The ACA or Always Causing Anxiety—oh, sorry, I mean the Affordable Care Act—has and will continue to present tremendous challenges to both employers trying to comply and brokers trying to provide assistance and ongoing service. Regardless of your political leanings, the ACA with its ever-changing structure, implementation and deadlines makes it almost impossible to have all the answers. However, unlike with other industry changes, most clients also understand we are dealing with the same chaos as they are. Being an empathetic resource who provides answers when available and solutions when they are not, still makes the difference with most clients.

I have also found that working with an individual marketplace specialist is essential, as interaction between group and individual coverage brings clarity for your clients and their employees. Whomever you work with should understand the individual marketplace qualifications thoroughly, as much damage and confusion has been caused by those seeking to sell marketplace policies while ignoring or not knowing the rules.

One popular idea has been to have a marketplace specialist give a seminar for group clients. This is primarily for part-time employees or others ineligible for group coverage or employee family members. The employer gets credit for providing the resource and employees get the right information. Depending on the demographics of your groups, you should also work closely with a Medicare specialist.

The uncertainty presented by the ACA, both now and in the future, make ancillary benefits even more important for your practice. They provide greater certainty and stability for the benefit package you design and implement for your clients since they are not the focus of new legislation as is healthcare. They also help fill in the coverage gaps that employees face that are for the most part not available to them individually but only through employer sponsored benefits, whether voluntary or employer paid. Lastly, it diversifies your income streams which is more important than ever.

David Schwab is an employee benefits broker from South Florida.