CapCon 2011

Hello,

Well it's Sunday afternoon and I'm in Washington DC at the Hyatt Regency, home of this year's Capitol Conference. In coordinating and preparing for my meetings, I have been thinking about what points I will make to the legislators I’ll be speaking with. Last year, the message was all about the various aspects of the proposed healthcare reform legislation. Since the legislation had not yet passed, the message was one of education so that the representatives would know what was in the bill that was good and what was in that was not. I believe NAHU made great strides to prevent a healthcare reform bill that could have been much worse (if you can imagine). This year we're in a post healthcare reform world and that world is still very uncertain. Many aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act have yet to reveal their effects on health insurance or their impact. I am very interested to hear what other agents and brokers are planning for in their meetings.

As a health care agent and broker I have three concerns. One; that my clients and customers get the kind of health insurance they need. Two; that my clients and customers are able to afford the premiums for the health insurance they need. Three; that I am able to earn a living helping my clients make decisions about items one and two. I truly feel that my clients are better off with me than without me. In order for me to stay around, I need to earn revenue. I am not ashamed to admit that I collect commissions for the work I do.

I'll be honest I’m not convinced that some of the coverage enhancements that took effect this past year were all bad. I like the fact that I don't worry that one of my clients will call panicked because an employee was just diagnosed with MS and is going to chew through their prescription plan maximum in about a week and a half. I also like the fact that I don't have to worry about a pre-existing condition exclusion, that I'm not able to remove from a policy (even at an extra cost), constantly burdening a small company’s human resources department in case they forget to provide a HIPAA certificate, or worse, forget to explain to a new employee, who has had a lapse of coverage for more than 63 days, that certain claims could be denied.

What I don't like is the cost. I think no one does. That’s what I want to find out while I’m here. How, exactly, are rates and premiums supposed to come down if coverage gets better, and some are challenging that not everyone has to participate? That is the question I’ll be asking everyone here. I’ll let you know what they all say.

So, there you go. I think this year’s Cap Con message from me will be- How can we make this more affordable and how do I ensure my future (and yours) in the health insurance industry.

Stay tuned…