by wildcherry on Monday, October 12th, 2009 | Health, News | No Comments

Late Sunday, the industry trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans sent its member companies a new accounting firm study that projects the legislation would add $1,700 a year to the cost of family coverage in 2013, when most of the major provisions in the bill would be in effect.

Study: Premium increase
Premiums for a single person would go up by $600 more than would be the case without the legislation, the PriceWaterhouseCoopers analysis concluded. The study was commissioned by the insurance group.

“Several major provisions in the current legislative proposal will cause health care costs to increase far faster and higher than they would under the current system,” Karen Ignagni, the top industry lobbyist in Washington, wrote in a memo to insurance company CEOs.

Baucus spokesman Mulhauser said the study is “seriously flawed” because it doesn’t take into account provisions in the legislation that would lower the cost of coverage, such as tax credits to help people buy private insurance, protections for current policies and administrative savings from a revamped marketplace.

White House health care spokeswoman Linda Douglass concurred. “This is an insurance industry analysis that is designed to reach a conclusion which benefits the industry, and does not represent what the bill does,” she said.

The Baucus plan faces a final vote in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. It got a boost last week after the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cover 94 percent of eligible Americans while reducing the federal deficit.

Costs for privately insured
But the PriceWaterhouseCoopers analysis attempted to get at a different issue — costs for privately insured individuals.

It concluded that a combination of factors in the bill — and decisions by lawmakers as they amended it — would raise costs.

The chief reason, said the report, is a decision by lawmakers to weaken proposed penalties for failing to get health insurance. The bill would require insurers to take all applicants, doing away with denials for pre-existing health problems. In return, all Americans would be required to carry coverage, either through an employer or a government program, or by buying it themselves.

But the CBO estimated that even with new federal subsidies, some 17 million Americans would still be unable to afford health insurance. Faced with that affordability problem, senators opted to ease the fines for going without coverage from the levels Baucus originally proposed. The industry says that will only let people postpone getting coverage until they get sick.

Tags: Big Pharma, Health Action, Health Care, health care reform, health insurance, Health Insurance Industry, healthcare, Insurance Companies, Insurance Industry, Obama Big Pharma, Obama Drug Companies, Obama Drug Industry, obama health care, Pharma, Pharma Deal, Pharma Memo, Senate Finance Commitee, Senator Max Baucus, Transparency, Universal Health Care, White House Pharma Memo

by wildcherry on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 | Career, Life | No Comments

Can’t get an interview?

Can’t get past the first interview?

Are you demonstrating the levels of commitment, drive, tenacity, skills and organization employers want?

Here are 6 tried and true ways to separate you from other candidates and be the candidate everyone wants to hire:

1. Preparation = SWOT Analysis:

SWOT is a strategic planning tool. It stands for Strengths (attributes helpful to achieving the objective), Weaknesses (attributes harmful to achieving the objective), Opportunities (external conditions that will be helpful to achieving the objective), and Threats (external obstacles or conditions that will harm the process). Look at the picture–it helps. Doing a SWOT analysis on the company demonstrates your drive, commitment, and skills, along with helping you create a better 30/60/90-day plan.

2. 30/60/90-Day Plan :

A 30-60-90-day plan is a short, 1-3 page outline for what you will do when you start the job. Essentially, you spell out for your future employer, in as little or as much detail as necessary, how you will spend your time–in training, learning company systems, introducing yourself to customers, and your initial plan to build sales. It demonstrates exactly how you’ll be an asset. A 30/60/90-day plan is an almost-guaranteed way to impress any hiring manager or hiring team.

If you absolutely can’t get an interview, you could try e-mailing your 30/60/90-day plan to the sales manager. It’s an attention-getter, and it could be the key to get you in the door.

3. Video or Audio Communication :

Send the interviewer an audio of video clip of yourself. Keep it short and sweet, and make sure you’ve checked lighting, background, and sound quality. One idea: Structure it like an elevator pitch–what can you do for the company and why can you do it?

4. Brag Book :

A brag book is a folder/ binder that you can use during your interview process to clarify your skill sets. It can include letters of recommendation, “attaboy” notes (or any notes commenting on what a good job you’ve done), staff ranking, annual reviews (if you include some, include them all), rewards letters, your resume, types of equipment you’ve used or marketed, certifications or other educational courses, any financial or PowerPoint presentations, copies of articles you’ve written, brochures you’ve helped develop, and a college transcript (though ONLY if you’re just getting out). Here’s a link to a video that explains more.

5. References :

It’s critical that you have winning references. Some people believe that references never get called, but they do. Make sure you’ve chosen good references, and know with stake-your-job-on-it certainty what they will say about you. You can (and should) even coach them beforehand, to help them tailor their answers to the job.

6. Follow-up/Thank You Notes :

Don’t underestimate how important thank you letters are in the job interview process. Everybody “knows” they’re critical, but unbelievably, not everyone writes them. Thank you letters accomplish several things:

They get your name in front of the hiring manager one more time.
They are your last chance to package yourself as the best, most qualified person for the job.
They are polite, and manners count.
They can be an example of your ability to take in information (the interview) and process and provide feedback or new ideas about whatever the problem was. For example: “I thought about your concerns about how to handle xyz delivery issues, when I was a product manager at ABC corporation, we used………”
(See what I mean?)
Handwritten thank-yous are nice, but e-mail thank yous are fast. Sometimes, hiring decisions are made quickly, so a timely note can be critical.

I know these things will help you become an outstanding candidate!

If you need more personalized help, please see my custom consulting page. If you’re really having trouble, a fresh pair of expert eyes can point out issues or problems that are keeping you from getting the job you want.

Peggy McKee has been recruiting and placing top sales talent (in the medical industry) for over 10 years. Her firm, PHC Consulting, is one of the nations leading medical sales recruiting firms. Check out her blog and site to learn powerful tips that will set you apart in the job search! => http://www.phcconsulting.com

Tags: 30/60/90-day plan, brag book, creative ways to get hired, get hired, healthcare, how to get a job, interview, job, Job search, laboratory, medical, references, sales, swot analysis, thank you notes