Filed under: Affordable Care Act, Blue Cross, Combs & Company, Important Notice
You and/or your employees may be receiving information about a Blue Cross Blue Shield Class Action Settlement soon.
You may be eligible to submit a claim if you are an INDIVIDUAL, INSURED GROUP (and their employees) or a SELF-FUNDED ACCOUNT that purchased or was enrolled in a Blue Cross or Blue Shield from February 7, 2008 through October 16, 2020. This includes groups (and their employees) purchasing coverage through an Association Plan that utilizes one of these insurance companies.
The Net Settlement Fund is estimated to be approximately $1.9 billion after attorney fees, administration expenses and other costs are deducted from the total $2.67 billion Settlement Fund.
We can not estimate how much you might be eligible to receive as it will be based on the number of claimants and several other factors. If the total payment for any claimant is equal or less than $5.00, no payment will be made.
To learn more, please visit the official Settlement Website: http://bcbssettlement.com
| THE INSIDER LEGISLATIVE UPDATES BROADCAST Click the play button below for a broadcast where Colleen Patterson, Director, Employer Services and Compliance, and Christine Guzzardo, J.D., Senior Employer Services Specialist, ERISA, discuss the latest updates on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Settlement. |
Below is also some additional contact information for your reference.
- The settlement website: www.BCBSsettlement.com
- Toll-free inquiry number: (888)681-1142
- Email address: info@BCBSsettlement.com
Filed under: Colleen Blum, Combs & Company, Mental Health, Motivational, Try and Stop Me Podcast | Tags: Bryan Cush, Colleen Blum, Combs & Company, Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Try and Stop Me Podcast
Bryan Cush, Co-Founder of Tidal Health Group is on a mission to change the way consumers find providers.
Backed with a strong purpose and the courage to try, he and his team are tackling the large task at hand.
Listen along as Bryan shares a bit on his background, the company’s mission and some key valuable lessons he’s learned along the way so far.
You can Click Here to check out the podcast on Apple Podcasts!
Filed under: Combs & Company, Did You Know That?, Feature Friday, General Combs, Giving Back, Mizzou, Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, Mizzou Law Veterans Society, Roger E Combs, Sean ORourke, Susan L Combs, University of Missouri
Host: Sean C O’Rourke
Guest: Brent Filbert
“We have to make sure the Hell the veterans come home from is not the Hell they come back to.” Marcus Luttrell
Episode 2021:5
The quote above carries many connotations, but for the purposes of this episode of Did You Know That?, we’re focusing on the relationship between veterans and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). This is not a hit piece on the VA, but an exploration of how bureaucracy, politics, money, and other factors force many veterans into a pitch battle with the very government they served.
Brent Filbert is the clinical director and a supervising attorney at The Veterans Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law. This group of dedicated attorneys and law students take up the fight – free of charge – for veterans who aren’t receiving the benefits they earned for their service. It’s a disheartening conversation in some respects and inspiring in many others.
Check out the work of The Veterans Clinic by following the links below:
https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-missouri-columbia-school-of-law/
NOTE: This episode comes at a special time as we honor my late father-in-law, Maj. Gen. Roger E. Combs, with the #PancakesForRoger campaign on various social media platforms. To check out the story behind the endeavor, Click Here!
Music: “Continent” by ANBR via Artlist
Filed under: Combs & Company, General Combs, Giving Back, Mizzou, Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, Mizzou Law Veterans Society, Purple Foxes, Roger E Combs, University of Missouri | Tags: Air Force, Army, Combs & Company, CombsCrew, Marines, Mizzou Alumni, Mizzou Law, Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, MizzouMade, PancakesForRoger, Purple Foxes, SupportOurVets
February 1st kicks off Combs & Company’s annual campaign to support the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic, which helps veterans and their families navigate the VA claims process and secure disability benefits when they are faced with obstacles along the way. Combs & Company will make a donation to the Veterans Clinic for every pancake-loving picture you post on social media and use the hashtag #PancakesForRoger.
Many have asked how this campaign began. It began with a what seemed to be a simple request by my father for some pancakes.
My dad, Major General Roger E. Combs, served our great country for more than 39 years in three branches of the military (Marines, Army, and Air Force). When he was coming to the end of his life, I was fortunate enough to return home to King City, MO from my NYC home to be present and help care for him. Each morning we had a pretty specific routine as the early risers of the family. I would go to the gym at 5am, return home around 6am to get ready for the day, and then help him have breakfast and get him prepped for his day. One morning, as I came downstairs, he was setting the kitchen table for himself and I looked at him rather quizzically and asked what he was doing. He looked at me and said, “I want pancakes for breakfast.” I smiled at him as my heart broke inside.
