Mployer Advisor Names Johnson & Dugan a Winner of ‘Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award’ for 2023

Mployer Advisor Names Johnson & Dugan a Winner of ‘Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award’ for 2023

Redwood City, CA, September 13, 2023 – Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review, and evaluate insurance advisors has named Johnson & Dugan Insurance Servies a winner of its third annual “Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards” for 2023. Mployer Advisor’s Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on breadth and depth of experience across employer industries, sizes, insurance products, and employer reviews. We recognize esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers, and peers.

For 40 years, Johnson & Dugan’s highest priority has been to make it easy for any company to expertly plan and administer employee benefits. Johnson & Dugan prides itself on consistently delivering and maintaining high standards of quality for each and every one of our clients. All of the companies we work with receive superior customer service, regardless of their size or the level of complexity of their employee benefits program, Michael Johnson, CEO.

Our team is proud to recognize this group of 2023 top-rated insurance advisors as part of our third annual Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards,” said Brian Freeman, the Founder and CEO of Mployer Advisor. “Employer-sponsored healthcare and benefits cover over 150M Americans. Who an employer selects as their benefits advisor has more impact on employee cost and satisfaction with their healthcare than who an employer chooses as the insurance carrier. We have rated these brokerages utilizing sophisticated, industry-first algorithms, and we applaud the winners’ demonstrated commitment to service, quality, and positive employer feedback.”

Mployer Advisor determined the winners of the third annual “Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award” by analyzing each brokerage based on historical data, online reviews, their M Score rating, and demonstrated business experience.

To view a complete list of the 2023 recipients of Mployer Advisor’s “Top Employee Benefits Consult Award,” visit MployerAdvisor.com.

To view Johnson & Dugan’s profile on Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com/insurance-brokers/california/redwood-city/johnson-dugan-insurance-services-corporation.

About Johnson & Dugan:

Since 1983, Johnson & Dugan’s highest priority has been to make it easy for any company to expertly plan and administer their employee benefits plans.

Unlike other employee benefits consulting firms, J&D does not deliver one-size-fits-all solutions — our team works with each client to deliver the right mix of expertise, products, services and support based on the scope of their needs — with the flexibility necessary to adapt to organizational changes.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate, and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a company’s specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisor’s website. Because Mployer Advisor’s research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next year’s list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Volunteering and It’s Surprising Mental Health Benefits

Volunteering and It’s Surprising Mental Health Benefits

Volunteers make an immeasurable difference in people’s lives and often serve with the intention of helping others. But, did you know that volunteering can benefit your mental health as well?

While it’s true that the more you volunteer, the more benefits you’ll experience, volunteering doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day.  Donating your time in even simple ways can help those in need and improve your health and happiness.

Here are a few of the mental health benefits that result from volunteering:

  • Improves Mental and Physical Health – Volunteer activities keep people moving and thinking at the same time.  Additionally, volunteering reduces stress and increases positive, relaxed feelings by releasing dopamine. By spending time in service to others, volunteers report feeling a sense of meaning and appreciation, both given and received, which can have a stress-reducing effect. Reduced stress further decreases risk of many physical and mental health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety and general illness.
  • Provides a Sense of Purpose – Volunteering connects you with a cause bigger than yourself.  Many individuals feel that where they volunteer says something about who they are.  Dedicating time to a cause can give you new direction and allow you to find meaning in something unexpected. It can also take your mind off your own troubles while keeping you mentally stimulated.
  • Nurtures New and Existing Relationships – Loneliness has been described as an epidemic in the U.S. and making friends as an adult can be difficult.  Volunteering is a remedy to this problem because it increases social interactions and builds a support system based on shared interests.  Like-minded, like-hearted people come together over common values. Whether it is campaigning for specific political goals, volunteering time to help sick children in the hospital or working in a soup kitchen, a volunteer activity can help break the ice with potential new friends all while giving back to your community.
  • Increases Confidence – Some volunteering activities require learning new skills.  Being in an unfamiliar environment while gaining a new skill provides mental stimulation.  Additionally, while growing your skill set to make a difference for others, you gain a sense of pride which can lead to having a more positive view of yourself.
  • Ignites Passion – Volunteering is a fun way to explore different interests and learn from others.  It can be an energizing escape from your daily routine – especially if you work in front of a computer all day in an office and long to be more active outdoors.  You can look for opportunities to help with walking dogs at your local animal shelter or help with building homes for those in need.
  • Makes You Happy – Research shows that brain activity spikes during volunteer activities.  We are social animals and are designed to be part of a wider community.  Volunteering helps you make the world a better place and helping others provides great pleasure.

What are you passionate about?

Do you want to feel good while doing good?

How would you like to see the world be a better place?

There’s a volunteer activity perfect for your skill set and time availability.  Churches, schools, or libraries can always use your support.  Whether it’s tutoring a student, visiting the elderly, caring for abandoned animals, or being a baby cuddler (yes – that’s holding babies in the neonatal intensive care unit in the hospitals!), the possibilities are endless.  There are even ways to volunteer remotely via phone or computer.  Getting involved will boost your well-being while you are making a difference in the community.

 

Kathy Dugan Retirement

Kathy Dugan Retirement

It is with great pride that I write to inform you that one of our founders, Kathy Dugan, will be retiring at the end of this year. Kathy and I started J&D in 1983 and I have been blessed to have had her as a partner all these years. The time comes for us all to move on to life’s other opportunities and Kathy is looking forward to pursing those in her retirement. All of us at J&D are better for working with her and benefiting from her experience and dedication to our clients over the years. Her experience in HR from her days at Intel helped us put a focus on this aspect of our services to our clients at a time when firms like ours did not. We are proud that we helped in some small way pioneer that approach.

