Fear The Health Insurance Exchange

The Massachusetts Connector has only enrolled 18,000 people in the past three years yet total health care enrollment was 170,000. Subtract to see how many people won't buy insurance online through an exchange.

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True but with guaranteed issue you also have to keep in mind that the carriers are working day and night to go around the agents too. So it is not just a matter of people going to the exchanges.

In my state, most indivual enrollments are with Anthem and they are direct off their website or telephone sales. So if they have the exchange, probably at some point you can still show data that says that people purchased outside of the exchange. That doesnt however mean (in my state anyway) that it was through an independant agent.

The model I compare it to in my mind is AARP med supps. They are out there there on TV and through mailings gunning day and night to have clients enroll direct. The more business they get without agents, the better. However, they are still offering a pittance for a commission so if that works for the agent, then it works for them too. I expect health sales to be like that in the future and I expect to get involved but with more bounded expectations than those who are used to greener pastures. On the other hand, I am in a state that has no independent health agents except for some mega crap and some doing groups because the government killed them all off and Anthem closed contracts to outsiders. If I can get my share of the pie and someone else's (however small that may be) well, then, that's fine too.

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Gotta watch your DOI regs on that. In MD if you want to charge your client a fee for your services you need to be licensed for 3 years - also need a special license.
 
M&M if I had it my way all agents would have to post a $1,000 bond before they got their license. Would solve an awful lot of problems.


Yep.

It amazes me - insurance reps are dealing with people's health, finances, families, estates, legacies and much more, and we just need to pass a test. A bond and an extra credential or two would weed out many of the get-rich-quick chasers who are damaging this industry so badly.

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I wished that happened. Thats what happened with surety bail agents. Test got easier, more fly by night companies started up, and now quality is down the tubes and now states have huge debt from courts unable to collect from those fly by nighters.
I would even go as far as having bond levels per line of insurance...
 
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