Clients who have been confused or intimidated by the complexity of health insurance now have an easy way to take the first step towards getting the individual medical coverage they need. A new Web site, SimpleCoverage.org, provides information and guidance to help consumers quickly understand the basics of health insurance and how to find and select a health plan that’s right for them. The site was developed by Consumers for Competitive … [Read more...]
Evernote: Store Notes in One Place
I read lots of information from many different sources. The problem I have is deciding where to store all of this information so that I can find it again when I need it. I have tried several methods. I have copied and pasted text into a Word document. I have used Microsoft’s OneNote. Both worked—sort of. Then, I discovered Evernote. Evernote allows me to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform I … [Read more...]
New Version of BenefitPoint Released
AMS Services has released a new version of BenefitPoint, a Web-based, benefit management and procurement solution for brokers and benefit consultants. The new version of BenefitPoint features deeper integration, enhanced commissions tracking and customization, and new event-driven workflow capabilities. A new component of the commission tracking system, eStatements, is an electronic statement conversion tool designed for BenefitPoint brokerage … [Read more...]
Broadband in the Sky
American Airlines has announced the launch of a new mobile broadband service, Gogo,™ provided by Aircell. Customers traveling on American’s Boeing 767-200 aircraft can access complete coast-to-coast coverage on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami. Aircell’s Gogo service will be available to customers as a fee-based service in all cabins. Aircell will charge $12.95 on flights … [Read more...]
Applied Systems Announces New Product
Jim Kellner, Chairman and CEO of Applied, announced a new agency management system—Applied Systems Epic™, at the ASCnet Users Group annual convention last month. The Applied Epic system has been under development for several years. While the company has tightly controlled information about the new system, some information began to surface several months ago. During the announcement, Kellner called the new system “a simple-to-use, secure, … [Read more...]
Understand Your Email
A new, free plug-in module for Outlook called Xobni and pronounced “ZOB-nee” which is inbox spelled backwards) adds some social-networking and data-mining features to your existing Outlook e-mail. Once installed, it lives as a vertical panel on the right side of your Outlook screen and doesn't block or intrude upon Outlook's own panes or functions. Xobni indexes all of your stored e-mail, starting with the most recent messages. Once your … [Read more...]
FTC Issues Updated CAN-SPAM Rules
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has issued updated provisions to the 2003 CAN-SPAM Act. These new provisions became effective in mid-July. In the updated rule on consumer opt-out requests, e-mailers are prohibited from complicating the opt-out process by charging fees to consumers wishing to be added to opt-out lists. It also prevents e-mail marketers from requiring consumers to provide information other than an e-mail address and opt-out … [Read more...]
Are You Planning for Retirement?
How many people on your current staff are eligible for retirement in the next five years? This is a question I recently posed to the Human Resources director of a 100-person agency. I had been asked to come to the agency to discuss future trends and things the agency should do now to plan for the future. The director didn’t immediately know the answer to my questions—but it didn’t take her long to find out. After running a report on the … [Read more...]
