After more than a year of debate, Washington, D.C., has put its punctuation mark on federal health reform, but for many agents’ groups, it appears to be less of a period and more of a question mark.

Shelly Bloom

Shelly Bloom, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters, told IFAwebnews.com that the group, like many other agents’ organizations, is still interpreting what the sweeping changes of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  With provisions including the creation of health insurance exchanges and an individual mandate, how the legislation takes shape is still a work in progress, she said.

“We are still reviewing a 2,700-page bill and conflicting timelines of changes and regulations,” Bloom said. “I think there have been more questions recently [from members] and we need to wait for the answers from the federal government.”

The leader of the state chapter praised the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) for keeping members updated during the creation of reform measures and now providing outlets for new inquires, from an online question-and-answer section to the ability to chat with agents across the nation on its website.

Bloom said just as agents and brokers in Pennsylvania were important conduits for details on initiatives like mini-COBRA and raising the dependent age to 30, they will be equally counted upon as resources for federal reform.

“Agents will be extremely important in interpreting the law and getting that information to clients,” she said. “We are here for our clients and want to help  – that is our job. So we, as an organization, want to get the right information for them and still need to wait for clarification on the interpretation of [reform measures].”

‘Uncertainty and confusion’

Janet Trautwein, executive vice president and CEO of the National Association of Health Underwriters, recently advised agents “not to panic and stay engaged in the process.”

Trautwein, speaking at a recent panel on health reform in Maryland, added that agents may be “very surprised at how much the law can change as regulations to support it are drafted.”

John Prible

At the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big I), John Prible, the group’s vice president of federal government relations, said the national office is “being bombarded with questions from our membership.

“Panic is not the right word here,” he told IFAwebnews.com. “I think it is more accurate to say that there is uncertainty and confusion. The law has passed and there are a lot of question marks on what will happen in the implementation.”

Prible added that while 14% of Big I membership has health insurance in their book of business, “it is likely taking up 90% of their time right now trying to figure things out.”

One such set of inquiries, Prible said, is the role of the agent in health insurance exchanges, state-based marketplaces for small employers and individuals to shop for coverage beginning in 2014.

“We are telling our members that [exchange customers] need to sign up for one of potentially five health plans and will need to know what works best for them,” he said. “They will need someone to talk to and the agent is that person.”

Regulator reassurance

With states driving a great deal of implementation and regulation of changes under federal health reform, Bloom said PAHU has already met with Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario on what the future means for her membership.

Bloom said the group “got buy-in” from Ario that agents should not be shut out of the insurance marketplace in the state and PAHU also offered its services to help construct pending health insurance exchanges, set to become a reality in 2014.

“We are thankful that Pennsylvania and Commissioner Ario see at the state level that agents have value to carriers and clients not just to sign up for coverage, but to continue with help throughout the entire [time of the policy],”Bloom said. “We touch every aspect of health care. We think we need to continue to show our value as we have been doing and let everyone know that we are here for the long haul.”

That sentiment was echoed by Tom Currey, the president of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), who said his group was “pleased that Congress has recognized the positive role that health insurance agents can play in helping small businesses and individuals acquire appropriate health insurance plans.

“The new legislation makes it possible for agents to continue to perform their traditional role,” Currey said in a statement.

This story originally appeared in the May 2010 print edition of Insurance & Financial Advisor.