March 2008

StarLine Group is pleased to announce a partnership with The Phia Group, LLC, whereby The Phia Group will provide subrogation claim identification and recovery services to StarLine Group’s Managed Care clients.   StarLine Group’s Managed Care clients will benefit from services such as up-front claims recovery analysis, client consultations, on-site training, legal services, data integration and system implementation.

Adam V. Russo, Esq., a co-founder at The Phia Group stated, "We here at The Phia Group are extremely excited about our alliance with StarLine in their Managed Care products and services. Under this arrangement, we can offer unique and innovative recovery solutions to StarLine's customers.” Michael Branco, the other principal of The Phia Group, added, “Our expanded StarLine relationship will present an efficient cost-containment solution to benefit plans nationwide. We look forward to working with StarLine’s Managed Care clients.”

Kelly Munger, StarLine’s Sr. Vice President, Managed Care stated that “Our partnership with The Phia Group brings to our clients Phia’s proven methodology which will result in increased subrogation recoveries and hard dollar savings for our clients.  We are excited that we can bring these value-added services to our clients.”  Liz Midtlien, StarLine’s Sr. Vice President of Sales added, “The addition of Phia’s services beyond our Employer Stop Loss customer base will provide a unique solution for our excess of loss, managed care customers.  Subrogation is an area that needs to be continuously managed and this partnership will help our customers to maximize their profits.”

October 2007

StarLine Group has added another experienced professional to its Medical Stop Loss team.  Joyce Downey Jacobsen, CLU has joined StarLine Group as Vice President of Stop Loss.  Joyce brings over 35 years of experience in underwriting, management, and training in Group Accident and Health insurance products. Before joining StarLine, she has held senior level positions within several organizations including a nationally recognized Life and Health carrier, a Managing General Underwriter and a national Third Party Administrator.  Joyce holds the prestigious designation of Chartered Life Underwriter.

In the role of Vice President of Stop Loss at StarLine, she is responsible for driving the overall Stop Loss underwriting philosophy and management of the day to day adherence to underwriting guidelines, policies and procedures.

June 2007

StarLine Group is pleased to announce that Mark Fiechter has joined the company as a Sales Vice President.  As a member of StarLine’s National Sales Team Mark will be distributing our range of products with a particular focus on our Specialty Accident and Health products. 

Mark has more than seventeen years experience in the Accident and Health market.  He comes to StarLine from a national Managing General Underwriter where he established the firm’s Chicago office.  Mark also has extensive A & H experience with two major domestic carriers.

Mark is a graduate of St. John’s University in New York.  He will be based in the Chicago area.

May 2007

Dan Johnson has joined StarLine Group as a Sales Vice President.  Dan has over thirty years of experience in the group insurance marketplace including eighteen years in the Managed Care business.  He has an extensive background and many relationships in the HMO Reinsurance marketplace.  Most recently, he was responsible for leading national direct sales efforts for HMO Reinsurance, Medical Excess and Provider Excess products for a large domestic carrier.  

While his recent experience has been with Managed Care products, Dan will be selling all StarLine products through StarLine distribution sources in addition to providing expertise and direction as we build our Managed Care business.  His long track record of success makes him both well-known and well-respected in the marketplace.

May 2007

StarLine Group strengthened its Managed Care team by adding Dawn Carlsgaard as a Managed Care Underwriter. 

Dawn will be underwriting and pricing the HMO Reinsurance, Medical Excess and Provider Excess products.  She will be working with Travis Brenden, StarLine’s Vice President of Managed Care Underwriting. 

Dawn comes to StarLine with extensive experience and an in-depth knowledge of Managed Care products and marketplace.  She previously worked as a senior underwriter for two carriers specializing in HMO Reinsurance and Provider Excess and was a Managed Care Servicing Broker.

March 2007

StarLine Group is pleased to announce it has recently completed a major expansion of both its product portfolio and personnel.  The company has hired a National Sales team that will focus on selling the company’s broad range of Specialty Accident and Health products.  In addition, StarLine has added Managed Care expertise and products to its offerings.

StarLine's National Sales team is led by Elizabeth Midtlien, Senior Vice President Sales and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.  The team includes Sales Vice Presidents Machelle Applegate, Lisa Burns and Adam Gottesman, and Director of Sales Greg Tierney.  Each member of the team is experienced in the medical excess of loss and employee benefits markets, and together the team has over 100 years of experience in the insurance industry.

StarLine's Managed Care division is headed up by Kelly Munger FSA, MAAA, Senior Vice President of Managed Care.  Kelly is a former Vice President of Allianz Life and has been underwriting Managed Care products since 1994.  Travis Brenden FSA, MAAA, is the division’s Vice President of Underwriting and brings an actuarial focus to StarLine's underwriting of reinsurance and insurance products for HMO’s, providers and insurance companies.  StarLine's Managed Care products include HMO Reinsurance, Provider Excess Insurance and Medical Excess Reinsurance.  StarLine has also strengthened its Medical Stop Loss unit by adding Kenneth Gildner as Vice President of Medical Stop Loss Underwriting.

“Adding the Managed Care and Sales teams enables StarLine to bring our service focused approach to the Managed Care market, which has seen change recently as a consequence of mergers and acquisitions,” comments StarLine's President, Robert Tierney.  “The market is demanding service, security, innovation and stability and that is what we deliver.”

September 2006

StarLine Group is proud to welcome Gayle Schroeder as its new Vice President of Medical Management.  Gayle is a licensed Registered Nurse and Certified Case Manager.  She has extensive experience in the insurance industry with both carriers and MGU's.  She has held medical management positions at NBR (now part of UnitedHealth Group) and at IOA Re.  Gayle will assume overall responsibility for StarLine’s Medical Management program including responsibility for the clinical assessment of all disclosed (potential) claimants on in-force and new stop loss cases.  We are very happy to have Gayle as a member of the StarLine team.