Mark Haraway, president of the Maryland Association of Health Underwriters, told IFAwebnews.com the group, like many other agents’ organizations, is still interpreting the sweeping changes of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Two reports – one prepared for two Maryland insurance industry trade groups and the other for a general agency operating in the state – reach a similar conclusion: that the Maryland system for delivering health insurance works better than the Massachusetts health exchange.
Aetna is offering new small business health plans in Maryland focused on wellness, which the insurer says is the first of its kind to be offered in the state.
As a direct result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – also known as ObamaCare – health insurance agent and broker commissions have been slashed by as much as 50%. Agencies have been forced to lay off employees, limit products and services, shift to other lines, and have seen significant drops in compensation.