Broker blog

Have you ever had a really great idea only to Google it and find out you weren't the first to think of it? Most of us have, and it's really disappointing, especially because nearly every time it happens, I'm just certain that this is THE idea that will make me a million bucks – only to learn moments later that it's already making someone else rich.

Have you ever been to a conference focused on healthcare and legislation? Well, let me tell you – it is one rockin’ time! The conference was hosted by the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) and it was called Capitol Conference. We dubbed it Cap-Con, for short. While it was no Comic Con, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

A few weeks ago, I published an article entitled “Is this the beginning of the end for the ACA?” For someone who’s normally pretty positive, this article was fairly pessimistic. Here’s the short version:

Shrinking physician networks are more and more commonplace. Last week, I read an article in BenefitsPro called “10 States with the Narrowest Physician Networks." Probably because of all those David Letterman years, I’m a sucker for any Top 10 List. This list didn't have quite the same punchlines.

So which states made the list and what can you do about it if you're a broker or employer trying to assemble an attractive benefit plan?

My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She lived in Canada. I was concerned with a couple things her physician was doing. I wondered whether it was the best approach. For me, online doctors made all the difference.

Where do you go with a specific health question these days?

Trying to sell health insurance is a tough job. Here’s why:

 I was born in Canada the year nationalized health care started there (that was 1967 for you history buffs). It was well-funded and provided great care for a few decades. But medical inflation was out of control. By 1991, when I moved to the U.S., the medical plans started to get stripped down to the bare minimum. This opened up opportunities for brokers to add new employee benefits to their suite of offerings.