Florida blue cutting commissions

[InsuranceGuy29]

Self-enrollment is going to happen and has been happening already for the last 5 years. There is always a segment who either enjoys that process or doesn't like dealing with people. They make terrible clients anyway. There are way more people that either appreciate a free second opinion, or just want someone to tell them how it works and what their options are. That is likely never going away, even if how it is paid for changes.

The industry will change. It has many times before. Like stated by multiple savvy agents in this thread, diversification is key. Sell MAPD's, MedSup, ACA, HIPS, Ancillary, FEP and Life. Any of them could bite the dust at any point, but they won't all at the same time or we have much larger problems headed our way than how we will retire comfortably.

To your point, sticking your head in the sand won't change anything, but neither does posting on an incredibly niche message board. If the bottom falls out and I have to change careers again, I'll do it, but I won't be losing sleep over it. This business has already given me more than I could ever give it back. I know we add value that the insurance companies fail to replicate, or they would have done away with us a long time ago. We are also much cheaper than employees that they have to recruit, interview, license, train, retain and provide benefits for and then replace 40% of them every single year.

Completely agree. The vast majority of people I encounter are clueless to everything insurance. And even if they aren't, they still want no part of anything, and they want me to just handle it.

People forget, we are dealing with a HUGE crop of the population that has had learned helplessness engrained in them. Most people are too afraid to learn anything, too tired, and have no will to do it even if they learned about it and weren't too tired.

Insurance is WAY too complex for the average person. Sure, you might have some folks that will research it, make their decision confidently, and that's that. This is probably 1% of people.

This is not easy stuff. We might think it is, because we've been in the business for a long time, and have been trained ad nauseum, but rules and laws are ever-changing.

There is literally no way any person who isn't in the industry could or would keep up with this stuff. It's just too much data, and why would they?? You just hire a professional when the time comes. It would be a waste of time for them.

 

[DonP]

Completely agree. The vast majority of people I encounter are clueless to everything insurance. And even if they aren't, they still want no part of anything, and they want me to just handle it.

People forget, we are dealing with a HUGE crop of the population that has had learned helplessness engrained in them. Most people are too afraid to learn anything, too tired, and have no will to do it even if they learned about it and weren't too tired.

Insurance is WAY too complex for the average person. Sure, you might have some folks that will research it, make their decision confidently, and that's that. This is probably 1% of people.

This is not easy stuff. We might think it is, because we've been in the business for a long time, and have been trained ad nauseum, but rules and laws are ever-changing.

There is literally no way any person who isn't in the industry could or would keep up with this stuff. It's just too much data, and why would they?? You just hire a professional when the time comes. It would be a waste of time for them.

Ok let's say we agree the agent stays . Still nothing to stop commissions being chopped big . 85-90% of mapd sales are mapd to mapd wether it's during aep , oep or throughout the yr . Let's say they chopped commissions 50% . I'm sure not selling a mapd to mapd for $156 with no hra . Agents don't really realize their comp was already cut 15% with no hra's on most products anymore . Pbm's owned by carriers have Trump's wrath on them . Theres little doubt profitability of Medicare has been contracting fast the last 12-18 months . Unfortunately the agent won't know about product or commissions for 2026 until sept or first week of oct . Every industry goes through change as far as agents and commissions go . My brothers a sockbroker of 30 yrs . The comp structure has changed big the last 5-10 yrs . They fired all the managers . Technology has done this as people self investing now . The highly compensated pharmaceutical agent of past is obsolete . Things change .

 

[somarco]

Looks like the sky is falling . . . . . again . . .

 

[Surancedawg]

Ok let's say we agree the agent stays . Still nothing to stop commissions being chopped big . 85-90% of mapd sales are mapd to mapd wether it's during aep , oep or throughout the yr . Let's say they chopped commissions 50% . I'm sure not selling a mapd to mapd for $156 with no hra . Agents don't really realize their comp was already cut 15% with no hra's on most products anymore . Pbm's owned by carriers have Trump's wrath on them . Theres little doubt profitability of Medicare has been contracting fast the last 12-18 months . Unfortunately the agent won't know about product or commissions for 2026 until sept or first week of oct . Every industry goes through change as far as agents and commissions go . My brothers a sockbroker of 30 yrs . The comp structure has changed big the last 5-10 yrs . They fired all the managers . Technology has done this as people self investing now . The highly compensated pharmaceutical agent of past is obsolete . Things change .

My brothers a sockbroker of 30 yrs . The comp structure has changed big the last 5-10 yrs .

I thought socks were a lot more profitable these days, since the textile mills moved the production to low wage sweatshop countries like China.

 

[DonP]

I meant stock broker . Lol

 

[Special Agent]

i hear the Sock Exchange is doing well the Xmas season!

 

[axeman462]

Looks like the sky is falling . . . . . again . . .

the dude is so full of himself, he probably don't realize that he's the only one singing the end of the world is coming

 

[axeman462]

i hear the Sock Exchange is doing well the Xmas season!

 

[DonP]

the dude is so full of himself, he probably don't realize that he's the only one singing the end of the world is coming

It's funnny as hell . I'm the negative one and not one person on this board did as many apps as me aep on their own pen .Hell few face to face agents in the whole country did my vol. BEING NEGATIVE PAYS BIG . As i recall Somarco in 10 yrs in the business a few yrs ago had had a book of 400 or so. In 7 weeks I didn't more apps than he did in 10 yrs !!! . Time to retire old man .

 

[axeman462]

It's funnny as hell . I'm the negative one and not one person on this board did as many apps as me aep on their own pen .Hell few face to face agents in the whole country did my vol. BEING NEGATIVE PAYS BIG . As i recall Somarco in 10 yrs in the business a few yrs ago had had a book of 400 or so. In 7 weeks I didn't more apps than he did in 10 yrs !!! . Time to retire old man .

the self-worth of a man is not defined by his bank account.

a man that measures himself by the size of his bank account is man who's values are misaligned and will find himself with trouble in his own home, because greed refuses to be satisfied.

With the mentality you have, I have no doubt that you will find yourself out of business in the near future.