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    What to Expect in 2017 Part One of Three

    October 14, 2016
    For those who thought things would settle down by now—nearly seven years after the ACA was signed into law—think again. It’s pretty clear that 2017 will be another tumultuous year, so we thought it would be a good idea to look ahead and tell you what’s you can expect for the year to come. There are too many changes to cover in a single article, so we’ll tackle a few at a time. In this three-part series, we’ll discuss the big 1) political developments, 2) product changes, and 3) practice management considerations for 2017. Let’s start off with the upcoming election and what it could mean for the health reform law.
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    A Look at the Candidates’ Health Care Proposals

    September 29, 2016
    When you enter the voting booth in November, there are lot of things to consider and a lot of reasons to vote for—or against—one of the two major candidates running for President. This article has nothing to do with that. Everyone has their own political issues that are important to them, and it’s not our job to tell you how to vote. That said, we know that agents are concerned about how this election might affect the Affordable Care Act in 2017 and beyond, and we also know that your clients will be looking to you for guidance. With that in mind, we believe this is a great time for a quick overview of both Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s health care proposals. You can get more information on the Clinton and Trump campaign websites.
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    It’s time to set expectations for your Marketplace clients

    September 13, 2016
    For the past few months, we’ve commented several times that we’re not sure what’s going to happen with the individual market this fall while continuing to point out that it could be a mess. If you’ve kept up with the news over the past several weeks, now you see why. A number of major carriers have announced that they won’t participate in the federal or state marketplaces in 2017, and those that remain are making a number of premium and plan design adjustments that our clients won’t be too happy with. That’s why it’s probably time for a “sit down” with your individual clients, particularly the ones receiving a premium tax credit. You need to set expectations for them as we head into the ACA’s fourth annual open enrollment period.
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    Are You a Salesperson or an Order Taker?

    September 5, 2016
    Shortly after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, insurance carriers across the nation, particularly in the individual market, slashed the commissions they pay to agents and brokers.
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    What you need to know about the ACA grace period

    August 25, 2016
    As many agents are discovering, health care providers may think twice when treating patients enrolled in ACA-qualified individual plans and receiving an Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC). If you haven’t studied the ACA grace period rules, you may not understand why. In this post, we’ll provide a quick overview of those rules.
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    IRS Announces HSA Limits for 2017

    August 11, 2016
    The IRS recently announced the new HSA contribution, deductible, and out-of-pocket limits for 2017, and not much is changing. In fact, the only change is to the individual contribution limit: it’s increasing from $3,350 to $3,400. Everything else is staying the same.
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    The Future is Bright

    July 31, 2016
    We like to focus on the things we should be thankful for. You might have guessed, this is a feel-good article. Our hope is that if you’re feeling a bit down, it’ll help you realize how fortunate we all are to work in the insurance industry. We certainly feel fortunate and believe that the future is bright for health insurance agents. Instead of focusing on the negative, we thought we’d focus on the things we should be thankful for. Here’s why:
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    2017 Marketplace and Medicare Registration and Training

    July 26, 2016
    Remember the good old days when agents took a test, got licensed, and then simply had to complete a few continuing education classes each year to maintain their license? Not anymore. If you sell in either the individual or the Medicare markets, the government requires agents to complete annual training to remain certified to sell through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM). And guess what? It’s that time of the year again.
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    What type of broker are you?

    July 11, 2016
    Consumers come in all shapes and sizes, and as a result you need different strategies for selling to different consumers. For instance, some people understand the need for health insurance and have plenty of funds to buy it. While they may be a minority, they’re the type of clients that immediately understand the value of having health insurance, and these types of clients are more likely to result in a simple sale for you. But, many other sales take a bit more effort.
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    Here’s a Great Way to Supplement Your Commissions

    July 5, 2016
    When consumers buy less coverage, the cost of that coverage is supposed to go down. But that’s not what’s happened in recent years. Deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are higher than ever before, and so are monthly premiums—for millions of Americans, the new ACA plans really aren’t all that affordable.
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