While Many Independent Insurance Brokers Scramble to Develop ACA Open Enrollment Strategies, Others Kick Up Their Feet

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ACA begins Open Enrollment next month. It’s the busiest time of the year for independent insurance agents—and the most stressful. This release looks at some of the solutions that independent insurance agents are using to help manage this influx of work.

Just days remain before the Affordable Care Act begins accepting new 2014-15 signups, leaving independent insurance agents rushing to identify strategies to take advantage of the busiest time of the year in the industry—the ACA’s Open Enrollment Period.

The CBO predicts that some 7 million Americans will sign up for health insurance on the ACA’s healthcare markets this year. And if the 2013-2014 enrollment period is any indication of what will happen this year, then independent agents will need to have a plan in place prior to December, the second most popular month for ACA enrollment (the first being the final month).

With how busy this time of year is for the insurance industry, it comes as a surprise to hear that some independent insurance agents—such as the ones that do business with the Oregon-based Insurance Marketing Organization, AHCP—aren’t sweating it at all.

AHCP, which undertook a series of marketing initiatives in 2014, recently announced their ELITE Agent Program, a virtual office/coaching platform that allows independent agents to more easily connect with prospective leads and locate quality plans for their clients.  According to AHCP’s Director of Operations Nikki Cortez, the ELITE Agent Program will come with a large set of lead-generation and support tools for independent insurance agents to better manage their time during open enrollment.

“As a seasoned salesperson, I know what agents need to be successful,” she said. “They need solid marketing that works, sales coaching, advanced commissions and rewards. And we’ve built the ELITE Agent Program to encompass all of this and more.”

Due to the sheer number of changes to the health insurance industry in recent years, programs like ELITE are poised to become a necessity rather than just ease-of-use tools. Independent agents that focused squarely on lead generation last year will need to spend more time researching new plans this year if they want to describe them successfully to their clients. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that of the 4,400 organizations they surveyed that were established to help people sign up for insurance after the ACA, 90% were contacted a second time by consumers due to confusion about their plan.

Steve Trattner, the acting President of AHCP, believes that the ELITE Agent Program is the perfect counter to this kind of marketplace confusion. An industry veteran of over 25 years, Trattner is excited about the future of the program.

“AHCP is embarking on a strategy to develop cutting edge insurance solutions rounded out with dedicated carrier partnerships to deliver and support exciting and competitive plans to our rapidly growing distribution network,” he explained. “Our flagship product is a new innovative Short Term Medical plan that leads the market in all respects, including plan design, rates and broker compensation.”

Trattner says the ELITE Agent Program will deliver tools for AHCP agents that will put them in front of more qualified prospects and make Marketplace enrollments easier and faster than before.   Considering the extent of confusion regarding Obamacare (a survey done by Carnegie Mellon University found that 86 percent of Americans between 25 and 64 had trouble understanding it) programs like ELITE Agent could not come at a better time for independent insurance brokers.

About AHCP
AHCP (America’s Health Care Plan) is an insurance marketing organization based out of Hillsboro, OR.  They provide training, insurance products, lead generation, CRM tools, and support for independent, licensed health insurance agents across the U.S.

Please contact Carolyn Constant at 800-643-9326 for more information about AHCP and this release.

Everyone can learn more about AHCP’s ELITE program here.

Citations:

http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2013/august/aug1_understandinghealthinsurance.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-challenge-for-obamacare-enrollees-dont-understand-their-insurance-plans/2014/07/16/056d044a-fe33-11e3-932c-0a55b81f48ce_story.html

Contact Info:
Name: Carolyn Constant
Email: Send Email
Organization: AHCP (America’s Health Care Plan)
Phone: 800-643-9326
Website: http://www.ahcpsales.com/

Release ID: 66582

CONTACT ISSUER
Name: Carolyn Constant
Email: Send Email
Organization: AHCP (America’s Health Care Plan)
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