Consumer's Deserve the Right to Choose their Agent!
149 Comments
B
Brooks Watson
10 years ago
I feel badly for all the individual's calling in re: high OOP cost's on their plans. It seems like ACA should have been for "Accessibility Act" not "Affordability Act". It's still unaffordable and effecting the middle classes in a way I've never seen
P
Patrick Freeman
10 years ago
Brokers and Agents do lots of work we don't get paid for on behalf of clients. Reducing or eliminating commissions will cost everyone in the longer run.
A
Anthony J Haney
10 years ago
Insurance is a complex & often confusing purchase. Employers & individuals deserve to have assistance in choosing the correct coverage. Those that went to school for & have kept up with all of the changes should be compensated for providing that assistance. Just like a lawyer or CPA. The carriers have decided to basically block the market. No one can sell & service something with no compensation.
L
Larry Kohler
10 years ago
Thank You!!! It's a Shame that our Government continues to try and Control every aspect of the American Economy.
G
Gary Kobran
10 years ago
OK, you don't really need an adviser or a broker to buy shoes. And if the shoes don't fit, you can return them. Insurance is not like shoes. There are many moving parts and the consumer and the employer need the expert advice brokers provide--about the policy and about the many laws and regulations which apply. You don't get to return your insurance policy in a postage paid envelope if it does not fit. Keep brokers in the process!
B
Bruce Pockey
10 years ago
We need to be heard. As an agent and as a consumer I strongly recommend the Justice Department not allow the merger of Aetna and Humana. It is bad for competition and for consumer choice. Cost will rise to the consumer and choice will be reduced.
S
S Tiffany MacFerrin RHU
10 years ago
So when we go out of business, how do we pay our premiums ourselves, and then, how does that add up to more people being insured? I have been doing this for over 20 years and know the difference I make is HUGE!
S
Shannon Wesley
10 years ago
The license and certifications cost me and my agency money and not to mention productivity time and for what?
J
Jerry Orlans
10 years ago
Feds give tax dollars to Navigators, doing the job Agents are licensed to do, yet carriers don't want to pay us professionals a fair commission. Take us out of the MLR!
M
Marcia P Friedman
10 years ago
How long would legislators show up if they didn't get paid?
P
Patrick Freeman
10 years ago
As Brokers and Agents we [provide an invaluable service to the consumer and the Insurance companies. I have noticed that the average age of Insurance Professionals in now above 60 years old. No new agents are coming into the business because of the low compensation and the sheer amount of knowledge and background that it takes to be an effective agent/broker.
Insurance companies also depend on us for client service since they have a tough time keeping permanent staff due to the 80-85% rule (% of premiums that must be paid out as claims.).
A
Andrea McLoy
10 years ago
We do a very important job that we care about... We need to be paid just like other professionals in their professions!
J
James L Shubert CLU ChFC
10 years ago
The work of an agent is not just the quoting, selling, and enrollment that takes place initially. It also includes handling questions and service needs of the client all year long. All of this takes time and there should be compensation for that time as there is in any other profession. Enrolling a client after the open enrollment period actually requires additional work. The concept of not paying the agent for that work does not seem fair.
D
DORI CACCAMISE
10 years ago
Clients need professional assistance when reviewing their health insurance options. It's far too complicated for the average person to understand all the variables & nuances of post-ACA health insurance, deductible, co-insurance and network limitations. As a licensed insurance agent who completes many hours of continuing education, we are best suited to continue helping the public and we deserve to be fairly compensated for the time we spend assisting the consumer with not only purchasing insurance coverage but with after-the-sale claims & billing issues.
S
Sandra Barr
10 years ago
People look at me with 'deer in the headlights' look when they are looking at health insurance! They turn to me for informed, educated help. The fact that we agents do not charge for our services before, during and well after the sale speaks volumes to the consumer. With our commissions being included in the premium, we are added value services. The problem is...we cannot do this for free. We agents take pride in being able to help the consumer.
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
I've had more people continue to call me for help navigating ACA indvidiual and group coverage. The insurance companies are limited in their service and "speak" in insurance talk, people need civilian explanations!
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
The clients who see me for help with navigating Healthcare.gov want a licensed agent who understands how this works, will provide quality customer service beyond just the sale. I have overhead, staff, and bills that I must pay and need to be paid for the time that I spend during the year helping people, not just those who come to see me during open enrollment.
L
Larry Hardy, RHU
10 years ago
Consumers turn to agents for advice. Agents give informed advice.
B
Barry Cogdill
10 years ago
A professional health insurance agent knows more about the workings of the ACA than most other sources. We do not charge a fee to help people choose, understand, and use their health insurance because the insurance companies get their products sold by us, and that saves them a lot of money they would have had to spend on a company paid sales force. They pay a commission to us as a 1099 vendor. That "fee" paid to us is baked into the annual premium rate filings from each insurer. Our services are one of the best values in health insurance, and they go beyond the sale of the product; they go on through assistance with claims and billing, customer service, and renewal help. That after sale service takes paid employees to do it right. We cannot offer top quality health insurance agent assistance for free--no business can survive that.
