2. Regence, The People’s Advocate
• "Regence, The People's Advocate" is a marketing strategy and well as the name for a new 501 (c)3
organization under the Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield umbrella. As a marketing strategy is will
generate good will among consumers by recognizing and fighting on their behalf to stem the tide of
skyrocketing costs for prescription drugs and medical services - which is now their No. 1 concern
affecting premiums for insurance coverage. This could be the marketing strategy to change public
perception of Regence, and the insurance industry as a whole if we enlist other insurers to join this
entity and fight with us in this cause. Just as importantly "Regence, The People's Advocate" will be
focused on fighting and lobbying in Congress, state Legislatures and in the courts to eliminate or
amend legislation, laws and rules that have allowed or will allow skyrocketing prices of prescription
drugs and medical services.
• What makes me passionate about "Regence, The People's Advocate," is that by creating it, Regence
as a company would be showing our members and future customers that we hear their concerns
about soaring coasts and are willing to publicly fight to change the legislation, laws and rules that
are in part responsible for the high costs.
• Personally I am passionate about this because I believe the enormous campaign contributions and
lobbying from drug companies and suppliers of medical services and supplies have allowed them to
fleece Americans and American companies, strip billions of dollars out of the economy and put our
nation's long-term economic wellbeing at risk.
3. Encourage Families to Talk
• What Is Your Idea or Inspiration
I recently read that people in nursing homes were asked what if any regrets they had, and two
answers were almost universal.
• 1: That they didn't help other people, relatives, friends and others, when the need or opportunity
arose. They didn't help when they had the chance.
• 2. They didn't reach their potential. They had dreams or ambitions that they failed to follow
through on. They just worked their way through life and didn't invest enough time in their dreams -
something they really wanted to accomplish before the end of life.
• I think if we talk about having this conversation about end of life too close to the end, or after
someone is terminally ill, we come off smelling like a rat that wants to send people to hospice to
die rather than paying for potentially life-saving treatment. Insurance should cover these expenses
so families don't have to make decisions based on the cost. That's what most of us believe
insurance is for.
• However, if we encourage these conversations when the parents are middle-aged, 45 to 65, then
there's still time to make a difference in people's lives. We can encourage families to help each
other and to work together to accomplish each other's dreams, goals and ambitions. We can get
them to talk as a family about helping each other and others who need help, whether it is financial
assistance or comfort or a helping hand to get through a rough time. If we can help them have
those conversations, then it makes more sense to have the end of life conversations as part of that
kind of family planning. When families have been talking about the important things all along, then
it's not so hard or intrusive to talk about end of life planning as part of that process.
4. Five Perfect Plans
• Brief Description
We have too many plans, and that's confusing to customers. What we need are Five Perfect Plans
designed for five types of customers
• Plan 1 is for the customer who doesn't really want insurance but is forced to buy it, so we will offer
them a bare bones plan that just meets the minimum requirements of the law. Big deductible, big
out of pocket, lowest possible cost.
• Plan 2 is for the customer who doesn't go to the doctor much, doesn't get sick very often, but has
known people who get hit with a catastrophic illness and get wiped out financially, so it offers
more protection for catastrophic illness and slightly lower deductibles and co-pays than Plan 1.
• Plan 3 is for the person who is a little older, has a few problems and goes to the doctor five or six
times a year, and is structured for medium use and medium costs.
• Plan 4 is for the small business owner who has to provide basic coverage to himself and his family,
and to his employees and possibly their families, but wants to keep costs down.
• Plan 5 is for public employees and workers at large corporations who have had great coverage but
face cuts in health care due to a combination of budget issues and Obama Care rules and
philosophy.
• Use existing funds but realign marketing strategies for the Five Perfect Plans.
• What's the Impact to Cost and/or Enrollment?
I strongly believe we need to get focused more on the needs and realities of different customers,
and offer straight forward plans that meet their needs. We should design insurance that works for
them, based on their real financial ability to pay. That is the future of health insurance in America.
5. Future Group / Individual Plans
• What Is Your Idea
In the Post Obama Care world of Insurance, we need to recognize the paradigm has shifted and be willing to adapt to that
shift to group and individual coverage. With the Exchanges, everyone should eventually be on a basic health care plan with
premiums based on their ability to pay, with Obama care subsidies available to help keep those costs affordable.
