The Philadelphia Inquirer interviewed Manatt's Joel Ario, a managing director with Manatt Health, for an article on how health insurance brokers are adapting their roles to meet the needs of the new health insurance marketplace.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that health insurance brokers and agents were looking like an endangered species one year ago. Not only had the law created and was underwriting personal assistors, navigators, and certified application counselors, technology was going to make it easy for people to buy insurance online. But when the marketplace got off to a shaky start, the administration turned to brokers for their expertise in helping people choose and buy health insurance. Independent brokers don't work on the marketplace but can if they are trained and certified. Brokers and navigators aren't in competition, as consumers can use them in tandem.
"It's not an either-or situation," said Ario. "Combining all of those forces together is usually the best approach."
Read the article here.