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
I recently moved to a new state and for fun entered my families info into a search engine looking for health insurance. I received several calls and spoke with various "internet agents" who asked questions that were not pertinent and did not give the best advise either. There is a lot of bad advice out there and NAHU brokers follow the code of ethics.
I feel badly for all the individual's calling in re: high OOP cost's on their plans. It seems like ACA should have been for "Accessibility Act" not "Affordability Act". It's still unaffordable and effecting the middle classes in a way I've never seen
Brokers and Agents do lots of work we don't get paid for on behalf of clients. Reducing or eliminating commissions will cost everyone in the longer run.
Insurance is a complex & often confusing purchase. Employers & individuals deserve to have assistance in choosing the correct coverage. Those that went to school for & have kept up with all of the changes should be compensated for providing that assistance. Just like a lawyer or CPA. The carriers have decided to basically block the market. No one can sell & service something with no compensation.
Thank You!!! It's a Shame that our Government continues to try and Control every aspect of the American Economy.
OK, you don't really need an adviser or a broker to buy shoes. And if the shoes don't fit, you can return them. Insurance is not like shoes. There are many moving parts and the consumer and the employer need the expert advice brokers provide--about the policy and about the many laws and regulations which apply. You don't get to return your insurance policy in a postage paid envelope if it does not fit. Keep brokers in the process!
We need to be heard. As an agent and as a consumer I strongly recommend the Justice Department not allow the merger of Aetna and Humana. It is bad for competition and for consumer choice. Cost will rise to the consumer and choice will be reduced.
So when we go out of business, how do we pay our premiums ourselves, and then, how does that add up to more people being insured? I have been doing this for over 20 years and know the difference I make is HUGE!
The license and certifications cost me and my agency money and not to mention productivity time and for what?
Feds give tax dollars to Navigators, doing the job Agents are licensed to do, yet carriers don't want to pay us professionals a fair commission. Take us out of the MLR!
How long would legislators show up if they didn't get paid?
As Brokers and Agents we [provide an invaluable service to the consumer and the Insurance companies. I have noticed that the average age of Insurance Professionals in now above 60 years old. No new agents are coming into the business because of the low compensation and the sheer amount of knowledge and background that it takes to be an effective agent/broker. Insurance companies also depend on us for client service since they have a tough time keeping permanent staff due to the 80-85% rule (% of premiums that must be paid out as claims.).
We do a very important job that we care about... We need to be paid just like other professionals in their professions!
The work of an agent is not just the quoting, selling, and enrollment that takes place initially. It also includes handling questions and service needs of the client all year long. All of this takes time and there should be compensation for that time as there is in any other profession. Enrolling a client after the open enrollment period actually requires additional work. The concept of not paying the agent for that work does not seem fair.
Clients need professional assistance when reviewing their health insurance options. It's far too complicated for the average person to understand all the variables & nuances of post-ACA health insurance, deductible, co-insurance and network limitations. As a licensed insurance agent who completes many hours of continuing education, we are best suited to continue helping the public and we deserve to be fairly compensated for the time we spend assisting the consumer with not only purchasing insurance coverage but with after-the-sale claims & billing issues.
People look at me with 'deer in the headlights' look when they are looking at health insurance! They turn to me for informed, educated help. The fact that we agents do not charge for our services before, during and well after the sale speaks volumes to the consumer. With our commissions being included in the premium, we are added value services. The problem is...we cannot do this for free. We agents take pride in being able to help the consumer.
I've had more people continue to call me for help navigating ACA indvidiual and group coverage. The insurance companies are limited in their service and "speak" in insurance talk, people need civilian explanations!
The clients who see me for help with navigating Healthcare.gov want a licensed agent who understands how this works, will provide quality customer service beyond just the sale. I have overhead, staff, and bills that I must pay and need to be paid for the time that I spend during the year helping people, not just those who come to see me during open enrollment.
Consumers turn to agents for advice. Agents give informed advice.
A professional health insurance agent knows more about the workings of the ACA than most other sources. We do not charge a fee to help people choose, understand, and use their health insurance because the insurance companies get their products sold by us, and that saves them a lot of money they would have had to spend on a company paid sales force. They pay a commission to us as a 1099 vendor. That "fee" paid to us is baked into the annual premium rate filings from each insurer. Our services are one of the best values in health insurance, and they go beyond the sale of the product; they go on through assistance with claims and billing, customer service, and renewal help. That after sale service takes paid employees to do it right. We cannot offer top quality health insurance agent assistance for free--no business can survive that.
I recently moved to a new state and for fun entered my families info into a search engine looking for health insurance. I received several calls and spoke with various "internet agents" who asked questions that were not pertinent and did not give the best advise either. There is a lot of bad advice out there and NAHU brokers follow the code of ethics.