• Given that scenario, there is no longer a need for traditional group plans. Regence should start moving away from traditional
group plans right now and instead offer upscale coverage options to groups. That is coverage that is above and beyond the
basic subsidized Obama Care / Exchange insurance plan.
• Option 1 - Whatever coverage Obama Care requires Regence to provide is sold through the Exchanges.
• Option 2 - Regence offers upscale coverage above and beyond what is available through the exchanges Individuals, businesses
and groups that can afford to pay for upscale coverage. It should be a smorgasbord.
• Large employers and other businesses or government and education employers could choose to pay a flat amount to
employees to cover part of the costs of their basic Obama Care / Exchange insurance plans, and as an incentive or added
benefit employers could also pay all or part of the cost for any upscale coverage that their employees might want.
• In other words everyone gets the base model insurance at the Exchange price, but they have to pay more individually or as a
group for any upscale insurance options they want to purchase.
• Regence could boost profits is by figuring out what the base model Obama Care / Exchange insurance plan must cover, then
sell upscale insurance options to individuals and groups that can afford them.
• Regence needs to draw the line and clearly say this is the Obama Care / Exchange insurance plan, and to cross that line and
get additional coverage will cost extra. Either the individual or the group will have to pay those extra costs.
• What Benefit Could an Action Learning Team Offer
This is a new twist and will take some restructuring. A team approach is needed. An action learning team could put this
strategy together and help identify exactly what insurance coverage will be mandatory under Obama Care / Exchanges and
then design options for individuals who can afford them, or for businesses and group employers who want to provide them as
incentives to their employees.
• How Is This a Project for a Cross Functional team
It will take expertise from all areas of the company to create this new model for selling insurance to groups and individuals.
• What Is the Timeframe for This Project
Ideally we should have this new plan ready to go sometime in 2014 or within a year or so after that when Obama Care and
the Exchanges really kick in.
6. The UPS of Labs
• What Is Your Idea
In the Post Obama Care world of Insurance, we need to recognize the paradigm has shifted and be willing to adapt to that
shift to group and individual coverage. With the Exchanges, everyone should eventually be on a basic health care plan with
premiums based on their ability to pay, with Obama care subsidies available to help keep those costs affordable.
• Given that scenario, there is no longer a need for traditional group plans. Regence should start moving away from traditional
group plans right now and instead offer upscale coverage options to groups. That is coverage that is above and beyond the
basic subsidized Obama Care / Exchange insurance plan.
• Option 1 - Whatever coverage Obama Care requires Regence to provide is sold through the Exchanges.
• Option 2 - Regence offers upscale coverage above and beyond what is available through the exchanges Individuals,
businesses and groups that can afford to pay for upscale coverage. It should be a smorgasbord.
• Large employers and other businesses or government and education employers could choose to pay a flat amount to
employees to cover part of the costs of their basic Obama Care / Exchange insurance plans, and as an incentive or added
benefit employers could also pay all or part of the cost for any upscale coverage that their employees might want.
• In other words everyone gets the base model insurance at the Exchange price, but they have to pay more individually or as a
group for any upscale insurance options they want to purchase.
• Regence could boost profits is by figuring out what the base model Obama Care / Exchange insurance plan must cover, then
sell upscale insurance options to individuals and groups that can afford them.
• Regence needs to draw the line and clearly say this is the Obama Care / Exchange insurance plan, and to cross that line and
get additional coverage will cost extra. Either the individual or the group will have to pay those extra costs.
• What Benefit Could an Action Learning Team Offer
This is a new twist and will take some restructuring. A team approach is needed. An action learning team could put this
strategy together and help identify exactly what insurance coverage will be mandatory under Obama Care / Exchanges and
then design options for individuals who can afford them, or for businesses and group employers who want to provide them
as incentives to their employees.
• How Is This a Project for a Cross Functional team
It will take expertise from all areas of the company to create this new model for selling insurance to groups and individuals.
• What Is the Timeframe for This Project
Ideally we should have this new plan ready to go sometime in 2014 or within a year or so after that when Obama Care and
the Exchanges really kick in.
7. Workshop Experience
• Lets talk about death
• Create an app to help people get healthier
– Getting healthier is not always about going to a doctor. Our idea was to create
an app people log into and it tells them interesting historical facts and point
out things they will see or can do on a walk or jog through a neighborhood.
– The exercise ideas might be stairs, a bench they can do leg stretches or push
ups on, monkey bars.
