As part of governance changes made in 2017, BISG created the Association Advisory Council (AAC), a gathering of associations serving the many parts of book publishing. Inspired by similar convenings hosted by the American Booksellers Association and the Association of American Publishers, the AAC has met quarterly since late 2017.
At a meeting in April 2018, Kent Watson, then the executive director of PubWest, proposed that the group evaluate the feasibility of providing healthcare coverage to the various organizations members. The AAC chair, IBPA president & CEO Angela Bole, took on the challenge, gathering a group that at various times numbered more than 20 associations.
Given the topic, the work was as intricate as you'd expect, and there were stops, restarts, and lots of education about how healthcare works in the U.S. Last week, ten associations finalized an agreement with LIG Solutions to offer healthcare to their members, with a launch date planned for later this summer.
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