Libertate Creates Claimant-Driven Pharmacy Cost Management Model (PCMM) for PEO Large Group Medical and Workers’ Compensation that Guarantees Minimum Savings of Up to 15%

Published by sreynolds on September 26, 2016

ORLANDO, September 26, 2016 / PRNewswire / — In an effort to vigilantly drive the occupational and non-occupational medical spends of our clients downward, we are proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Pharma Strategies to distribute and white label their product to the Professional Employer Organization (“PEO”) industry. Pharma Strategies is a progressive pharmaceutical management company that has created heavily discounted prescription managed care networks for both workers’ compensation and health insurance. This claimant-driven model aligns by state for workers’ compensation and utilizes the statutes in effect that allow direction of medical care. On the major medical front, the Pharma Strategies platform provides incentives to the employee to go to in-network facilities by fully or partially-funding the employee prescription co-pay with the savings derived from the program. In essence, go to the right pharmacy and the savings is at minimum 15% less than traditional major medical or workers’ compensation fee schedule. It should also be noted that 99% of the drugs prescribed are eligible for the program.

According to Libertate CEO Paul Hughes, “the prescription drug increase in the workers’ compensation system was +11% overall just last year, and controlled substances such as opioids were up +16% just in the 2014 year.[1] According to our friends at Milliman, prescription drug costs spiked significantly (on major medical), growing by 13.6% from 2014 to 2015.[2] Furthermore, the pharma spend as a percentage of overall spend Prescription drug costs now comprise “15.9% of total healthcare spending for a family of four, up from 13.2% in 2001.”[3]

The PCMM is claimant-focused and not triggered by a specific line of insurance as pharmaceutical costs are equally impactful to major medical health insurance and workers’ compensation. Mr. Hughes added, “Needless to say, the ability to save on the pharmaceutical spends of our clients is paramount in controlling their cost of both occupational and non-occupational health care. Daily news events such as the recent +500% increase in the cost of the lifesaving allergic treatment EpiPen has illuminated the need to help our clients hedge against the drug makers in order to contain the overall health insurance spend.”

For more information, contact James Hughes at 813.335.1588 / jhughes@libertateins.com

[1] “Workers Compensation and Prescription Drugs: 2016 Update”, National Council of Compensation Insurance (“NCCI”), May 5, 2016.

[2] Milliman Research Report, 2015 Milliman Medical Index “Will the typical American family of four be driving a “Cadillac plan” by 2018?”

[3] Ibid

Small businesses turning to PEOs for benefits, HR

Published by phughes on September 15, 2016

An excellent article out of Benefits Pro on PEO that came out the last day of NAPEO… Trying to catch up after Austin!

“…which found that between 14 percent and 16 percent of those small businesses are reaching out to PEOs that provide payroll, benefits, regulatory compliance assistance and other HR services, rather than dealing with HR and benefits issues themselves.”

The statistics cited for the article provided by our friends at NAPEO in their fourth white paper that empirically backs up the value of the PEO model in growing your business, retaining your employees and offering a better employment experience to the American worker.

“…last year’s report figures indicating that PEOs generated between $136 and $156 billion in gross revenues, provided services to between 2.7 and 3.4 million workers, and offered HR, benefits and compliance assistance to between 156,000 and 180,000 small- to mid-size businesses.”

Wow, means ADP who payrolls 1 in 7 American workers now payrolls almost 1 in 5 coemployed workers.

As evidenced by the highly attended annual conference in Austin, with many newcomers in attendance, there is another surge of momentum going into the all-important 1/1 selling season where anywhere from 30-50% of new business for a growth PEO is attained.

The industry becomes more and more compelling as time goes by. Really nice to see.

It was great to see and meet new faces, but always epic to see old friends of many years. Thanks for your friendship, love and loyalty.

NAPEO is in our fair town of Orlando next year… see you there!

