For or Against: Which Type of Agent Are You When it Comes to Health Care Reform?

This weekend, the House is scheduled to vote on the reconciliation package offered by Democrats – and it’s been said that if nothing happens now, health care reform is likely to fall flat on its face. Again.

House Democrats need 216 votes in order to pass this bill. President Obama has postponed a trip to Asia to lobby for the bill. And producers hold their breath to see whether reform will quietly slip away.

“I like the way the system is set up here in Connecticut; however, I know for us to continue to have the volume of sales we currently generate in the future, something has to change to allow the rates to stay at an affordable number or we will see the market shrink and our commissions shrink along with the market!”

“Difficult to understand exactly where this issue is, and what ‘reforms’ are still in the bill. However, elimination of pre-existing conditions and premium moderation are of great importance.”

“There is definitely a problem with increasing costs every year that needs to be addressed. Litigation limits, state risk pools, Medicare and Medicaid fraud (these costs are always excluded when comparing to the costs of the Medicare Advantage plans). Address the true issues of the reasons people are uninsured – no smoke screens.”

Beyond the study, I’ve been speaking with producers about their personal views regarding the current reform bill. Some are vehemently against it, and use phrases such as “trash” and “useless.” Others are unapologetically on the side of something, anything – the best example of that is a producer with more than 40 years in the business. He describes himself as conservative, but says he’s really been ticking off his friends with his reform views of late – that any bill would be better than nothing.

But most producers fall somewhere in the middle. There are parts of the bill they favor. There are parts they oppose. One producer said a national exchange would be too dangerous for the producer population, rendering the current distribution system obsolete within five years. That same advisor added that individual mandates are a great idea – if you can get 100 percent of the population in the pool, adding the healthiest people to the mix to keep rates down. Otherwise, it would be a failure.

So what about you? Leading up to this Sunday’s scheduled vote, what are your thoughts on health care reform? And if you’re opposed to the current bill, what would your ideal health care reform bill look like?

Christina Pellett is the editor of the Agent’s Sales Journal.