General News http://www.ais-insurance.com/news/ 2006-03-10T03:00:04-08:00 What's with the fish? http://www.ais-insurance.com/news/archives/2006/03/whats_with_the.html I can just imagine that question coming up- I hope to answer some of it here.

AIS offers a wide range of products. We say this thousands of times and it's still true: we do things differently here, better in fact. One of those things we offer is graphic design, illustration, web development, and hosting. I guess that's a lot of things...

But it's all offered through AIS ACCESS, and we take it seriously. Our day to day consists of building, updating, and maintaining websites, putting together customized marketing material, logos, and writing news items.

This fishtank can be what you want it to be- prior to it we had our Chinese New Year style which was no longer the hot topic. Our design is a hot topic. If you do not have a website, if you have a website that is 'under construction,' or if you have a website you're afraid to tell people about, call us. With some of the most affordable pricing and the most competitive service and quality, it should be clear that our goal is to help you thrive as a business.

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Brad 2006-03-10T03:00:04-08:00
Appeals court finds Health Net in the wrong. http://www.ais-insurance.com/news/archives/2006/01/appeals_court_f.html In 2003, Health Net wanted to end coverage for the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, claiming that the group was not large enough to qualify for coverage. A state appeals court ruled that Health Net of California must continue to insure the lawyers association unless the lower court or a state agency rules otherwise.

Health Net's dispute is that the SFTLA is not a guaranteed association (more than 1000 members) and therefor the group does not qualify for insurance. The argument is that Health Net never stipulated that it would not issue insurance to smaller groups. Because Health Net could not supply evidence that such issuance is illegal, the appeals court said that the lower court ruled correctly.

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Brad 2006-01-04T11:24:32-08:00
Assembly Bill 25, Domestic Partner Coverage http://www.ais-insurance.com/news/archives/2005/10/assembly_bill_2.html Summary
Requires carriers to offer domestic partner (DP) coverage to employer groups under the same terms and conditions as coverage provided to dependents of the employee. The law also defines DPs for the purposes of AB25 within the context of the existing state registry for DPs, as described
in the Family Code section 297.

The law may not be construed to expand the requirements of federal law in regard to COBRA, thus COBRA does not necessarily afford DPs continuation rights.
Compliance

* DPs may be covered today, either in a limited fashion or as any other dependent with underwriting approval
* The insurance company must offer DP coverage (as described above) to the group
* The group can accept it or not, at its discretion
* Effective January 1,2002

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ais-insurance 2005-10-14T10:26:00-08:00
Assembly Bill 1401 – Expanded COBRA and CalCOBRA http://www.ais-insurance.com/news/archives/2005/10/assembly_bill_1.html AB 1401 is intended to allow persons who continue coverage either through federal COBRA or state CalCOBRA (for employer groups of 2-19 employees) to maintain their coverage for a maximum of 36 months in all cases.

The provision in AB 1401 that extends continuation coverage to 36 months will affect your employees who elect federal COBRA on or after January 1, 2003. The additional continuation will be priced at the CalCOBRA rate of 110% of that for covered employees. To illustrate, employees who terminate employment and elect COBRA are eligible for a continuation coverage for up to 18 months at 102% of the premium for covered employees. If they elect the additional continuation mandated by AB 1401, they may remain covered for an additional 18 months at 110% of the employee rate

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ais-insurance 2005-10-10T10:25:19-08:00
The Consumer-Driven Approach TO Dental - By Jeff Selzer http://www.ais-insurance.com/news/archives/2005/10/the_consumerdri.html You can’t pick up an industry magazine these days without reading about the consumer-driven product craze. Many in the industry are calling it the magic bullet that will repair the flawed health care system. Others say it's just the latest fad and will pass into infamy by way of pet rocks and eight track tapes. Truth be told, reality is probably somewhere in between.

Recent studies show that fewer than 100,000 U.S. workers are on consumer driven plans. With many companies adopting a wait and see attitude, "Consumer-driven health plans won't become a standard offering by employers until 2005," says Blaine Bos, a consultant with New York employee benefit company, William M.Mercer. He went on to say, "Most are sitting back and waiting to see proof that these plans actually have a positive effect on the bottom line." Employers are timid about thrusting consumer-driven products on their employees because healthcare is sacred and employers are afraid of any backlash.

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ais-insurance 2005-10-03T10:23:49-08:00
Health Care Costs http://www.ais-insurance.com/news/archives/2005/10/health_care_cos.html Health Care Costs Continue to Soar - By Sam J. Cunningham, 1993-1994 AHIA President, Health Insurance Matters Newsletter, November 12, 2003

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ais-insurance 2005-10-01T10:21:18-08:00