3 minute read
Time To Reflect
By Phil Calhoun
We hope you will enjoy great content in this September Group Benefits Special Issue. As health brokers move into open enrollment and/or AEP, there is still time to enjoy a California beach day or weekend. Take a look at our California Positive article on Best Beaches in the State. From the Bay Area to San Diego County, California has some amazing beaches to explore. As the workload increases, keep in mind how to balance your days with some recreational time.
Check out how you can bring resources to your group clients available from your marketing partners and from Providence St Jude’s Wellness Center. Helpful health and wellness education resources, outlined in Megan Wroe’s article, can be shared with their clients, as a resource for Employers to offer employees. Proposing wellness programs that are sustainable and provided by an established provider will help you build your brand as an advocate for client’s health insurance as well as health services.
We always like to provide tips for growing your business, and ways to show your clients you appreciate them with a nice thank you gift. Please share your tips about client gifts and look for more information on future issues as we share some of the top client gifts, many times without your logo involved.
Some new solutions for small businesses that qualify are outlined in this issue, such as group long-term care. Look at our partnership with Buddyins (https://partner.buddyins.com/calbrokerltcigroup) and learn more about the Allstate small group LTC product.
This is a hard to match LTCi small group product. When you take a minute to learn more, you will see how your business owners who provide this coverage will be able to demonstrate to their employees they care and help recruit new hires with a competitive benefits package.
As anticipated, the health plan coverage changes coming for open enrollment combined with the premium increases will cause clients to seek your assistance to determine if they have the best coverage and price. From Group to Medicare, this coming season will, once again, require brokers to work hard to be the local expert. Clients and prospects alike want a look at 2026 and a local health plan coverage comparison, and this information can help them keep their doctors while keeping premiums low. It's not an easy job and brokers could see more changes than usual this open enrollment season.
Final Thoughts
Pace your workload, focus on keeping clients, and look to solve client issues with the help of your collaborative partners. Group clients often look to add new group coverage with Colonial or Allstate, which are mentioned in John Evangelista’s article and in the link for Group LTC. These voluntary benefits can also be used to find new business and win group benefits as you prospect and bring solutions that open the door for new business and seek referrals from clients.
