Category Archives: Sales Tips

Sales Tips

Open enrollment’s over, but there’s still plenty to sell

Posted on February 3, 2016 by HPA

The third annual open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act has now come to an end. We hope you had a successful three months. We just wanted to take a moment to remind brokers who have an online storefront through Health Partners America that January 31st should NOT mark the end of your selling season; in fact, with a private exchan... (read more)

Individual Mandate may be bigger incentive for young people to sign up

Posted on January 27, 2016 by HPA

As we near the January 31st deadline for 2016 health insurance coverage, you may be scrambling to find a few more people to send to your private exchange site, where they can sign up for coverage on or off the exchange with the help of a licensed agent. Here's an idea: focus on the penalty. People who are motivated by deadlines generally ar... (read more)

Squeeze in a few more individual sales with these email tips

Posted on January 25, 2016 by HPA

In last week’s Washington Update, the National Association of Health Underwriters published some advice for agents about sending one last email to their database before the end of the open enrollment period. The tips were put together by CMS and are included in the free Healthcare.gov Media and Public Awareness Toolkit. Here’s the part ... (read more)

Are doctors really that important?

Posted on December 29, 2015 by HPA

There’s been a lot of criticism of the individual market recently. The premiums are out of control, some say, and others complain about the narrow-network HMO plans with no out-of-network options. While it is true that people with chronic conditions who visit a number of doctors aren’t at all happy with the recent developments, it’s equa... (read more)

Business owners overestimate workers’ desire for health insurance

Posted on December 22, 2015 by HPA

The main reason employers offer health insurance to their employees, as we all know, is to attract and retain quality workers. The assumption is that employees appreciate the benefit so much that they factor it into their decision to accept the position and stay with the company. But is that correct? Do employees really value the health insura... (read more)

Who wins with today’s individual plans?

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Eric Johnson

For brokers who have an HPA private exchange website, their success depends not on their ability to close a sale but rather on their ability to generate leads. That’s because their private exchange includes a toll-free number and a world-class call center staffed with licensed agents who take care of the individual sales for them. That frees... (read more)

Want to sell more health insurance? You need to get creative.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by HPA

When the ACA was passed back in 2010, brokers immediately worried that the new “navigator” program would cost them business. That doesn’t really seem to be the case, though; most brokers nowadays don’t see navigators as a threat and aren’t reporting that navigators and assisters are getting to clients before they are. Still, navig... (read more)

White House tells brokers where they should be prospecting

Posted on November 11, 2015 by HPA

Ok, so this isn't true - the White House didn't actually say anything about brokers. But because its new "Healthy Communities Challenge" targets 20 cities with high uninsured rates, the White House has, in a roundabout way, told brokers where they should be concentrating their efforts. The press release, issued November 6th, says that "in c... (read more)

Burwell says health care consumers should shop ’til they drop

Posted on October 29, 2015 by HPA

Ok, so those weren't her exact words, but HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell is quoted by CNBC as saying, "Our message to returning marketplace customers is simple: Shopping may save you money."  How much money? About $500 per year for similar coverage according to the article. However, as the New York Times reports, saving money may r... (read more)

Closing Co-Ops Create Opportunity for Brokers

Posted on October 21, 2015 by HPA

Nearly every day, we hear about another one of the ACA’s “Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans,” or co-ops, closing its doors. The headline of a recent article in the Daily Caller says it all: One-Third Of Obamacare Co-Ops Are Now Officially Dead. These co-ops were non-profit start-up insurance companies that received seed money from ... (read more)