BIP Winter 2024

Letter from the CEO

We must continue to fight to protect the healthcare consumers who depend on us

This past year, NABIP members have navigated challenges with unwavering resilience, proving that your expertise is essential to the well-being of fami lies, businesses and entire communities. Through our Brokers Making a Difference Cam paign, we shine a light on the profound impact you have on the lives of those you serve. From guiding small business owners through Affordable Care Act options to securing life-saving Medicare coverage for seniors, your dedication goes beyond the transac tional — it is deeply personal. Whether it’s staying up late to resolve issues with insurers or helping clients in unexpected ways, you embody the heart of our mission: ensuring access to quality, affordable healthcare for all. Your work represents more than professionalism; it’s a commitment to humanity. You are community leaders, small business owners and trusted advisors

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who step up daily to bridge gaps in our complex healthcare system. However, alongside these successes, we face mounting challenges. One of the most pressing is the troubling trend of carriers eliminat ing Medicare commissions. By diminishing brokers’ ability to sustain their businesses, carriers inadvertently harm consumers, particularly the most vulnerable populations. Without brokers’ guidance, navigating Medicare, ACA or employer-sponsored options becomes nearly impos sible for many. The expertise you provide — whether ensuring a senior receives critical medications or helping a family secure dental coverage for the first time — is irreplaceable. By connecting the dots between broker viability and consumer ac cess, we can highlight how these decisions jeopardize the very people health plans aim to serve. We urge carriers and policymakers to recog nize the unintended consequences. As we approach NABIP’s Capitol Conference, I encourage each of you to continue sharing your stories. These narratives, paired with the voices of your clients, are powerful tools to educate lawmakers and stakeholders on the indispensable role brokers play. Together, we can en sure that your contributions are understood and valued and that future policies support — not hinder — the critical services you provide.

& broker Medicare survey and the Medicare beneficiary testimonial survey. Share your story with NABIP today!

Thank you for your perseverance, dedication and passion. You are the backbone of our mission,

and your work inspires us all.

”

Jessica Brooks-Woods CEO, NABIP

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