Insurance Brokers Plan 'Fly-In' to Lobby on Health Care Reform

June 9, 2009

Five insurance producer associations are planning a joint lobbying effort next month on health care reform in the nation's capital.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big "I"),
AHIA-NAIFA Health and Employee Benefits (AHIA), The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) announced that they will host a special joint health care reform Capitol Hill fly-in July 14-15.

Collectively, these groups represent more than 500,000 health insurance advisors, agents, brokers, consultants and employee benefit specialists.

With both the House and Senate poised to consider health care reform legislation in late July, the groups see this event as an opportunity for them to voice their opposition to the creation of a public plan that would against private insurance companies in the health insurance marketplace.

Some of the health care reform plans circulating in Washington include a public ehalth care option, which the insurance industry and Republicans generally oppose. They argue that a public option will squeeze out private players.

The groups' plan is to have participants lobby their representatives in Congress about preserving the role health insurance advisors and brokers play in providing health care to Americans.