Such a simple request was by this time impossible for my dad. Ten years prior, my father was diagnosed with Agent Orange-related throat cancer, from exposure during his service as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He’d beaten that cancer and enjoyed a relatively good ten years, but he relapsed twice, and his final treatments required him to have a feeding tube. He was unable to eat solid foods – and my dad loved food – but he never complained. He knew the journey he was on. So his desire for pancakes became a rallying point for me and #PancakesForRoger became my way to honor his greatness. I share this story as often as I can to help remind myself and others to enjoy the simple things in life, because you never know when they could be taken away.
So every February, to show support to many veterans who will come to be in my father’s shoes, I issue a challenge for the month to have some “Pancakes for Roger.” For each picture you post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and use the hashtag #PancakesForRoger, Combs & Company will make a donation in Maj. Gen. Combs’ name to the Veterans Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law to help further their mission to support our veterans and their families.
__________________
If you are looking to support the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic in a deeper way, feel free to CLICK HERE to make a donation!
Filed under: Combs & Company, Did You Know That?, Sean ORourke | Tags: Did You Know That?, Ellen Williams, Motivation Monday, Sean O'Rourke
“Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine.” Peter Sondergaard
If you’re reading this, stop for 60 seconds and think about the data you generate on a daily basis. (No rush, I’ll wait.) Now put that data into a number format, like 10GB or 100GB. Want to know a secret? You’ve probably underestimated your daily data footprint by a factor of 10 to 100.
In today’s hyper-digital world, it’s nearly impossible note to generate tremendous amounts of data. That data carries value for businesses, if they can understand and optimize what they have. That’s the problem though; most companies are not doing a good job leveraging all that information to make a better product/service, so they’re wasting a valuable resource.
Ellen Williams doesn’t like wasting data. She knows the value contained in those bits and bytes, and she knows how to extract that value. (You don’t get the moniker, The Data Chick, for nothing.) On episode 2021:3 of Did You Know That?, Ellen and I talk about data, what companies can do with it, and why they do anything with it (most of the time). The conversation is a good reminder that the service/product you produce isn’t the only thing valuable about your business.
Big sure to stay current with Ellen by visiting her at:
Company Website: https://www.orion-gs.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenwilliamsny/
Twitter: @Ellen_NY_B2B
Music: “Night Search” by Russo via Artlist
Filed under: Colleen Blum, Combs & Company, Combs & Company Blog, Motivational, Tenacious Tuesday, Try and Stop Me Podcast | Tags: Colleen Blum, Michael Shein, Tenacious Tuesday, The Hype Handbook, Try and Stop Me Podcast
Try & Stop Me Podcast with Host: Colleen Blum
Cult Leaders, Mischief Maker and Boundary Breakers– what do they all have in common whether we like to admit it or not? They understand what attracts like minded individuals and tap into those strengths to get HYPE from humans.
Michael Schein has been studying individuals for years gathering some interesting facts. As he says, “never in history have people been so susceptible to propaganda and persuasion as they are now. Hype truly runs our world.”
Now what if we could tap into the hype and use the strategies for good in the world and impactful business success? Well he has done just that, Mike is going to share with us his journey, which lead him to the creation of his new book “The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers”.
Buckle up for a truly interesting conversation.
You can grab The Hype Handbook on Amazon!
CLICK HERE to listen to the Podcast, or watch it below!
Filed under: Combs & Company, Did You Know That?, Feature Friday, Sean ORourke | Tags: Combs & Company, Cybersecurity, Did You Know That?, Feature Friday, Sean O'Rourke, Traci Carnes
Host: Sean O’Rourke
Guest: Traci Carnes
Title: Are Your Confident In Your Cybersecurity?
“The hacker didn’t succeed through sophistication. Rather he poked at obvious places, trying to enter through unlocked doors. Persistence, not wizardry, let him through.” Clifford Stoll, “The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage”
“The Cuckoo’s Egg” was published in 1989; I first read it in 1995. You know what’s amazing/annoying/frustrating/unsurprising? Not much has changed in the intervening 30+ years when it comes to hacking. Sure, the systems and tools have gotten more sophisticated, but persistence and unlocked doors remain the key hallmarks of most hacks.
Cybersecurity, especially for small- and mid-sized businesses, remains a hazy priority that seems to fall down the to-do list every time a company runs out of coffee or snacks. That’s just playing with gasoline and matches, and my next guest on Did You Know That? knows this firsthand. Traci Carnes has worn many a technology hat in her career, so she’s seen cybersecurity from all sides. Her thoughts and processes should inspire businesses to take a more proactive approach to minimizing the damage from a cyber event. Remember, it’s not if but when you’ll experience one.
