The United States, as we’ve long been told, has the best health care system in the world. We have the best technology, top-notch medical providers, live-saving prescription drugs, and a free-market system that encourages innovation.
2020 has been a rough year, and unfortunately the first part of 2021 could be pretty similar. The coronavirus pandemic has done significant damage to the economy, making it difficult for some of our clients to maintain their health insurance coverage. At the same time, there’s a dangerous virus out there, so people certainly recognize the need for health insurance. Demand is up, even if our clients’ ability to pay is less certain.
A lot of agents are good at analyzing a client’s options, doing the math, and then recommending a plan that will save the client the most money. After all, that is a big part of the agent’s job: to provide analysis and advice to the client.
We recently wrote about the expected increase in demand for individual health plans this fall. Millions of workers have lost their group coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so they’ll be shopping for insurance in the individual market.
Life is full of risks, and as insurance agents, we help our clients reduce their exposure to some of these risks by selling them products that will indemnify them if they have a covered loss. However, as we all know, most insurance policies—and this is certainly true when talking about health insurance—do not provide total protection, and it’s impossible to insure everything.
A lot of independent agents work in a silo. They communicate with their clients and prospects but rarely interact with other brokers. And that’s a shame. Not only is there a lot to learn by getting to know your peers, but it could also help you get more leads and sell more business.
At this point, most agents have begun to realize that there might be a higher-than-normal demand for individual health insurance this fall. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a lot of companies to furlough or lay off employees, causing them to lose their health coverage. While COBRA is an option for some, others worked for companies that have had to drop their group health plan altogether, leaving them with no continuation option.
We’ve all heard the expression “time is money.” From this statement, we can conclude that if we had more time, we could make more money—wouldn’t that be nice?
In the old days (and the old days weren’t that long ago), most business was done face-to-face or over the phone. In fact, that’s probably how many of you did business until the pandemic hit. While traveling to an appointment or having a phone conversation can be time consuming, they can also help you build relationships with your clients.
