Broker blog

No, the title of my article is not a typo or a weird loophole. This is a story about real savings, based on having an educated conversation with my doctor. 

Their website claims that the “annual Benefits Forum & Expo offers a one-stop shop for insights into the best benefits strategies and tools available, along with great opportunities to learn, meet with your peers and get a fresh approach to the challenges in 2016 and beyond.”

With over 50 sessions and 100+ speakers the event had something for everyone and did not disappoint. While I couldn’t physically make it to every session, I had discoveries from each one that I did. 

The time comes when you know you need to make changes in your business, but changes can be intimidating. How do you know if the team will accept the new ideas? How do you know if the clients will like it? How do you know the changes will even work?

Well, the short answer is that you don't know, and that's okay. In fact, it can be to your benefit. Not knowing and choosing to move ahead anyway can actually become a competitive advantage for you if you approach it with strategic intent.

Marketing has taken on a critical new role for insurance agencies, and understanding what that role is, how it impacts your business, and what you need to do about it is simply table-stakes for successful businesses. It’s not a nice-to-have anymore, and it’s time to decide that you’re either going to commit to it, or you’re going to become increasingly irrelevant to potential buyers. Your choice.

An Interview with an ex-Amazonian: the opportunity in healthcare

In the past couple weeks, I’ve seen a million articles about Amazon building a crack team to overthrow the healthcare industry.

Do you value telehealth as a cost-containment tool? 

Employers see the benefit as a valid strategy to provide access to quality care and offset increasing costs. However, as the solution is adopted and implemented, if you’re not getting an ROI, have you really solved the problem?

So, how do you get true ROI from telehealth? The answer is simple: you make sure it gets used! The tactics to get usage aren’t always that simple. When telehealth is strategically implemented, it will divert claims from the health plan, thereby delivering a positive ROI.

Are you facing some intimidating renewals over the next few months?  

We all know deductibles are rising, out-of-pocket costs are increasing, physician networks are shrinking, and prescription pricing and tiers can change overnight. These are real challenges, but formulating an innovative solution on tougher cases can also deliver a real thrill for the broker who goes the extra mile.