Iowa Association of Health Underwriters

Dear IAHU Friends & Colleagues –
 
We are reaching out to let you know that we are committed as ever to you during the current COVID-19 pandemic. At an Association level, our goal is to stay informed and keep you informed on the impact of the current COVID-19 environment and how it relates to our business.

The Symposium will be delayed from its original dates in June and will now take place August 18-19, 2020. The IAHU Board of Directors voted unanimously to delay the event until later in the year because we believe our collective focus should be on the well-being and health of you, your families, your employees and your closest business colleagues. You will notice fewer attendee registration and corporate sponsorship requests for a few weeks while we all keep our attention and focus where it belongs. We are appreciative of the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center in Ames in accommodating this request to move the event. 

Please update your calendar at this time and watch for more information to be released in the near future. If you have already registered as an attendee or sponsor, you will receive personalized communication confirming that your commitment has carried forward to our new Symposium dates. All requests for refunds will be honored should you be unable to attend the event in August. 

COVID-19 has created a health crisis, and there are a lot of questions and emails hitting us at all angles about health plan coverage, benefits eligibility and workplace changes such as employers reducing employee hours and headcounts. To that end, we are providing a Frequently Asked Questions resource specific to the State of Iowa as it relates to unemployment benefits and workplace changes.  We hope this information is helpful to you. 

At the state and Federal level, the rules and laws affecting employee benefits remain in place but are changing. The Iowa Insurance Division introduced relaxed guidelines for premium payments allowing up to 60 days in late payments without risk of coverage lapsing. Additionally, some carriers are relaxing their guidelines and requirements for employee coverage when hours or incomes are reduced. Some of our carriers are also opening up Special Enrollment Periods for people who previously waived coverage and want to enroll now. These new guidelines are on a carrier-by-carrier basis, which further emphasize the value of watching for the latest communications from IAHU and our insurance carrier partners.

More than ever, we ask that you to stay connected to IAHU at all levels.  We are using Facebook and Twitter to share relevant information as local news and regulatory issues are dropping on a near constant (sometimes hourly) basis. If you are running into specific issues or questions and need our support, please reach out to a Board member.

Stay well!  Be safe!!

-Tracy Hitchcock – 2020 Symposium Chair

Your 2020 Symposium Planning Committee: Cassandra Mueller (BASE), Tracy Hitchcock (Capitol Benefits Group), Niki Holland (Gallager Benefit Services), Lynn Schreder (KHI Solutions), Marcie Strouse (Capitol Benefits Group) & James West (NCMIC / Professional Solutions).

NEW FEATURE: Professional Headshot Photos at Symposium for a discounted rate of $35 

Member Early Registration Price - $229
Non-Member Early Registration Price - $279

Member Registration Price (After May 11) - $289
Non-Member Registration Price (After May 11) - $339

The IAHU June Symposium is the prime venue to give you all of the tools you need to honor the commitment you've made to your clients. Here's six of the top reasons you won't want to miss this meeting.