930 and chartered June 5, 1930, at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The organization has since grown to 20,000 members.

This year, the NAHU convention’s theme is “Engage, Educate, Empower.”

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Sunday’s opening session features presentations by keynote speakers Andy Core and Steven Heroux. Core is president of Core Wellness and author of Change Your Day, Not Your Life. He will talk about surviving and thriving in difficult times. Heroux is founder of The Sales Cookbook. From a child who was extremely shy and reserved, to becoming the No. 1 salesperson in a number of companies, Heroux achieved levels of sales success few people have reached.

Sunday’s activities will conclude a presentation by JuliAnn Stitick for NAHU’s Leading Producers Round Table. Stitick is a professional coach and motivational speaker, as well as the author of three books, including Step Into Your Power: Five Steps To A Profitable Personal Brand. She will speak on “Virtual Meeting Success Tips: Look, Feel And Sound Competent.”

Monday will feature Knowledge Channel sessions. Convention participants may choose to sit in on presentations in five different tracks. Knowledge channel sessions and speakers include:

Medicare

• “Essentials For A Formal Sales Event – Compliance Tips And Tools,” presented by Curt Nelson, manager of ethics and compliance at Centene.
• “Medicare Advantage Plans And The Special Needs Market,” presented by Mike Gattorna, agent development and training at Senior Marketing Specialists.
• “Health Savings Accounts And Medicare, presented by Craig Ritter, president of Ritter Insurance Marketing.
• “Dive Into Medicare Prescription Drug Plans And VA Coverage,” presented by Dan Mangus, vice president of sales at Senior Marketing Specialists.

The New Workplace

• “Tackling The Hard Questions: Culture, Communication And Creativity In The Now Normal,” presented by Eric Silverman, founder and owner of Voluntary Disruption; Edwige Ligonde, vice president of employee benefits and technology at Nielsen Benefits Group; Andrew McNeil, principal at Arrow Benefits Group, and Rosario Avila, benefits consultant at Arrow Benefits Group.
• “Medicare: Employer Compliance Considerations, presented by Ashley Gillihan, counsel at Alston & Bird.
• “Why Leveraging Human Capital Strategies Is Important To Benefit Practice Sustainability,” presented by Susan Rider, vice president of sales and 0perations at Preventia.
• “Employee Engagement – The Current Marketplace And Today's Plan Designs, presented by Eric Silverman, founder and owner of Voluntary Disruption.

It’s The Cost Of Care

• “Cost Mitigation Strategies For The Modern Employer – Exploring Solutions That Are Sustainable,” presented by Bill Spring, assistant vice president, benefits group captives at Alternative Risk Underwriting; Steve Jones, regional vice president of Navitus Health Solutions; Jeffery Joo, vice president of sales at Espyr, and Brian Schroeder, cofounder and CEO of Preventia.
• “Medical Bill Cost Containment – A Fiduciary Duty Under The Employee Retirement Income Security Act,” presented by Jim Napoli, CEO and general counsel at Medliminal.
• “Employer Hospital Price Transparency Project,” presented by Gloria Sachdev, president and CEO of the Employers’ Forum of Indiana.
• “The Virtual Couch: The Time Is Now for Behavioral Telehealth,” presented by Kate Sowerwine, chief medical officer at WellVia Solutions; Mark Woolery,chief operating officer at WellVia Solutions; Paul Kowalski, vice president, third party administration and reseller sales,Teladoc Health, and Dr. Jessica Hamm.

What You Know Today Will Help You Tomorrow

• “The Need For Workforce Analytics In The Midst Of COVID-19,” presented by Jana Fuelberth, president of analytic.li.
• “Health Sharing Ministries -- What They Are And What They Are Not,”
• presented by OneShare Health.
• “Social Determinants Of Health: An Urban Crisis In Chicago,” presented by Dr. Anne K. Rufa, clinical psychologist at Rush University Medical Center.
• “The Danger Of Being On Benchmark, Group Long-Term Disability Edition,” presented by Kevin Curran, founding partner of EBSME.

Stepping Up Your Game

• “Lead At Any Level: Women As Cross-Cultural Allies,” presented by Amy Waninger, CEO of Lead At Any Level.
• “Get Your SHIfT Together,” presented by Kevin Trokey, founding partner and coach at Q4intellegence.
• “Growth, Prosperity, Differentiation And Acquisitions For 2020 And Beyond,” presented by Thomas Harte, managing partner of Landmark Benefits.
• “Network Beyond Bias: Making Diversity A Competitive Advantage,” presented by Amy Waninger, CEO of Lead At Any Level.

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @INNsusan.

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