When the Affordable Care Act was initially passed, there was quite a bit of concern on the part of insurance brokers and agents throughout the country. How would this effect the industry? What would be the impact on business and commissions?
The Act calls for “Navigators” to help educate the public and provide impartial information on plans. A big worry that arose is the qualifications of these Navigators asking the question whether consumers would be put at risk by having unlicensed, minimally-trained Navigators in place performing part of the function that has traditionally been done by agents and brokers.
To prevent this from happening, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) just passed a resolution recognizing brokers’ and agents’ roles in the country’s health care delivery system. This will limit the Navigator’s role to directing Exchange consumers to government agencies and licensed insurance professionals.
