Joe Ellis of CBIZ says he
thinks brokers should keep doing what they've been doing
Nov 10, 2016 |
By Allison Bell
Joe Ellis, a broker in the mid-size employer group market, says he is
happy with the results of the elections and expects Donald Trump's administration
to make helpful changes in health insurance and employee benefits rules.
"I'm very
cited about what's going on," Ellis said today in an interview.
But Ellis said he thinks that he and other brokers should continue to
do what they've been doing for now, and not try to get ahead of the game by
making big changes in what they sell or how they do business.
Trump administration efforts to change Affordable Care Act programs and
rules will take some time to implement, and the Trump administration will
probably provide transition relief, Ellis said.
The administration might find a fast way to get taxpayers relief from the
ACA individual coverage ownership mandate and the employer benefits offer
mandate, but, when it comes to ACA programs that consumers and employers
might like, such as the ACA premium tax credit subsidy system, "I don't
think anything will happen in 2017, Ellis said. "I think it would be
ill-advised for anyone to do anything different in our business."
Ellis is a senior vice president in the Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania,
office of CBIZ, a company that provides accounting, tax, insurance and human
resources services for midsize employers.
Ellis said he expects to see the Trump administration work with Congress to
make positive, incremental changes.
In the past few years, employers have had to focus too much on
understanding ACA regulations and procedures, and that ate into the time
employers and advisors had to talk about what employees really should have, or
what employees really want, Ellis said.
ACA red tape also has limited product flexibility and hurt benefits'
advisors to get clients solutions that fit the clients' needs, Ellis said.
Going forward, Trump is likely to make good on his proposals to expand the
health savings account program and make it easier to use, Ellis said.
Trump may also be tough on health insurers and pharmaceutical companies,
and he is likely to ease the current tight ACA limits on major medical product
design, Ellis said.
But Ellis said he expects to see Republicans to come up with a way to tweak
but keep the current ACA restrictions on medical underwriting. The ACA
restricts carriers to using applicants' age, location and tobacco use when
setting their premiums. Ellis predicted Republicans will expand the list of
factors insurers can use when setting premiums, but he predicted they will
avoid going back to the rules in effect in 2008, when insurers in most states
could apply fully medical underwriting requirements, and some insurers would
respond to claims by going back and checking coverage applications.
"To the average person on the street, that was a really a big
deal," Ellis said. "I don't think we're going to go back to
that."
Ellis said he also thinks Republicans should consider keeping the ACA
"metal level" system, which helps consumers and employers understand
the richness level of major medical plans by classifying them as bronze,
silver, gold or platinum plans.
Ellis said he also thinks Republicans should considering finding a way to
keep some form of the ACA public exchange system in place, even if no subsidies
are available.
The exchange system can be useful when people need coverage because of life
changes, Ellis said.
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