Tom Newby

In 2009, John T. Newby founded ETMG in Austin, Texas – wherehis company functions as distributor between carriers and brokersto design plans that meet specific client needs. Newby has spentmuch of his time working closely with the insurance departments inseveral states and senior executives of prominent U.S. carriers inan effort to provide employers and associations with affordablenationwide health insurance plans. His target markets are small- tomid-size employers, mostly made up by middle-income Americans.

In the two years ETMG has been in operations, the company hasexperienced substantial growth and is working on plans totalingabout $40 million in annual premium, Newby says. Newby has a knackfor creating specialized plan designs for unique programs, which,he believes, sets apart his line of business from others. Truegroup medical insurance plans for the self-employed, for instance,are available, and Newby has even designed an accident healthpolicy for professional motorcycle racers.

The plans are designed to be effective in both the long term andshort term. “The running joke with the carriers is if it’s outsidethe box, it’s something I work on,” Newby says.

When the spectre of health reform emerged last year, confusionran rampant among Newby’s clients, and they were skeptical topurchase new health insurance plans, he says. No one knew whathealth insurance regulations would survive, so ETMG launched a lineof supplemental products, including a long-term care division and a401(k) program.With these additional offerings, ETMG could continueproviding related services to its clients while the health carereform fear settled down.

“While people were indecisive about health care, they were notindecisive about other products,” Newby says. “So we diversifiedinto those until things calmed down in the health insurance area,and then we could reinvigorate the health side. Then, once we havethese other products out there, we found we were able to cross-sellback into the health insurance.”

Of course, with so much uncertainty surrounding reform, manycarriers have left the health insurance market altogether, Newbysays, which also has affected business – but in a different way.While there might be fewer carriers to choose from, the strongestcompanies have risen to the top. “Health insurance is one of thoseindustries where you can’t stick your toe in the water,” Newbysays. “You have to either get in or get out.”

Mark Lacher

While most brokers are typically open to clients of all types,Mark Lacher keeps to a specific client niche. Lacher’s idealclient, he says, is interested in developing a relationship with aregional brokerage firm, rather than a nationwide corporation, andbrings in $15 million to $1 billion in revenue per year.

Lacher’s a Certified Insurance Counsel and a partner at Lacher & Associates inSouderton, Pa., where he focuses on the mid-marketclientele.Lacher’s brokerage service is different from others inthe business because it doesn’t stop at employee benefits. WhileLacher & Associates offers property and casualty insurance,like most, he also provides business training services. Fromimproving sales tactics to developing a social media plan, Lacherwants to help clients focus on strategic goals throughout theirorganization. Though this doesn’t sound like a typical insuranceoffering, business training is really just another way to mitigaterisk and avoid losing revenue, Lacher says.

“If you look at benefits in a strictly insurance sense, you’retransferring risks to an insurance carrier in some way,” Lachersays. “So what we’re doing is helping mitigate risks to yourorganization in total and think about the organization in a muchbroader sense.”

Implementation is an especially important issue for Lacher’saccount management team, he says, and it must be completed at ahigh level. The client experience is a key part of Lacher’s servicemodel, and if Lacher promises a client a certain number ofimplementation objectives, there’s no room for error because eachimplementation is customized to fit that client’s needs. Healthmanagement and wellness systems also remain a large part ofLacher’s business, he says.

In fact, Lacher & Associates just teamed up with AttentiveHealth, a health management and wellness company, and togetherthey’ve developed a point-based reward system for employees.In thissystem, employees accrue points for their participation that can beapplied to special job perks, such as holidays or lower premiumcontributions. This system is particularly effective, he says,because it holds employees accountable and encourages engagement.Without some form of engagement, Lacher finds wellness programstypically don’t succeed.

“From a benefits broker standpoint, you have to be in thatdiscussion if you want to be in this business,” Lacher says. “Ifyou’re not, then you’re just selling a product, and that’s just notenough to be in the game right now."

Anjanette Simone

Anjanette Simone, the senior vice president and client advocatewithin the human capital practice for Willis Insurance Services in Atlanta,provides strategic consulting to local as well as national employergroups.

With more than 14 years of industry experience, Simone hasserviced public and private companies, where she’s helped clientsin a variety of areas, including compliance, funding, health carecost management, communications and plan design.Picking up newclients is obviously a large part of Simone’s responsibilities as asales professional, but her focus on account management is whatsets her apart, she says. Other brokers might be ready to move onto the next big prospect once the sale is closed and implemented,but Simone and her team continue to ensure all areas of service,ranging from claims issues to account strategies, are up to clientstandards.

“I may carry a business card from Willis, but they’re buyingfrom me,” Simone says.“They’re buying my intellectual capital thatI bring to the table. They’re buying my team, our philosophy andthe way we approach business. I take the responsibility seriously,and because of that, I’m always actively engaged in theaccount.”

In the next year, Simone expects to see a greater emphasis onwellness and disease management programs; however, it’s importantto help clients understand these programs are not an overnightsolution to cutting health care costs, Simone says.Developing awellness culture takes time and sometimes encouragement, she pointsouts, whether that comes from a grassroots movement or tying theprogram to a medical plan.

