Warwick, RI – A powerful spotlight shined down on the future of benefits professionals this week at the Benefits Selling Expo in Washington, DC. Before an audience of top agents, brokers and insurance carriers from across the country, Samuel Fleet, President, AmWINS Group Benefits, outlined the impending “good, bad and ugly” from the recent health care legislation. His statements support remarks from many brokers, including Stefanie Pigeon from Affiliated Associates.

Speaking during an education session yesterday titled, “Healthcare Reform: A Brokers Survival Guide,” Fleet said. “Washington has made the broker a villain, and the U.S. taxpayers and our children will be paying for this piece of legislation for decades to come.” Wayne Weese, a broker with Dynamic Benefit Systems, conveys Fleet’s sentiments.

“Despite the fact that one year ago, over 50 percent of surveyed brokers did not believe reform was going to happen ¹, the attack on the broker is significant as ever,” said Fleet. “But opportunities do exist and the strong will survive and flourish.” Ryan Hatch, a Dynamic Benefit Systems broker, agreed that the time is right for change.

Fleet shared his insights into who the true winners are of new health care legislation, with the health insurance companies coming out on top, given their 30+ million new customers, as well as the hospitals that were left unscathed by reform and now have insurers to pay for patients that were previously uninsured. The losers? Fleet named the U.S. taxpayers, our children and the insurance brokers who have been especially hit by not only health care reform, but also the recent recession, expanding revenue pressures and the unfortunate decline in broker confidence.

In addition, Fleet provided his foresight into some of the unintended consequences of health care reform, which include higher premiums, deterioration of the employer market, more companies eliminating retiree coverage, a shift towards self-funded plans, as well as people electing to not be part of the new system.

However, Fleet did offer several solutions to agents and brokers, encouraging them “to be forward looking,” as well as to bring value through creativity. “You must demonstrate flexibility and quickly adapt in order to create the best choices for employers,” he said.

Specific examples that drew attention from the crowd involved a retiree drug subsidy, the idea of an early retiree re-insurance program and a fresh look at ERISA plans. Rob Shestack, a broker with Trion, is eager to react to the changing landscape and offer real solutions to his customers.

For more information or to view broker interviews from the Benefit Selling Expo, visit the AmWINS Group Benefits electronic press kit at amwinspresskit.com. Also, follow Samuel Fleet on Twitter:@samfleetsays.

About AmWINS Group Benefits
AmWINS Group Benefits is a leading wholesale broker of comprehensive group insurance programs and administrative services. Working with benefit brokers and consultants, AmWINS Group Benefits designs, distributes and administers customized health benefit products and services for retired and active populations in private and public organizations. Its parent company, AmWINS Group, Inc. is the second largest insurance wholesalers in the United States. AmWINS Group Benefits is headquartered in Warwick, RI. More information about AmWINS Group Benefits is available at groupbenefits.amwins.com.


¹ According to a survey published in the February 2009 issue of Employee Benefit Adviser.


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