Please join us in congratulating Kathy on her next chapter, Sincerely,  Michael Johnson

National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Top Women Advisor Captain – Virginia Krieger Sutton

National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Top Women Advisor Captain – Virginia Krieger Sutton

It is our pleasure to announce that Virginia Krieger Sutton, Vice President, Retirement Plan Practice at Johnson & Dugan, has been selected as one of 50 National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Top Women Advisor Captainshttps://www.napa-net.org/top-women-advisors-captains-2022

Established in 2015, the list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors and is based on nominations provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners.  Nominees are women retirement plan advisors with their own book of business. After a rigorous application process and broker-check review, a panel of senior advisor industry experts selects the top women advisors.

Within the group of top women advisors, those who were principals, owners or team captains of their organizations were designated as “Captains.” There were 515 nominations, 258 applications, and from that 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 35 Rising Stars were recognized.

Virginia is a proven leader among retirement plan professionals, and we are fortunate to have her manage the retirement plans for our Pension clients and guide our retirement plan practice at J&D.

The list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association, a non-profit association.  No fee is charged to participate. The rating is not indicative of the nominee’s future performance.

 

Johnson & Dugan Named Mployer Advisor Top Employee Benefits Consultant

Johnson & Dugan Named Mployer Advisor Top Employee Benefits Consultant

 

Johnson & Dugan recognized as a 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant for the San Francisco Bay Area by Mployer Advisor

Redwood City, CA September 30, 2021 – Johnson & Dugan Insurance Services, an independent employee benefits consultant, is recognized by Mployer Advisor, an independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, as a Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award for 2021 for San Jose, California. Mployer Advisor’s Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award recognizes brokers for demonstrating market-leading competencies in several areas.

“Who an employer chooses as their insurance advisor has significantly more impact on the quality and cost of a benefit plan than who they chose as the carrier. We are proud to honor these firms who have demonstrated a wide range of experience in combination with positive employer feedback on service and quality,” said Brian Freeman, CEO of Mployer Advisor.

“I am personally very proud of this industry recognition. We have always strived to provide strategic benefit plans, tailored to each employer partner, with the highest customer satisfaction,” comments Michael Johnson, CEO. “Our team serves over 180 organizations in the Northern California region.  We have seen a significant need for our services as organizations continue to reemerge after the pandemic”, Michael Johnson continued.

To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzes each brokerage based on historical data to gauge the range of business experience across employer sizes, industry experience and products, combined with employer ratings and reviews of insurance brokerages across several platforms. Results are a snapshot of Mployer Advisor’s matrices and proprietary M Score on May 31, 2021.

About Johnson & Dugan:

Since 1983, Johnson & Dugan’s highest priority has been to make it easy for any company to expertly plan and administer their employee benefits plans.

Unlike other employee benefits consulting firms, J&D does not deliver one-size-fits-all solutions — our team works with each client to deliver the right mix of expertise, products, services and support based on the scope of their needs — with the flexibility necessary to adapt to organizational changes.

Contact: info@johnsondugan.com

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. Our goal is to connect employers and employees to great benefits and insurance. We do this by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a company’s unique needs. Mployer Advisor provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. The rating is our opinion and should be one of many factors, including when selecting a consultant. An insurance brokerage cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor visit https://mployeradvisor.com.

Top 7 Trends from 2017 UBA Health Plan Survey

Top 7 Trends from 2017 UBA Health Plan Survey

We recently unveiled the latest findings from our 2017 Health Plan Survey. With data on 20,099 health plans sponsored by 11,221 employers, the UBA survey is nearly three times larger than the next two of the nation’s largest health plan benchmarking surveys combined. Here are the top trends at a glance.
Cost-shifting, plan changes, and other protections influenced rates

  • Sustained prevalence of and enrollment in lower-cost consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) and health maintenance organization (HMO) plans kept rates lower.
  • For yet another year, “grandmothered” employers continue to have the options they need to select cheaper plans (ACA-compliant community-rated plans versus pre-ACA composite/health-rated plans) depending on the health status of their groups.
  • Increased out-of-network deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, with greater increases for single coverage rather than family coverage, as well as prescription drug cost shifting, are among the plan design changes influencing premiums.
  • UBA Partners leveraged their bargaining power.

Overall costs continue to vary significantly by industry and geography

  • Retail, construction, and hospitality employees cost the least to cover; government employees (the historical cost leader) continue to cost among the most.
  • As in 2016, plans in the Northeast cost the most and plans in the Central U.S. cost the least.
  • Retail and construction employees contribute above average to their plans, so those employers bear even less of the already low costs in these industries, while government employers pass on the least cost to employees despite having the richest plans.

Plan design changes strained employees financially

  • Employee contributions are up, while employer contributions toward total costs remained nearly the same.
  • Although copays are holding steady, out-of-network deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums are rising.
  • Pharmacy benefits have even more tiers and coinsurance, shifting more prescription drug costs to employees.

PPOs, CDHPs have the biggest impact

  • Preferred provider organization (PPO) plans cost more than average, but still dominate the market.
  • Consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) cost less than average and enrollment is increasing.

Wellness programs are on the rise despite increased regulations and scrutiny
Metal levels drive plan decisions

  • Most plans are at the gold or platinum metal level reflecting employers’ desire to keep coverage high. In the future, we expect this to change since it will be more difficult to meet the ACA metal level requirements and still keep rates in check.

Key trends to watch

  • Slow, but steady: increase in self-funding, particularly for small groups.
  • Cautious trend: increased CDHP prevalence/enrollment.
  • Rapidly emerging: increase of five-tier and six-tier prescription drug plans.

By Bill Olson
Originally posted by www.UBABenefits.com