FAQs About HWA’s Health Insurance Partnership With LIG Solutions

On June 10, the Horror Writers Association and a coalition of book and publishing industry organizations announced a health insurance partnership with Lighthouse Insurance Group (LIG) Solutions.

To help members understand the partnership and what it means for them, HWA has created this frequently asked questions document based on a FAQ created by the American Booksellers Association. For questions not answered here, please contact HWA Administrator Brad Hodson at admin@horror.org.

• What is LIG Solutions?
• Why did HWA partner with LIG Solutions?
• Will this partnership lower my health insurance costs?
• Is this available to members outside of the United States?
• Is this available to all levels of membership?
• How will this partnership benefit HWA members?
• How will the partnership work?
• How do I sign up?
• Can I keep my health insurance if I cancel my HWA membership?
• How can my employees sign up?
• Can my employees keep their health insurance if they leave my employment?

What is LIG Solutions?

LIG Solutions is a division of Lighthouse Insurance Group, an insurance advisor with experience in the health, life, and Medicare insurance industry. LIG Solutions offers insurance solutions for associations and their members, societies, membership organizations, and other affinity groups. LIG Solutions helps connect people to a variety of coverage plans through health insurance exchanges or marketplaces. LIG Solutions’ agents can help you understand your benefits and different plan options to determine what insurance is right for you. LIG’s services are free. Health insurance plans do not accrue any additional cost if purchased through LIG’s agents.

Generally, health insurance agents represent one carrier. However, LIG broadens consumers’ choices and can sell insurance from many insurance companies in your state. For example, here is a list of some carriers LIG represents (this is not a comprehensive list and availability is based on your geographic location):

• Aetna
• Agentra Healthcare Solutions
• AmBetter
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Chesapeake Life
• Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company
• Coventry
• Health Net
• HealthSpan
• Humana
• Kaiser Permanente
• Medical Mutual of Ohio
• Molina Healthcare
• Mutual Of Omaha
• MyBenefitsKeeper
• National General Insurance
• Oscar
• Pivot Health
• Surebridge Insurance
• UnitedHealthOne

Why did HWA partner with LIG Solutions?

HWA joined a coalition of book industry organizations in April 2018 to create an appropriate partner for an association-sponsored health insurance program. Initially, the coalition’s goal was to create an association health plan (AHP). The coalition was formed following a presidential executive order that expanded eligibility for organizations to pool resources across state lines to offer members health insurance at negotiated rates.

However, the coalition’s goal had to be modified when the executive order was deemed illegal. The government appealed the ruling, and the case is still in the courts. The coalition was hopeful there would be a court decision regarding AHPs that would expand health insurance options for all of our members. However, the partnership with LIG Solutions is a step in the right direction while we continue to await a decision on the legality of expanded AHPs.

With expanded AHPs currently off the table, the coalition began looking for a company that would provide coalition members with extensive knowledge of the health insurance market to help members navigate the wide array of insurance options, including ACA-compliant major medical, Medicare/supplements, short term policies, vision, dental, critical care, supplemental coverage, and small group/Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRAs) programs.

Additionally, it was important to the coalition that all members could take advantage of the benefit, including: individual members and their immediate family; business owners and their W2 employees; 1099-employees/independent contractors; association volunteers; and association staff and their immediate family.

The health insurance partnership with LIG Solutions meets these revised goals. With LIG Solutions, health insurance coverage is offered concierge style to members in a centralized portal, eliminating much of the burden and cutting through confusion that normally accompanies shopping for health insurance. A variety of health insurance options are sourced from carriers in all 50 states and Washington D.C.

Will this partnership lower my health insurance costs?

This partnership does not allow HWA or the coalition to negotiate rates for insurance premiums as these are set with federal or state legislators. An executive order that allowed for associations like ABA to create Association Health Plans and use economies of scale to negotiate better rates for insurance premiums is currently tied up in courts. That said, LIG Solutions’ knowledge of the industry may result in some members finding better insurance solutions of which they were unaware. LIG Solutions’ prime benefits are providing expertise and choice to our members along with many different coverage types.

Is this available to members outside of the United States?

Unfortunately, LIG Solutions is only licensed to operate in the US. We hope to provide similar services to members in other countries in the future.

Is this available to all levels of membership?

All HWA members can take advantage of this partnership regardless of level. Corporate Level Members can even utilize this to provide health insurance for their employees.

How will this partnership benefit HWA members?

The partnership with LIG Solutions will benefit members in the following ways:

• Expertise: LIG’s agents are licensed in all 50 states. In addition to providing health insurance services, LIG Solutions also delivers health and wellness content.
• One-stop-shop: HWA will have its own unique landing page managed by LIG Solutions that members can access to purchase health insurance. LIG Solutions offers concierge service that brings together all the traditional health coverage benefits (major medical, vision, dental, critical care, group/Health Reimbursement Arrangements, etc.). Normally, you would have to go to several sources to build similar coverage.
• Choice: LIG Solutions does not use one insurance carrier. Instead, LIG Solutions can build custom plans for you that include major medical, short term options, vision, dental, and many health-related supplemental options to cover your individual needs.
• Communication: Through the partnership with LIG Solutions, HWA will be able to continuously communicate with members on what your health insurance options are.

How will the partnership work?

The partnership will be co-branded between HWA and LIG and offered to HWA members and their employees. HWA will have a unique landing page just for our members, as well as a unique phone number, health and wellness content, and other no-cost tools.

How do I sign up?

Once the landing page is live, you will be able to log in and enter your information via a form on the site. The form asks if you are seeking health insurance for just yourself or for you and your employees as part of a group/HRA program. As an employer, you can choose not to check the box for your employees and instead ask your employees to use HWA’s landing page to get their own insurance. You will then be contacted by a LIG Solutions representative who will walk you through your options based on your own individual/family needs or those of your business/employees. The latter option is the group/Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) program; if you choose to offer an HRA, your employees can then use HWA’s landing page to buy their own insurance with the pretax funds you provide. If you’re a member, click here to sign up.

Can I keep my health insurance if I cancel my HWA membership?

If a member is paying for their own plan, they can keep the plan until it becomes time to renew their health insurance. Legally HWA and/or LIG Solutions cannot make a member stop using a plan that they pay for out of their own pocket. However, lapsed and cancelled memberships will lose access to HWA’s health insurance portal and any programs, including concierge and point of contact communication, that LIG Solutions has created for HWA members. Basically, the HWA and LIG are removed and the relationship is solely between the former member and the health insurance carrier.

How can my employees sign up?

If you prefer that your employees seek coverage on their own (or you have chosen to offer an HRA), your employees can simply follow the above process.

Can my employees keep their health insurance if they leave my employment?

It depends on if the employees purchased an individual/family plan or are part of the group/HRA program.

If an employee is paying for 100 percent of their own plan, the employee can keep the plan until it becomes renewal time. The employee technically owns the plan since they pay for it even though the employee gained access to the HWA program through their employer. LIG Solutions has a couple of ways they can handle this at renewal time. Legally your company, HWA, and/or LIG Solutions cannot make an employee stop using a plan that they pay for out of their own pocket.

It is a similar situation if an employee is part of the group/HRA program. In this case, the employee still has an individual/family plan; however, the employer is paying for a portion of the plan (just like a traditional group plan). The biggest difference is that once an employee leaves the company, the company will no longer be contributing any money to the former employee’s coverage. The former employee will have to pick-up 100 percent of the costs at that point (or cancel).