Will Brokers Still Be Needed? Less Than 1% Signed Up

[Crabcake Johnny]

So I'm doing a site for a CT agent and we were talking this morning about the role of brokers in all of this. How many will sign up without one?

Well in CT yesterday, less than 1% actually signed up: Less Than 1% of Visitors to Connecticut Healthcare Exchange Signed Up, Will Media Care? | NewsBusters

The signup process for a single person who is above 400% FPL (meaning no income info) is 35 screens. A family qualifying for a subsidy is 95 screens of info.

Without a broker, IMHO, very few are going to do this on their own.

 

[SecureHealth1]

Hold the phone, did you say 95 pages to complete the enrollment????

 

[LGilmore]

You know, as I sat through the licensing meeting for our exchange it became painfully CLEAR agents will be needed. It probably became clear to the folks that run the exchange that agents will be needed too.

 

[HealthGuy]

the problem all along for years has been this almost obsessive focus on the role of the navigator (to the complete exclusion of the agent)...signups for this thing were DOOMED to fail because we have been IGNORED all along..Its almost so simple I could say DUMB and I told ya so...We have been literally like a ghost during all this..Soon they will know they NEED us.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Hold the phone, did you say 95 pages to complete the enrollment????

That's not a typo. He actually took screen shots of all 35 screens. That was for a single male without a subsidy. Correct on 95 screens for a family with a subsidy.

 

[Dave020]

You know, as I sat through the licensing meeting for our exchange it became painfully CLEAR agents will be needed. It probably became clear to the folks that run the exchange that agents will be needed too.

The Covered CA presenters last Friday in San Jose made it clear for 8 straight hours that agents (we have to use "agent" in California now, broker is verboten) were not only needed, but critical to enrollments.

Assuming the same in other states but Covered CA will be providing leads to agents from the direct call-ins or logins. I guess it's by zip code. We will have a dashboard loaded daily with any leads they send to us where we have to update status on what we did (or doing) with that lead.

 

[VolAgent]

Please tell me CT is a state and not federal exchange. Who has the patience for 35 pages, much less 95? Or are they pretty much just one field and then hit next?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Please tell me CT is a state and not federal exchange. Who has the patience for 35 pages, much less 95? Or are they pretty much just one field and then hit next?

CT is running their own exchange.

 

[bobson]

So I'm doing a site for a CT agent and we were talking this morning about the role of brokers in all of this. How many will sign up without one?

Well in CT yesterday, less than 1% actually signed up: Less Than 1% of Visitors to Connecticut Healthcare Exchange Signed Up, Will Media Care? | NewsBusters

The signup process for a single person who is above 400% FPL (meaning no income info) is 35 screens. A family qualifying for a subsidy is 95 screens of info.

Without a broker, IMHO, very few are going to do this on their own.

Only the government can provide a guarenteed product and it take 35 screens to get issued.

 

[Ann H]

The Covered CA presenters last Friday in San Jose made it clear for 8 straight hours that agents (we have to use "agent" in California now, broker is verboten) were not only needed, but critical to enrollments.

Assuming the same in other states but Covered CA will be providing leads to agents from the direct call-ins or logins. I guess it's by zip code. We will have a dashboard loaded daily with any leads they send to us where we have to update status on what we did (or doing) with that lead.

That is incredible news, Dave. I have seen the amount of work you have put in, to keep up-to-date with the rules in California. I hope those leads are good ones, and you can reap a great harvest from it. I'm glad Covered CA recognizes the value of agents like you.