North Bay Business Journal

The political and legal challenges to federal health reform may finally be settled with the reelection of President Obama and the Supreme Court’s upholding of the Affordable Care Act, but, even with that seeming sense of finality, a host of challenges lay ahead for all levels of the industry.

Michael Parr is an employee benefits agent with NorthWest Insurance Agency, a subsidiary of George Petersen Insurance Agency. He started a 20-year business career at Oracle Corporation in various technical support and sales management roles in the Bay Area and Boston. Following Oracle, he became an employee benefits broker for a large agency in New England, handling clients throughout the East Coast. In 2008, he returned to California, where he joined NorthWest. His focus is on business clients using his extensive industry knowledge of employee benefits in health, dental, life and disability products.

George Petersen Insurance Agency completed its move from one College Ave. location in Santa Rosa to another, at 175 West College Ave. last week, which was the result of the company absorbing NorthWest Insurance in 2010.

SANTA ROSA — George Petersen Insurance, the North Bay’s second largest property and casualty insurance agency, will soon relocate headquarters from its current 627 College Ave. location to another, larger building at 175 West College Ave.

SANTA ROSA — George Petersen Insurance Agency has acquired longtime competitor NorthWest Insurance Agency Inc., bringing together the North Bay’s second- and fifth-largest property and casualty insurance brokerages.

SANTA ROSA — George Petersen Insurance Agency today announced it acquired longtime competitor NorthWest Insurance Agency Inc., bringing together the North Bay’s second- and fifth-largest property and casualty insurance brokerages.

The acquisition, set to begin Sept. 1, includes six NorthWest Insurance operations in Santa Rosa, Napa, Ukiah, Gualala, Fort Bragg and Eureka, according to George Petersen President and Chief Executive Officer Charlie Bussman. Other terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

NORTH BAY – In an informal survey of the region’s top insurance brokerages, experts described prospects for the open enrollment season in several recurring and dismal themes: watered-down coverage, double-digit increases and more simply giving up on benefits all together.

CALIFORNIA – The four-year decline in workers’ compensation insurance rates, which dropped another 18 percent last year, is showing early signs of a halt in 2009, according to North Bay brokers who warn that a dramatic swing could come fast and without warning.

When the health-savings-account-based, “consumer-driven” insurance concept was introduced about 10 years ago, it puzzled many and enrolled few, but brokers say with the deepening recession and persistent health benefit cost increases the plans are gaining traction.