One person's reform is another person's overturning of the apple cart, and a very clear example of that is the sweeping health care legislation recently signed into law in Washington. It almost defies belief to think that the political battle to make this law possible pales before the amount of effort it will take to actually implement the changes mandated by the overhaul. Now, we're just beginning to see the reality of health care reform, and just as the doctor always says before he sticks you with a needle, "This is going to pinch a little."
That certainly is true of the nation's health insurance agents, who are in a fight for life. In a recent column, Janet Trautwein, CEO of the National Association of Health Underwriters, opined that health agents are a valuable part of the health insurance transaction, and that their efforts should not be discounted. Trautwein raises a number of interesting points, including the level of service agents provide to their clients, the role agents play in keeping costs down, and she even nods at the ongoing medical loss ratio issue by offering that in many cases, health insurance is at the 85%/15% ratio already.
