Did you know? It’s possible for you to partner with a health insurance general agency like Word & Brown and still remain “independent.” It’s not an either/or situation.
You and/or your agency can tap into a range of valuable tools, technology, talented industry professionals, and other resources a general agency (GA) offers. But you are still able to remain independent and operate on your own.
Why Brokers Partner with a General Agency?
Let’s look at how an agent/GA relationship works – and how a GA can work on your behalf in dealing with carriers and plan administrators.
At its core, a relationship with a GA is built on a foundation of service. Your GA will help you process your business more effectively, and can help you in other ways, too – helping you earn more income. It will take on much of your back office, administrative activities – freeing you up to focus on what’s really important: prospecting and sales.
Brokers today – more than at any time previously – face multiple challenges. Among them are staying on top of changing compliance rules and regulations at the state and federal levels, and helping you earn your required Continuing Education (CE) Credits to maintain your state license(s). Your GA can help you learn and implement new technology. Leading GAs also offer an increasingly wide range of products and services to help you address the evolving needs of your clients.
Contrary to what you may have heard or read, working with a GA like Word & Brown does not cost you anything. You earn the same commission (and bonuses) as you would on your own, working as an independent broker.
Word & Brown does not earn its compensation from your commissions. The selected carrier or administrator pays us directly. You won’t earn less, and, in fact, you could earn more because we relieve you of so many tasks.
With W&B’s proprietary quoting technology, you have access to:
- quoting on your behalf by W&B quote experts.
- side-by-side plan comparisons with highlighted plan differences.
- built-in safeguards to ensure rate accuracy.
- customizable quote output options.
- a single-page executive highlights for your client.
- multilingual translations.
- integrated provider search (ensuring your clients have access to their preferred plan(s).
- automated deductible and Rx updates (so you know when they apply before benefits kick in).
- the ability to quote Medical and Ancillary on a single platform.
Another benefit is unparalleled sales assistance. Your W&B representative – and all of your W&B team – is here for you and your clients. We’re available whenever and however you need us, wherever you are.
Our team offers support in-person, on the phone, and online. We’re committed to expediting your carrier appointments and making your job easier. That includes tailored presentation-ready proposals for your client meetings, bilingual enrollers and presenters, and in-person as well as virtual presentation assistance.
We offer the full market portfolio you and your customers want. Choose from Major Medical, Ancillary (Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, etc.), and Voluntary coverage from leading insurers and administrators for Small Group and Large Group. If your clients want something more – like EAP, COBRA services, a Premium Only Plan, and ERISA services – we can help you there, too. Just ask.
W&B’s Underwriting team works directly with carriers to streamline approvals. We’ll scrub your quotes, and track and follow up to ensure proposals (or declines) are returned by your requested date. We’ll also generate a strategic market analysis and provide needed benchmarking. The bottom line is a cleaner complete submission for you and those you serve.
Our WBCompliance team is here to simplify compliance. We keep you up to speed on the latest issues concerning employer reporting, changing benefits regulations, and laws that could affect your clients’ businesses. We’ll help you protect your clients from liability and hefty financial penalties in connection with Affordable Care Act (ACA) annual reporting.
We can also help you stay up to date on our evolving industry with in-person and online training, including Continuing Education (CE) Credits. Get product, service, and carrier updates via email, our monthly newsletter, social media, and in our online Newsroom. Take advantage of sales tips, tech updates, and more in our monthly broker blog posts.
We’ll answer all of your and your clients’ questions about quoting, products, underwriting, sales, enrollment, provider networks, service, claims, billing, and more.
A relationship with W&B can help you professionally and personally. And our strong relationships with leading carriers and administrators benefits you and your clients, too.
Let’s join forces! If you want to grow your business, partnering with Word & Brown can help you in a variety of ways. We’ve been working with brokers since 1985 and we’re committed to providing you with “Service of Unequalled Excellence” – before, during, and after the sale. Call (800) 869-6989 or fill out our online form to get started or learn more.
