Friday, May 6, 2011

New York Workers Compensation Maximum Benefit

Beginning July 1, 2010, the maximum weekly benefit rate for workers' compensation is two-thirds of the New York State average weekly wage for the previous calendar year, as determined by the New York State Department of Labor. Workers' Compensation Law §§ 2(16); 15(6). On March 31, 2011, the Department of Labor reported to the Superintendent of Insurance that the New York State average weekly wage for 2010 was $1,159.44. Accordingly, for workers' compensation claims with dates of accident or dates of disablement during the period from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012, the maximum weekly benefit rate will be $772.96.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

HF&C Consultants in Washington, DC!

Haylor, Freyer & Coon Consultants Attend NAHU’s Capitol Conference
It’s a New World: Health Reform Hits Home


(Syracuse, NY) – Michael Grinnell, Kirsten Tudman and Rock Schneider of Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. attended the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) twenty-first annual Capitol Conference on February 14-16 in Washington, DC. Grinnell, Tudman and Schneider met with local Congress representatives to discuss the specific impacts of the health care reform law as written on behalf of Upstate New York employers.

They visited with Representative Bill Owens for New York’s 23rd congressional district, Representative Richard Hanna from New York’s 24th congressional district, Representative Ann Marie Buerkle for New York’s 25th congressional district and with Abe Hiatt, Legislative Correspondent, from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office. Grinnell and Tudman are active NAHU members and Schneider serves as the Membership Chair of the Greater Central New York Association of Health Underwriters Board of Directors.

Capitol Conference’s guest speakers included key Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle charged with implementing the new health care reform law. Other presentations addressed significant market reforms brought about by health care reform, the scope and structure of state-based exchanges, and how businesses need to adapt to the new market reality.

Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. is one of the largest independent insurance agencies in the US, employing over 200 insurance professionals. HF&C can service the needs of various size employer groups ranging from 2 to 15,000+ employees. HF&C can customize Employee Benefit Programs to meet their client’s specific business needs to attract and maintain quality employees. For more information, please call Rock Schneider at (315) 703.3217 or rschneider@haylor.com.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Health Care Reform Questions #3

How do I keep my grandfathered group plan?

Employer groups can keep their current policy on a grandfathered basis only if plan changes made are to add or delete new employees or new dependents. Another exception is made for employers that have scheduled plan changes as a result of a collective bargaining agreement.

When will the elimination of lifetime limits be in force? Does this apply to self-insured groups?

Lifetime limits on the dollar value of essential benefits is prohibited by current law beginning plan years after September 23, 2010. This applies to all fully insured, self-insured, and individual plans.

If an employer offers more than one health plan, on which plan is the voucher based?

Lifetime limits on the dollar value of essential benefits is prohibited by current law beginning plan years after September 23, 2010. This applies to all fully insured, self-insured, and individual plans.

Does the auto enroll apply to employees only?

Groups of more than 200 full-time employees are required to automatically enroll employees as they become eligible in a health care plan and provide notice of the opportunity to opt-out of such coverage if they choose to do so.

If you have any questions, please fee free to contact Mike Grinnell, Vice President of Employee Benefits, at any time. Mike's phone number is 315-453-2168. His e-mail address is mgrinnell@haylor.com.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Health Care Reform Answers, Part 2

Below Mike Grinnell, HF&C's Vice President of Group Benefits, answers more questions asked during a recent seminar on the new Health Care Reform:

When does the over the counter drug change become effective?

Beginning in 2011, Over The Counter (OTC) drugs will no longer be reimbursable under HSA's, medical FSA's, HRA's, and Archer MSA's unless they are prescribed by a doctor.


Will the Reform Bill effect my FSA contributions?

Yes. Beginning in 2011, the amount of contributions to health FSA's is limited to $2500 per year.

When does the reporting of health benefits on the W-2's begin?

Employers are required to start reporting the aggregate cost of employer-sponsored health benefits payable during the taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

What is the CLASS Act?

Beginning January 1, 2011 the Community Living Assistant Services and Supports (CLASS) Act states that all employers would be required to enroll employees in a new national public long-term care program, unless the employee elects to opt out.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mike at 315-451-1500 or mgrinnell@haylor.com.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Your Health Care Reform Questions Answered

Below Mike Grinnell, HF&C's Vice President of Group Benefits, answers several questions that were asked during a recent seminar on the new Health Care Reform:

What does auto enroll mean?

Employers with more than 200 full-time employees and that offer enrollment in one or more health benefit plans are required to automatically enroll new full-time employees in a health benefits plan after enabling regulations are released. Furthermore, the automatic enrollment must include adequate notice to the employee of the right to opt out of coverage.


Auto enroll: Is there an opt out period?

Yes, enrollment must include adequate notice to the employee of the right to opt out of the coverage


Are the immunizations in the prevention services 100% covered for adults as well as children?

Child and adult immunizations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must be covered


Are the considerations the same for profit and not-for-profit?

Yes, both for profit and not-for-profit organizations are subject to Health Care Reform.


