Brokers Bristle at Health Reform Bill

The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB) enumerated its concerns about pending health care reform in a letter to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.). The letter charges that provisions contained within the Affordable Health Choice Act of 2009 will undermine the role of brokers.

Specifically, CIAB raised concerns about section 3105 of the legislation, which calls for the creation of healthcare exchanges that expressly forbids brokers from participating.

“Experienced brokers help companies manage costs, institutionalize and manage wellness and preventative care programs, and assist with regulatory compliance efforts that can be timely and confusing,” the letter states. “It would be a true disservice to only allow inexperienced entities to manage and advocate for groups and individuals participating in the exchange.”

Elsewhere, the epistle takes aim at a public insurance option, claiming that healthier individuals would opt for the cheaper, public plan, leaving riskier, more expensive groups to be managed by the employer-based plans. “We believe that a public health insurance plan will create an uneven system and undermine what works in the existing employer-provided group health insurance marketplace.  Creating a public program or offering a buy-in option would only increase the costs being shifted to the privately insured and result in nearly 120 million Americans leaving the private system.”