A presidential election year can seem like a time of uncertainty. The current President is trying to hang on to his job while other candidates—in this case, a couple dozen other candidates—are busy explaining all the things that they will change if they are able to unseat him. Other elected officials are up for re-election as well, so there are plenty of proposals and promises and criticisms and sound bites. With all of the noise, it’s easy to understand why people are unsure about what will happen in the months and years ahead.

As we begin 2017, we thought we’d share our top three predictions for the New Year. Perhaps more than ever before, brokers who are able to see where the market is going will be able to position themselves for success. In contrast, those who are slow to respond could miss out on a big opportunity.

If you’re like most people in the health insurance industry, you’re at least mildly interested in this presidential transition process and the promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Perhaps you’re concerned, or maybe you’re cautiously optimistic, but it’s difficult to be completely neutral. It’s also difficult, though, to form a true opinion since there’s so much uncertainty about what will happen.

This is the third and final post in a three-part series about the changes we can expect next year. In part one, we pointed out that we’ll have a new President, Congress, and Supreme Court Justice in 2017, and that combination could mean big changes for the Affordable Care Act. In part two, we talked about the more immediate and mostly negative changes to the health insurance products we’re selling, particularly those in the individual market: higher premiums, higher cost sharing, smaller provider networks, and fewer competitors. In this post, we’ll discuss a few practice management considerations for agents—things you need to consider when determining what market segments you’ll focus on, what products you’ll recommend to clients who can’t afford major medical coverage, and how you’ll get paid for your efforts.

This is part two of a three-part series about what we can expect as we head into 2017. In part one, we examined the three big political changes: a new President, a new Congress, and a new Supreme Court Justice. In this section, we’ll look at some of the big changes we can expect with the products we sell, particularly those in the individual market.

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.