UTAH EDITION

Legislative Update

The Insurance Department is preparing seven bills for the 2006 legislature, three of which have been formatted in legislative language, and none have been assigned bill numbers.   The bills include:

Insurance Reports, Tables, and Examinations amendments:

• expand the purposes for which annual statement forms shall be used;
• modify examination provisions;
• address market regulation surveillance;
• grant rulemaking authority;
• address cooperation with other states in conducting examinations;
• delete the requirement that the commissioner obtain and publish certain tables; and
• make technical changes.

Major amendments to the Producer Law Insurance are new provisions on:

• revocation, suspension, surrender, lapsing, or limiting of license;
• probation – grounds for revocation; and
• license lapse and voluntary surrender.

Insurance Law amendments are mainly technical amendments.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Where We Are

5295 South 320 West, Suite 280
Salt Lake City, UT 84107
Telephone: 800.261.5731
Fax: 801.261.7537

Who to Contact

Christine Berndt
303.691.3140
Christine.Berndt@cigna.com

Experienced Local Leadership

Daryl W. Edmonds, President and General Manager
Daryl Edmonds joined CIGNA HealthCare, as president and general manager of the Colorado health plan, in 1997. Responsible for sales and operations, Edmonds has led his management team into the 21st century as one of the only managed care organizations in the state to achieve profitability and maintain steady growth for the past eight consecutive years. Edmonds is President and Market Leader for Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Washington and Oregon.

Edmonds, who has 19 years experience overseeing health plans, is a graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business. He is active in the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce; serves on the board of directors of the March of Dimes as well as Cover Colorado and was a past board member of Junior Achievement; was past president of the Colorado Association of Health Plans; and serves on the Business Council on Healthcare Competition.

Christine Berndt, Vice President of Sales and Customer Relations, New Mexico and Utah
Christine is responsible for leading new business sales and client retention for the New Mexico and Utah markets, as well as ensuring all our constituents receive high quality customer service.

Berndt came from Odyssey Healthcare where she served as the general manager for the organization’s Denver operations. Berndt, a Denver resident, has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Brandeis University.

Edward Fenstermacher, M.D. - Medical Director for Mountain States Region
Edward Fenstermacher, M.D., is the medical director for the mountain states region.  Based in Denver, Dr. Fenstermacher oversees member health care and services and continues to build upon CIGNA’s commitment to improving transparency and empowering members to be smart health care consumers.  Previously he served as a medical director for CIGNA HealthCare in Arizona, overseeing inpatient utilization of the health plan’s offerings and services.  He also served as chief medical officer for Maricopa Integrated Health Care System in Arizona, and medical director for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s managed care Medicaid agency.

Prior to entering the health benefits industry, Dr. Fenstermacher was a plastic surgeon specializing in hand and reconstructive surgeries.  He served as chief of surgery at Desert Samaritan Hospital in Mesa, Arizona, and had successful clinical practices in Arizona and Wyoming.  Dr. Fenstermacher also devoted a significant amount of time during his professional clinical career to performing pro bono reconstructive surgeries in Australia, Africa, South America and other impoverished areas around the world. 

Dr. Fenstermacher received his M.D. from the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine in Denver. He earned a master’s degree in business administration and health services administration from Arizona State University in Tempe.

Stephanie Hancock, Dental Sales Manager/Client Manager
Stephanie Hancock is responsible for working with internal partners and brokers to generate new dental membership and retain and grow the existing dental customer accounts for Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

Hancock, a Denver resident, has worked for CIGNA HealthCare for six years and most recently served as a client strategy specialist responsible for servicing day to day client needs and promoting employee health awareness and wellness.  Prior to that she was an enrollment specialist for two years. Hancock graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Texas Southern University.