Coming off of a roller coaster year in 2010, many of us are hopeful that the new year brings with it answers to our fearful questions raised by ACA. Whereas the theme for 2010 was influencing the policymakers in Washington, the theme for 2011 is going to be, quite simply, change.
Some of the changes you’ll see from your association first and foremost, is a change of venue. We are moving from View-215. Our first meeting will be at 8905 W. Post Rd, very near View 215 (look for an email with directions). You’ll also see a change in our programs from such a strict legislative focus to one that gets us back to our roots…education. It will take educating ourselves in new strategies and new products from our carrier-partners to be successful in the new legislative landscape. Another change will be regular communication via a monthly e-newsletter, containing this and future messages from yours truly, along with notification of events, marketing tips, a legislative corner, and more. Lastly, come July, you’ll also see me handing the reins off to a new President.
2010 was a year in which we all tried to manage, mitigate, influence and yes, even coerce the process by which ACA would be implemented. We were tickled with minor tastes in 2010 of what lay ahead of us, all the while not quite believing or knowing where it would all end up…and we still don’t. However, here in 2011 major changes are being realized both by insurance companies and producers alike. Tough choices, driven by necessity, are being made. Carriers are faced with complying with, among other things, Minimum Loss Ratio requirements, while producers are faced with the consequences of those same provisions.
Now more than ever is the time we need to work together, both carrier and producer, to overcome the obstacles before us, to come together for a common goal—the continuation of the private insurance market as we know it. If we let the changes come between us, the end result will be single-payer. We have always had, and continue to have, more in common than what separates us. Ours is a relationship of symbiosis and synergy. Now is the time for new opportunities posed by the challenges we face.
We will still attempt to influence the legislative process, especially in the realm of the new exchanges, but our focus will be more on adapting your business to the changing legislative landscape. In that vein, I sincerely hope that you will join us for our first meeting of the year where a panel of experts, your contempories, will share their vision of the future and how to not just survive, but thrive under ACA.
As a famous wise man said, “necessity is the mother of invention”. We need to re-invent ourselves because it is necessary to our survival. Just as importantly, an anonymous wise man (or woman) once said “you cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Sure, there’s a risk…but we all took a risk entering this profession…indeed, insurance itself is the transferring of risk. The risk of not changing, however exceeds the one of exploration. Here’s to continuing this journey together.
Regards,
Dan M. Heffley, LUTCF
State Legislative Chairperson--National Association of Health Underwriters
President--Clark County Association of Health Underwriters
Insurance Commissioner's Producer Advisory Committee Member
Governor's Consumer Health Assistance Office advisor
Nevada Health Care Leadership Task Force Member
NAIFA Member
Contributing Columnist HealthNews.com
Director of Benefits- Amcheck Payroll Services Las Vegas
Moderator-The American College
702-434-4112 Direct
702-581-4048 Mobile
702-434-1080 Fax
dan.bgb@gmail.com
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