“I think wellness does have a huge impact on your health carecosts overall,” Simone says. “It also boosts employee morale, andproductivity improves, but the return on investment is notnecessarily as quick as some things you would implement, soemployers have to understand that while wellness is certainly goodat controlling the costs, it does take a little while to build itand see the rewards.”

Simone insists that now is an especially opportune time to workas a broker because human resource departments need the help morethan ever. With today’s down economy, HR administrators are wearingmore hats and taking on additional responsibilities. There justisn’t the time for HR to give employee benefits the focus itrequires, but this is just a chance for brokers to shine.

“There is so much regulation to sort through and define, andthat’s where we can come in and help and guide HR,” Simone says.“We look for programs that bridge any gaps to create a great planoffering that meets the strategic needs of a client. It reallymakes our value as brokers even moreprominent.”

Leslie Wiernik

Leslie Wiernik, CEBS, is an insurance consultant with more than20 years of experience in the individual and group markets, whereshe has expertise in plan design, funding analysis, managed carealternatives, implementation, benefits communication, and policyand procedure guidance, but it doesn’t stop there. She also helpsclients understand legislative and regulatory compliance andprovides plan management and administration. With health carereform looming, many brokers have feared their livelihood couldcease once the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takesfull effect in 2014.

But this interpretation, like other facets of health carereform, is changing, and many think there is still a place for thebroker, Wiernik says. In fact, Wiernik believes the broker role ismore valuable than ever. Health insurance is a complicated issue toaverage Americans, Wiernik says, because they do not deal with on adaily basis; however, brokers are constantly staying on top of theissues that affect employers and employees alike.As health carereform regulations grow more complex, the broker is there to guidebenefit administrators through the many options and changes.

“We’re the ones out there on the front lines,” Wiernik says.“We’re helping them understand what’s going on – the ins and outs,the legalities from state continuation to COBRA to section 89.There’s always a need for a broker to explain all those issuesthrough the years. And we haven’t even touched the insurancepolicy; we haven’t even discussed an office visit copay anddiagnostic x-ray and lab.”

But for Wiernik, being a valuable broker is more than juststaying up to date on the newest health care reform regulation;it’s about providing clients with high-quality service, which isespecially important in a slow economy, she says.

“I look at their bottom line like it’s my bottom line,” Wierniksays. “That’s what really drives me; that’s the motivator.It’sbeing focused on the customer and looking out for their bestinterest. I’m trying to help them lower the cost and present ideasto them that round out what they offer their employees.”

Wiernik tells her clients they can call her at any hour of everyday. A problem can arise on a Sunday afternoon, and Wiernik isready to help.When it comes down to it, working as an insuranceconsultant is a rewarding career, Wiernik says. Each day Wiernikhas the opportunity to help clients find the most economical waysto better their health, and she takes pride in that.

“This business is rewarding to me,” Wiernik says. “I thinkpeople who are in it feel the same way. We all have the heart tohelp people.”

Nicholas Beatty

For the past five years, Nicholas Beatty has worked as aninsurance broker representative for Talus Brokerage Services inPiketon, Ohio. Beatty focuses on group sales for small- andmedium-size businesses and specifically helps employers choosebetween major medical and ancillary policies.

In Beatty’s time with Talus Brokerage Services, he has helpedfacilitate roughly $6 million of new business sales in annualpremiums as well as renewals in southeastern Ohio, totaling roughly$20 million in annual premiums.When working with clients, Beattymakes a point to encourage open communication on all levels, whichsets apart his practice for others, he says. Not only does Beattygive thorough presentations to employers but he also takes the timeto address employees. From the top perks to the policy gaps, Beattyaddresses all areas of coverage with employees.

“To tell you the truth, sometimes we catch flak from theemployers about telling the employees that these are the certaincircumstances where it’s not perfect coverage, but I want them tounderstand,”Beatty says. “In my view, if you go over the entirepackage, there will be less time spent on the backend if someonecalls asking questions that weren’t covered.”

Some brokers, Beatty says, feel the time crunch to make quickbusiness transactions and won’t go to the lengths to ensure theirclients truly understand their policies. But Beatty doesn’t like toleave any unanswered questions on the table.

“It’s all about smart consumerism in today’s market,” Beattysays. “You have to understand your policy. You have to understandthe holes in your policy, and you have to understand where thereare sweet spots because there are sweet spots in every policy.Youhave to understand how to utilize those.”

In the next year, Beatty expects health care reform to pose achallenge to his benefits business. The interpretation of healthcare reform is constantly changing, Beatty says, and sometimes itcan be difficult to keep up with the evolving regulations. To staycurrent on the latest health care reform news, Beatty has created abuddy system. Whether you’re another broker or a client, Beattyencourages his contacts to call him if they get word of a newinterpretation, so they can find an answer together.

“I always say this, ‘I was a specialist in reform yesterday;that doesn’t mean I have all the answers today,’” Beatty says. “Ifyou hear something I haven’t heard, give me a call, so we can talkabout it. I can research it to find out the true answer. Theanswers aren’t right in front of you.”