NABIP’s new CEO wants ‘to impact health care delivery in a meaningful way’

Health care touches almost every aspect of life, and the new CEO for a health insurance brokers’ professional association wants her organization’s members “to impact health care delivery in a meaningful way.”

Jessica Brooks-Woods will assume her new role as CEO of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals in September. She takes the reins from Janet Trautwein, who will step down as CEO of the 100,000-member organization after serving in that capacity for 26 years.

Brooks-Woods has nearly 20 years of experience as a business leader and health equity expert. She founded the Executive Action and Response Network (EARN) and EARN Staffing Solutions, a full-service diversity, equity and inclusion-centered consulting and talent-placement firm that played a crucial role in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the greater Pittsburgh business community.

She served as president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health from 2013 to 2022 and served as a board member of the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange. She also founded U.S. Health Desk, a solution for patients who are facing potential harm or an adverse outcome due to the actual or perceived discrimination, lack of consideration and inadequate treatment.

“I am energized about the opportunity that NABIP has to influence the trajectory of where health care is going,” Brooks-Woods told InsuranceNewsNet. “I can’t think of another single entity that touches, through its membership, all the complexities and segmentation of health care – everything from the individual market to the employer market to the Medicare market.

“I think we have a big opportunity to get people into quality health care and do it in a way that’s sustainable, through our network of individuals across the country.”

New name, new opportunities for NABIP

NABIP recently underwent a rebranding effort, changing its name from the National Association of Health Underwriters, to more accurately reflect the role its members have in assisting employers and individuals with obtaining health insurance and benefits. Brooks-Woods said she believes that the new name “gives us an opportunity to have a fresh brand in the marketplace.

“I want to leverage that to grow the organization significantly. And I also think there's a great opportunity to be disruptive and speak up on really big topics that we haven’t been as intentional about in the past.”

She cited one topic as women’s health, particularly the maternal mortality crisis in the U.S.

“I want people to look to our organization and expect we will have a voice on certain matters,” she said. “And given that we represent all Americans through this organization, I think we have an opportunity to be more intentional around what we speak up about and what we take positions on over time.”

Diversity and transparency

Diversity and transparency are two items Brooks-Woods said she wants to focus on as she leads NABIP.

“We need to consider not only the diversity of this country but the diversity of our members – from rural to city-centered agencies. And the population that our members serve includes everyone from lower socioeconomic groups to some of the wealthiest folks in our country. I think we have a big opportunity to ensure we’re representing that diversity adequately in the way we develop our membership, the policies that we get behind and the new models that we may need to consider adopting for our members’ own businesses.”

As for transparency, Brooks-Woods said NABIP will continue to work with its members to help them comply with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which established compensation disclosure requirements. Compensation disclosure requirements in the Consolidated Appropriations Act mean that brokers and those who provide services related to health plans must disclose their sources of compensation and the services they provide. Examples of compensation include commissions, finder’s fees and incentive payments.

“It's a process that we must navigate through and figure out how we respond to our clients, and how we as an organization can assist our members in their fiduciary roles and accountability,” she said. “How do we ensure that we have the right information, at the right time and for the right person at the point of care?

“I think we must play a role in advancing that in a way that can work for everyone.”

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at Susan.Rupe@innfeedback.com. Follow her on Twitter @INNsusan.

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Susan Rupe is editor in chief, magazine, for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at susan.rupe@innfeedback.com.