Broker blog

Late September in New Orleans, Employee Benefit Advisor (EBA) and Employee Benefit News (EBN) hosted their Benefits Forum & Expo. Because it’s virtually the last benefit conference of the year, it’s like the exclamation point on the benefits industry for 2018. 

I attended and taught at more than 30 conferences this year. This particular one has a broader view than most because the attendance is split between benefits consultants and HR experts from mid-sized to large employers. 

UGH, healthcare costs! We deal with the topic every day, but do we know the stats? 

According to Milliman Medical Index, annual medical costs for a family of four is now nearly $27,000 – up $5,000 in the last 4 years. Employees are paying more for healthcare than ever before, too…

 

I’ve attended multiple employee benefits industry conferences over the years and I always get questions about how brokers and agencies can become better marketers.

What was your first experience at a large industry convention? I just attended my first National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) convention this week and it definitely did not disappoint. From legislative updates and professional development to networking and awards celebrations, it was a full event. 

But, the most amazing aspect was seeing our association grapple with the current industry challenges and discuss innovative solutions. 

I’m sharing our team’s top seven takeaways from this year’s NAHU convention…

“What are you doing for employees that don’t qualify for benefits or didn’t elect health insurance coverage?” If you aren’t already asking your clients and prospects this question, I’m urging you to start! 

Although rising health insurance premiums may make the question challenging for employers to answer, it’s also become increasingly important to ask. I see that there are two distinct ways to serve the unbenefited…

1) benefits the employer can provide

2) benefits the employer can offer

What’s your mid-year strategy? The next couple months carry vast opportunity with both current clients and prospects. There’s no looming renewal deadlines or employer end of the year close-out urgency or organizing open enrollment meetings. So how are you leveraging the time?

I’m sharing 3 ideas to help make the most of your mid-year efforts…. 

We just returned from the first-ever (and sold-out) HLTH Conference in Las Vegas. It was an impressive 4 days. The conference was touted as “the hottest, newest, largest and most important

Remember the Amazon Fire Phone? Did anyone besides me own one?

I anxiously awaited my new phone’s arrival in July of 2014 – excited to be an early adopter of new, cool innovations. My excitement quickly turned to frustration once the phone arrived. 

• It didn’t have many of my favorite apps – including Starbucks and Uber (what!?)
• Importing my music was annoyingly difficult

Six months later, it went back in the box and I went back to owning an iPhone.