-PRH

Amtrust ranked 3rd Largest Workers Compensation Carrier in the US

Published by phughes on August 30, 2016

Exciting news for our friends at Amtrust as they have now become of the 3rd largest provider of workers’ compensation in the country.

Below is their official announcement on this tremendous accomplishment!

-PRH

AmTrust ranked 3rd-largest Workers’ Comp carrier in U.S.

Dear Agent Partner,

We’re proud to relay that a recently released workers’ comp market share report conducted by Aon Benfield indicates that AmTrust is now the 3^rd-largest workers’ comp carrier in the U.S.

This confirms similar findings in a report conducted in April this year by SNL Financial, which also ranked AmTrust as the 3^rd largest workers’ comp carrier nationwide. These reports demonstrate our ongoing growth and committment to the workers’ comp market.

What’s more, AmTrust continues to experience unprecedented growth across all lines of businesses, including our Businessowners Policy, Commercial Auto, EPLI and General Liability products, all of which serve as a perfect complement to our Workers’ Comp product. Recently, we introduced a new Cyber Liability product to cover the growing risk of a data breach for small businesses.

AmTrust’s financial strength and unprecedented growth signal a bright future ahead:

“A” (Excellent) rating for financial strength by A.M. Best, financial size category (FSC) “XIV”
Publicly traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the stock symbol AFSI
Ranked as best-managed insurance company in U.S. by Forbes magazine in 2014
Innovative technology: Our web-based quote, binding and policy access system, AmTrust Online, is simple, efficient, accurate and available 24/7

For more information about how AmTrust can better serve your customers’ needs, please contact your regional sales manager or visit our website.

Sincerely,

AmTrust North America

Marketing Department

Please do not reply to this message. Replies to this message are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions, please email: csr@amtrustgroup.com. You may also call us at 877.528.7878 or visit our website: www.amtrustnorthamerica.com.

AmTrust North America 800 Superior Avenue E. 21st Floor Cleveland, OH 44114

Staff One in Fortune 5,000 for Second Straight Year

Published by phughes on August 29, 2016

Congratulations Mark! Quite an accomplishment for you and your team…

-PRH

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Inc. magazine today ranked Staff One HR No. 3,552 on its 35th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment— its independent small businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

“We are excited to consistently push forward and grow on a national level,” said Mark Sinatra, CEO of Staff One HR. “When we focus on our clients and help them grow their businesses, that’s when we find our business growing as well. This ranking is illustrative of the time and effort our team puts in each day, and we are honored to have made this year’s list again.”

The 2016 Inc. 5000 is the most competitive crop in the list’s history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year growth of 433%. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue is $200 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 640,000 jobs over the past three years, or about 8% of all jobs created in the entire economy during that period. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

“The Inc. 5000 list stands out where it really counts,” says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. “It honors real achievement by a founder or a team of them. No one makes the Inc. 5000 without building something great – usually from scratch. That’s one of the hardest things to do in business, as every company founder knows. But without it, free enterprise fails.”

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring all the companies on the list will be held from October 18 through 20, in San Antonio, TX. Speakers include some of the greatest entrepreneurs of this and past generations, such as best-selling author and strategist Tony Robbins, SoulCycle co-founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, Cornerstone OnDemand founder, president and CEO Adam Miller, Marvell Technology Group director and co-founder Weili Dai, and New Belgium Brewing co-founder and executive chair Kim Jordan.

About Staff One HR

Staff One HR is an HR outsourcing company providing PEO, ASO and recruiting services. Based in Dallas with clients in 44 states, Staff One HR also earned a spot on the 2015 Inc. 5000 and has been in business since 1988. With an ESAC accredited PEO service offering, Staff One HR provides HR consulting and compliance, employee benefits, workers’ compensation/safety, and payroll/tax administration for our clients. As a result of their services, Staff One HR’s clients typically realize: reduction in employee turnover; elimination of employer liability; and achievement of key business milestones (e.g. Best Places to Work). Clients gain the ability to reinvest their time and focus on their core business so they can outpace their competition. For more information, please visit www.staffone.com.