If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mike at any time at 315-451-1500 or mgrinnell@haylor.com

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Summer Safety

Make sure you are adequately insured for all of your Summer Social Events! Read an article published by the Independent Insurance Agents of America by Clicking Here!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Health Reform Seminar



On May 4th 2010, Haylor Freyer & Coon, Bond Schoeneck & King along with MACNY sponsored a Health Reform Seminar that was attended by 220 local Business Representatives. Mike Grinnell, HF&C VP of Group Benefits, delivered a detailed overview of what employers need to consider as the new Federal Health Reform plan is put into effect.

To view a copy of Mike's presentation click the following link: http://www.haylor.com/blog/healthreform.pdf

Friday, April 23, 2010

Health Care Reform Conference on 5/4/10

Date: May 04, 2010

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Location: Holiday Inn Syracuse/Liverpool, 441 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool, NY

Registration Fee: BS&K/HF&C Clients and MACNY Members: $25 per person; General Public: $35 per person Description

For more information go to:
http://www.bsk.com/archives/detail.cfm?archive=presentation&ID=712

Monday, March 22, 2010

The "River Rat Triathlon" in Clayton, NY!

On August 29th, 2010 the Thousand Islands Young Leaders (TIYLO) is hosting a Triathlon to begin in Centennial Park in the Village of Clayton, NY. Haylor, Freyer & Coon is a Bronze Sponsor of the event.

The TIYLO has two main purposes: to work together for the betterment of the communities in the 1000 Islands region and for the personal development of the young leaders and community members who reside there.

Good Luck to all of the Tri-Atheletes!!!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Claim Update - Falling Trees!

If a tree from your neighbor's yard falls onto your home, you may actually be able to recover the cost of your damages from their insurance policy, if the neighbor has been negligent in their maintenance of the Tree. BUT, in order to prevent a delay in getting the repairs complete, it is always best to turn the claim into your Homeowner's Insurance Company. Once they pay you to get your home fixed, they will pursue your neighbor's insurance if negligence was the cause.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Carthage Winterfest 2010!

Recently Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. was a Silver Sponsor of the 2010 Winterfest in Carthage, NY. The Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce puts on the Winterfest and recently sent out a big THANK YOU to all of the Sponsors saying "Their generous contribution to the even allowed us to provide a great day of snowy, family fun for the who community. This great Carthage Area tradition continues!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

ISO Quality System - MACNY Council

MACNY Quality Professionals Council
Topic - Software: Quality Applications
Date: March 12, 2010
Location: MACNY HeadquartersCouncil Meetings

Join the Quality Professionals Council for…… Software: Quality Applications

Please hold the date - Friday, March 12, 2010 - for the next Quality Professionals Council meeting. It will be held at MACNY Headquarters. This meeting will focus on two main software applications for Quality Management Systems: will discuss the Quality Software packages that companies are using to support their Quality Management System.

Attendees should come to the meeting with a list of packages that they use and to discuss their experience with the software. Bill Butler of Haylor, Freyer & Coon will lead the discussion.

Will also discuss Software Quality in regards to planning, developing, qualifying and deploying software.

The speakers will be from Syracuse Research Corporation and Sensis. Miguel Maldonado: Quality Assurance Manager at Syracuse Research Corporation and Paul Hoffman: Sr. Software Quality Engineer at Sensis.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce - Member Milestones

As of January 2010, Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. has been a member of the local Chamber of Commerce for 45 years!!! This is only one of the many ways we support the Syracuse Business Community!!!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Pharmacy Benefit Management

Most employers like their PBM, according to the 2008 PBM Customer Satisfaction Report by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute.

For the survey, 275 employers representing 11.3 mil­lion members ranked their PBM on three factors: overall service and performance, delivering savings as promised and delivering services as promised. Their ratings averaged a very respectable 8.0 out of 10.0, with 10 being the highest.

What to look for in a prescription drug plan:

1. Plan design:
Is the plan structured to encourage your employees to use generic, formulary or mail- order drugs? Members respond to incentives that help them save money, particularly in these economic times. Jack Bruner, executive vice president of PBM marketing at CVS Caremark, recently told Drug Benefit News, "We saw our generic substitution rate in our book of business go from 60% to 65% in the past year alone...that's quite an impressive movement."

2. Education:
Does your PBM (or its network pharmacies) provide patient education on drug dosage, use, possible side effects and interactions? Does it provide education to physicians?

3. Automatic enrollment:
Some PBMs are taking a page from 401(k) sponsors and automatically enrolling group members who need prescriptions for chronic conditions into mail order programs, unless they specifically opt out. Filling prescriptions by mail order usually costs significantly less than filling them at a retail store, and the laws of inertia say that most employees who are automatically enrolled will not bother to opt out.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Trends in Insurance

Tony Procopio, Vice President at Haylor, Freyer & Coon, recently spoke at a seminar and discussed the "Trends in Insurance". Below is a summary of Tony's comments:

Some of the interesting findings are that most carriers have rebounded well this past year and have continued to price aggressively. Overall, they are attempting to get increases on renewal business, but aggressively pricing new business.

