VI E WP O I NT
A Walk in Tim Kanter’s Shoes Q&A with the president of California Agents and Health Insurance Professionals (CAHIP) California Broker (CB): What are the top issues that CAHIP is set to address in 2024? Tim Kanter (TK): Membership and GROWTH! We need to focus on membership retention and growth in two distinct ways. First, we need to ensure all our members understand the tremendous value of being a part of the association, underscoring the many ways in which we serve them for a relatively small amount of annual dues. We’ll be working with each of our board members and our communication team to spread important information about how we are serving CAHIP members and their clients every day. Second, we need to have a much LOUDER VOICE! when it comes to protecting consumers’ access to quality and affordable healthcare. By building membership, and leveraging our engaged members throughout the state, we can remain top of mind with state legislators. They need to be continually educated and reminded about key elements of healthcare, but especially with this key message: single-payer legislation will hurt Californians and their access to healthcare. CB: Speaking of single-payer, with SB770 adopted in California as law, how is CAHIP adapting? Tim: CAHIP has always been opposed to any type of single payer legislation. A benefit of the passage of SB770 is that it will open the doors to adult conversations about how a unified healthcare system would be financed. Not to mention how the federal government would or would NOT cooperate with a request from the state like this. In any case, it will likely take years before anything comes of it — and positions health insurance professionals to continue to promote better access to care and not a single government option. 18 | CALIFORNIA BROKER
This is important for CAHIP: We still have time to speak out against a government-run system in California. We also need to be vigilant against other singlepayer legislation that may be introduced in Sacramento and stand firm for the right of our clients to pick their own healthcare plans. Single-payer health care eliminates options. I liken it to having your healthcare managed by an entity like the DMV. Everyone in California complains about how long the lines can be for service. Imagine dealing with that same level of bureaucracy if you or a loved one is facing a medical condition and require a medical specialist. We have scheduled a free, members-only webinar on Thursday Feb. 1, 2024, at 10 a.m. to discuss singlepayer legislation that may be introduced in 2024 and to discuss other important legislative topics impacting agents and their clients. This will be a critically important meeting for brokers throughout California. If you are considering joining CAHIP, now is the time to join to take advantage of this webinar. CB: How do you anticipate CAHIP will grow in 2024? Tim: By communicating effectively. By cutting through the clutter — by personally spreading the word as members and following that up with outreach into our community. This Q&A is a great example. When we communicate, we need to underscore the fact that there are three distinct benefits to being a member. • There is the representation and education the association provides on the local, state and national level which gives CAHIP members a strategic advantage over other health insurance brokers
CalBrokerMag.com
JANUARY 2024