Want to learn more about Traci and her extensive background? Check out her LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracicarnes/
Music: “Broken Radios” by Stanley Gurvich via Artlist
Filed under: Combs & Company, Did You Know That?, Sean ORourke | Tags: Combs & Company, Did You Know That?, Ramon Ray, Sean O'Rourke, Smart Hustle
Host: Sean C O’Rourke
Guest: Ramon Ray
“When things do not go your way, remember that every challenge — every adversity — contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth.” Roy T. Bennett
If you like understatement, then saying 2020 has been (or was, depending on when you’re reading this) a challenging year should make the top of your list. But among all that has gone wrong, that’s disrupted the norm, or been thrown into the unknown lies opportunity to come out the other end better, stronger, faster. (Yes, that’s a callout to one of my all-time favorite shows.)
In the latest edition of Did You Know That?, the engaging Ramon Ray talks about how businesses – of all sizes – can identify and take advantage of even the slimmest of opportunity. There are risks; it’s not for the faint of heart; but there are rewards to be had by you, your employees, and your customers/clients if you take a calculated leap. This is not about running after anything that catches your eye; this about smartly identifying where your business can fill a new need and moving with purpose in that direction.
If this is your first experience listening to Ramon, then get your pen and paper or keyboard ready, because he’s going to throw a lot of information out there and you’ll want to digest it afterward (or give this multiple watches; your choice).
You can also check out Ramon’s various works using the links or handles below:
Instagram: @ramonraysmarthustle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonraysmallbiz/
Check out Ramon’s website Smart Hustle or his speaking website HERE!
Music: “J.D. Scavenger” by Randy Sharp via Artlist
Filed under: Combs & Company, Did You Know That?, Feature Friday, Marketing, Marketing Yourself, Sean ORourke | Tags: Adrian Miller, Did You Know That?, Feature Friday, Sean O'Rourke
We all pretty much know the names and stories of the entrepreneurs who made it big (just check the list of the world’s richest people). But do you know the story of the person who started that dry cleaner’s down the block? How about your favorite non-chain coffee shop? That pub you frequent way too often? The graphic designer for the at-home workout app you’ve been frequenting?
If you think about it, entrepreneurship has been around since that first multi-cellular organism ventured off on its own to find a better source of food. Not much has changed in the intervening few billion years. (OK, maybe a few things.) Being an entrepreneur is still a risky, fulfilling, exhausting, invigorating, difficult, inspiring way of life, and my next guest on Did You Know That? has experienced it more than most.
Adrian Miller has been a successful entrepreneur – many times over – for 30+ years. She’s juggled multiple businesses for more than a decade now, all while being a mom, wife, world traveler, and fount of knowledge. If you’re thinking of taking the leap, or are struggling to keep your fire going, then this is the episode you don’t want to miss.
To learn more about Adrian’s fascinating history, check out her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amillersalestraining/.
Music: “DuDa” by Ian Post via Artlist
Filed under: Combs & Company, Did You Know That?, Feature Friday, Marketing, Sean ORourke | Tags: Did You Know That?, Feature Friday, Hi-Tech Resource Recovery Inc, Mr. T Carting, Paul Zambrotta, Sean O'Rourke
Host: Sean C O’Rourke
Guest: Paul Zambrotta
“There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.” Annie Leonard
I’m not a terribly nostalgic person, but have to admit, this episode took me back to show and tell in grammar school.
Have you ever heard the term wish-cycling? No, not the practice of wishing for the same thing each time you blow out birthday candles. This is the practice of throwing an item into a recycling bin in the hopes it can be recycled. While the intention may be good, in practice, this act of hope has real negative consequences – it can turn good recyclables into trash.
My next guest on Did You Know That? is Paul Zambrotta, Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Hi-Tech Resource Recovery, Inc. & Scholes Street Recycling Corp., and Director of Safety at Mr. T Carting. Paul’s grandfather, Tom Toscano (aka, Pop), started Mr. T Carting with one truck in 1947 and the family of companies has grown with the city to better address waste and recycling efforts.
The chat with Paul is broken into two segments. First, we discuss the overall status of the recycling business and market, with an emphasis on where we, the consumers, are falling short on proper recycling. The real fun begins with part two, where Paul and I go through many common household items to determine what can go into the recycling containers and what should hit the trash. I think you may be surprised by some of his answers.
To learn more about Paul and his work, check out his LinkedIn profile, CLICK HERE
To learn more about plastic recycling, visit Waste4Change by CLICKING HERE
Music: “Urban Drummers” by Mike Kirin via. Artlist
combsandco 