More about the Inc. 5000

The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation’s most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The 2016 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2012 to 2015. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2012. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2015. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2012 is $100,000; the minimum for 2015 is $2 million.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inc-magazine-unveils-35th-annual-list-of-americas-fastest-growing-private-companies–the-inc-5000-300315263.html

The Workers’ Compensation Institute (WCI) Hits Orlando

Published by phughes on August 22, 2016

It was my 17’th WCI today and it keeps getting bigger and better!

Congratulations to Mssrs. Jim McConnaughhay and Steve Rissman for another stellar turn out at the annual conference.

It was fun to speak with Ray Neff today about how they (Jim and Steve) both reinvented a stagnant state-run association into the dynamo it is today some 30 years later. The biggest insurance conference in the world for years and just keeps improving on itself. Seemed the conventions were just a tad different before their leadership and vision.

Hoping to see many in the audience tomorrow at the PEO breakout session that has been going on for years based on their support. The revised agenda below…

PEO Onsite Program WCI 8.23.16

Thanks Steve and Jim for your continued support of the PEO industry!

Let’s turn out to make sure we say thanks for their support.

-PRH

Employers scramble over skyrocketing specialty drug costs

Published by jhughes on August 19, 2016

Much has been studied over recent years regarding the uptick in healthcare expenditure driven by drug costs. In the not to distant past, we, as a society, were not consistently bombarded with daily ads by the pharmaceutical companies. Today however, regardless of media outlet, it’s become impossible to avoid redundant adverts from “Big Pharma”. You’ll also find an undeniable truth and commonality with all correspondence related to any and all ads: cost is never discussed, just the proposed remedy (and the fun side-effects).

The attached link offers realtime insight as to concern, and analysis thereof, in the area known as “Specialty Pharma”. In short, Specialty Pharma can generally be defined as the most expensive, most advanced, and most advertised drugs on the market. As such Specialty Pharma has quickly become a focal point in the industry. While medicinal and pharmaceutical advancements are incredible for quality and preservation of life, as a wise man once said: “there’s no free lunch”.

As we look at the booming growth within PEOs, this topic should be one of careful consideration in regards to control measures as they relate to cost containment.

Employers scramble over skyrocketing specialty drug costs 8-19

Engage PEO Hits INC 500/5000

Published by phughes on August 18, 2016

It is with great pride that I announce that our friends at Engage have hit the INC 500/5000 for 2016! Hitting the 5000 is a big enough deal but in the top 500 growth companies in the United States is a very special accomplishment. Congratulations Jay, Midge and the rest of the Engage team!

“Inc. ranked Engage as the 127th fastest-growing private company in the country. The report notes that Engage’s three-year revenue growth exceeded 2,700 percent. Engage ranked as the fastest growing professional employment organization, second among all human resource companies, and 12th of all companies in Florida.”

Having started operations less then five years ago, Engage has grown its coemployee base to almost 25,000 employees at present. With a focus on healthcare and human resources, the firm’s average client size is arguably almost triple the industry norm at over 60 employees. With recent hirings of industry stalwarts Steve Scott and Craig Hill, it is my opinion that this is just the opening chapter for Engage.

Congratulations !

-PRH

Healthcare Reform – Special Rules for PEOs and Temporary Staffing Firms

Published by jhughes on August 10, 2016

As we are all aware, the Affordable Care Act imposes a penalty on large employers that do not offer affordable, minimum value coverage to their full-time employees and dependents. The Treasury published final rules on the employer mandate as well as considerations for non-traditional businesses. The attached legislative brief describes how these rules apply to temporary staffing firms and PEOs.

HCR – PEOs and Temporary Staffing Agencies JH1

James F. Hughes
Vice President
Libertate Insurance, LLC
C – 813.335.1588
O – 407.613.5475