Health Care: Insurance Challenges
By Brenden West, Clinton Herald, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Duax wants to help any current or potential customers navigate the still new Affordable Care Act, too. But with so many uncertainties in the health care redesign -- especially from an insurance perspective -- Duax said he and other agents are hesitant to dole out advice.
He prefers to give people assurances. Even a year after the ACA started being enforced, Duax said there are still few concrete answers he can give.
"I help people look at their options," Duax said Tuesday. "The problem is, is that there are so many different facets. How much premium am I going to pay? Do I qualify for these subsidies, tax credits?
"As an agent, there's so much that I don't know, or I won't know. There's so many unknowns still today."
Coinciding with the act was a new government website, HealthCare.gov. It's billed as the "Marketplace" for those seeking coverage outside places of work. The purpose is to give those who previously had few health insurance options new possibilities.
It's important to note that a very small percentage of Duax's clients (less than 1 percent of the 1,000 he works with) have approached him with help navigating the new health-care arena. However, when they do, he said it's challenging for him and other agents to give advice.
"Some insurance agents shy away from it -- Oh, man, I don't know this stuff," Duax said. "As a service to my clients I try to navigate them through. But even I say, let's call (Genesis). There are so many variables and rarely do you get the same answer twice."
More often than not, Duax refers people to
A year after the ACA was enacted, there are still many complex issues that need to be resolved, according to Duax. He referenced tax credits, premium and network intricacies that differentiate one client from the next. It's the basis for why he calls the system "too fluid" for insurance experts to give comprehensive understanding to their clients.
Many in that sector are choosing to refer customers to experts who are outside their communities, which decreases the customer service interactions Duax believes make for more sound business practices.
It's too difficult to project whether those uncertainties will clear up, Duax said.
"I'm more willing to say 'call (Genesis)' than I was before," he added. "I use more resources. It becomes even more complicated for the run-of-the-mill insurance agent. It's more complicated than it used to be."
Assistant Editor
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