We have seen pricing come down significantly for those clients who have excellent experience and good credit standing. There is also a more competitive approach available to contractors for all lines of insurance including the Workers Compensation. The most significant change in rating has been with the Workers Compensation in NY. Companies now use a Loss Cost Multiplier (LCM) to apply to the rates. This factor can differ by over 50% from one company to another.
As we go into 2010, it is expected to continue, but some resources caution that the market could change toward the end of 2010. It will depend on some contributing factors such as a natural disaster.

Most believe we will continue to have a "soft market" in 2010, and if a "Hard Market" was to come, it would be gradual, and not across the country and with every industry.

In my 24 years of experience, I have never seen the marketplace so competitive/cut throat. It is also more important now to have a broker that understands the market and Terms and Conditions of the policies that are offered to contractors. There can be limitations or exclusions. It is important to not just look at price, but also at the terms and conditions of the policy/quote.

There are also very competitive Captive programs available to Contractors. Over the past 5 years, there has been a growing trend of more contractors joining or forming a Captive. If prices should go up, I would expect more contractors to take this alternative.

It is important to also discuss the level of experience and support we offer at Haylor, Freyer, & Coon, Inc. Our staff prides itself on the ability to write and service all types and sizes of contractors. We also offer in-house Claims and Loss Control Specialist. These are important in supporting and maintaining the lowest cost of insurance.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Rochester Community Holiday Support


From Dave Barnes, RVP in the Haylor, Freyer & Coon Rochester, NY branch office....


As I did last year, I will be volunteering at Monroe Community Hospital on Saturday to help with their annual Christmas party for the residents. Monroe Community Hospital is a county-owned health care facility providing long term care to individuals with chronic and complex health conditions. They have residents there ranging in age from 4 months to over 100 years old. One of the local radio personalities, along with the owner of Pace Windows and Doors, one of our customers, have been putting on a holiday show for them for a number of years now and last year I was asked to join them. It was a very rewarding experience and this year my wife and children will all be joining me. We help bring the residents down to the show and we walk around and hand out gifts that are all donated for this event. The picture is of the generous donations brought in by the staff in the HF&C Rochester Branch. We also received some donations from one of the businesses across the hall. The residents of the hospital will be very appreciative of everyone's generosity.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Binghamton Office Christmas Giving



Here is a picture of the Christmas gifts Haylor, Freyer & Coon agency employees donated, along with gift cards totaling $85.00 for a single mother and her infant daughter from Mom's House here in Johnson City-Binghamton area. Mom's House "provides safe, secure, and totally free child-care to low-income single parents wishing to continue their education." Requirements include full-time student status, community service and fund-raising. Many of these single parents are also employed and very motivated to provide a better future for themselves and their children. We were under a time constraint and had to put this together in less than a week. The results were outstanding! The spirit of giving is alive and well in the Binghamton-Johnson City Branch!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Oswego Dancing with the Stars!

Tammy Kostoroski, a Customer Service Representative in our Oswego Office, and her husband Keith will be representing Haylor, Freyer & Coon in the 4th Annual Dancing with the Stars in Oswego, NY. The Event is hosted by the Oswego Habitat for Humanity and will be held on February 5th & 6th of 2010. This year the organization is hoping to raise $75,000, which will be used to build another house in the local area. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 315-751-4663. Good Luck Tammy & Keith!!!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

HF&C is Strongly Committed to Continuing Education for our Support Team Members!

As a Member of the Professional Insurance Agents of New York State Inc. we are commitmented to continuing education, professional development and superior customer service by support our Staff members as they earn their CIC and CISR designations.

“CIC and CISR are recognized throughout the industry and signify the professional achievement and extensive expertise needed to succeed in an ever-changing, demanding profession,” said Diane Fowler, executive director of PIANY. “Member interest in obtaining these designations is testament to the dedication of our membership to providing the best service possible to their clients.” Both designations, established by the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research, are recognized nationwide as important credentials that show significant professional expertise and personal dedication.

The following HF&C Team Members were conferred with the CIC or CISR designation:

Newly conferred PIANY Certified Insurance Counselors
Marie Noble, CIC, CPCU, Haylor Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.
Laurie Pelkey, CIC, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.

Newly conferred PIANY Certified Insurance Service Representatives
Cynthia Baker, CISR, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.
Catherine Houde, CISR, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.
Margaret Kimball, CISR, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.
Linda Provo, CISR, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.
Sharon Reed, CISR, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.
Michele Robinson, CISR, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Ithaca, N.Y.
Diane Stahl, CISR, Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc., Binghamton, N.Y.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Two New Members of our Sales Force!

HF&C is excited to announce the addition of two new Sales Producers to our Commercial Lines staff. Both of these individuals have had successful insurance careers and are highly respected within the industry. They joined Haylor, Freyer & Coon on November 9th.

Sheila Gilroy joined our Syracuse General Unit. Her background includes the production and brokering of Public School Student Accident and Collegiate Student Health insurance. Sheila’s experience and expertise will blend well with H.F.&C.’s current Collegiate and Public School business sectors.

Jim Schaefer is joining our Utica office team. He has spent the majority of his insurance career as a Sales Producer for Liberty Mutual. Jim’s background and focus included manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and social services. In addition to focusing on middle market business, we anticipate he will be working closely with H. F. & C.’s Large Account unit.