Your Job Is At Risk Of Elimination (Medicare-For-All)......

[somarco]

Congratulations on your determination to rebuild and bounce back. You are still hanging around here, so are your 2 income streams insurance/finance related or what?

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

I remember before ACA was passed, this was primarily a IFP medical agent board with commissions at 20% of premium. Post ACA, not even close. That was a huge lesson for me as I lost over 70% of my income at the time. I went from a six figure income to loading trucks for a package delivery service at nights to pay the bills and worked all day to rebuild. Here was what I learned:

1. Nothing is owed to you, it can all be taken away tomorrow. I now bank away over 50% of my income. Before it was always grow to the next stage and keep stretching the dollars, I was building a business after all. Now, I am still building a business but I bank away $X per year even if it means growing a little slower. No way I am going to get booted without something to show for it. Businesses and industries change all the time, but there is always another opportunity if you can sell/market.

2. At least two streams of income at all time. It could be two products, two markets, or one product/market and a side business like rental property. Either way, at least two streams of income. Ideally, you could cut and live on just one if you had to do so.

3. It's easy to get lazy when you get comfortable. It is incredibly hard to ramp up again when you are out of the good prospecting habits that got you there in the first place. It's best to always keep your edge and keep pushing.

4. Don't keep debt around or at least keep it manageable. Your ability to rebrand yourself takes time. Other than a mortgage that we can easily afford, we keep no other debt. Pay cash for vehicles, no credit cards, no student loans, etc. We also keep more money liquid than typically recommended. Not only is it a cushion, but it's a great confidence builder when you are in front of clients.

I'm proud to say I now have two income streams with each over six figures since I had to rebuild. I am comfortable, love where I live, and banking away money. But, I know it could all crash tomorrow. So I keep up the pace and keep building and bringing new clients even when it hurts so I never get too soft again. Having to work nights to rebuild was the most humbling experience in my career.

This is an EXTREMELY GOOD post. My sentiments exactly. My goal in posting this thread is to just kind of wake everyone up. My other expertise is in economics/politics. I've seen agents get decimated by the passing of the ACA, when no one thought it could happen.

Let me tell, you people like AOC, Omar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Corey Booker, Kamala Harris, Pramila Jayapal, etc., might be economic morons, and I'm sure we all laugh at their idiocy, but I'll tell ya this.........when enough morons get together, they can enact change -- and this is something we all need to be awake to. In the same way they organize, we agents and brokers have to do the same thing.

Ever since I entered this industry, one thing I have noticed about a lot of the partnering agents at my upline is, they're VERY comfortable -- even though a good amount of our jobs rely on what happens in the political realm. They come in when they want, are very nonchalant, go on a few vacations, write a few new clients, here and there, but I don't think many of them realize this can all be wiped out tomorrow -- with the swipe of a pen.

Everyone needs to wake up, follow politics, educate themselves and others, and get out AHEAD of these issues. Use the tools given to you (internet comments sections, community groups, your own clients, etc.) to educate people and wake them up to the horrors of socialized medicine. Bernie Sanders knows he's peddling bullcrap, but he's a trained career Communist deceiver, and it's what he's good at.

The general public, generally being good-hearted, naive, and not following this stuff closely, doesn't realize exactly how evil a guy like this is. It's a complete Trojan horse attempt at a takeover of our lives. It's all right there in Communist Saul Alinsky's "Rules For Radicals." "You control the peoples healthcare, you control the people."

Right now this idea is an absolute pipe dream, but more-and-more of these Commie organizations are getting together, protesting, and making noise. This is why you need to get out ahead of these people, educate the public, and put your foot on their necks, EARLY, so that the coal gets removed from the train. If the general public doesn't want it or like the idea, it doesn't get done. It's that simple.

 

[Sanddollar]

I live in Northern CA, and every week I get the question of "so what do you think about the Medicare for all debate." Just last night at a networking event I was speaking with several people, and one of them was an administrator at an assisted living facility that I was hoping to forge a relationship with.

I was asked the question about Medicare for all and I gave a short reply stating that it is my belief that if you and I have paid into a fund for all of our working lives, then why should someone who has not paid into that fund receive the benefits from it. I then get a roll of the eyes from the administrator at the assisted living facility. The reply was "because there are just some people that need it." I told her that was what Medi-Cal is for.

Does anyone have a non-confrontational approach when discussing this? At a networking event, I want to be forging relationships with people who are in ancillary businesses, not creating distance. Yet I don't want to state that I am in agreement with something that I am not in agreement with. No comment doesn't cut it. Maybe just state that it's up to the government to decide.

 

[goillini52]

Does anyone have a non-confrontational approach when discussing this? At a networking event, I want to be forging relationships with people who are in ancillary businesses, not creating distance. Yet I don't want to state that I am in agreement with something that I am not in agreement with. No comment doesn't cut it. Maybe just state that it's up to the government to decide.

"We're 22 TRILLION Dollars in debt. How are we going to pay for it"?

China might not loan us any more money.

 

[vic120]

I live in Northern CA, and every week I get the question of "so what do you think about the Medicare for all debate." Just last night at a networking event I was speaking with several people, and one of them was an administrator at an assisted living facility that I was hoping to forge a relationship with.

I was asked the question about Medicare for all and I gave a short reply stating that it is my belief that if you and I have paid into a fund for all of our working lives, then why should someone who has not paid into that fund receive the benefits from it. I then get a roll of the eyes from the administrator at the assisted living facility. The reply was "because there are just some people that need it." I told her that was what Medi-Cal is for.

Does anyone have a non-confrontational approach when discussing this? At a networking event, I want to be forging relationships with people who are in ancillary businesses, not creating distance. Yet I don't want to state that I am in agreement with something that I am not in agreement with. No comment doesn't cut it. Maybe just state that it's up to the government to decide.

Another thing about looking for govt to do all these things with Insurance, I ask people who think its such a great thing, How did Obama care work out?

Why then will this be different?

 

[Travis Price]

Does anyone have a non-confrontational approach when discussing this? At a networking event, I want to be forging relationships with people who are in ancillary businesses, not creating distance. Yet I don't want to state that I am in agreement with something that I am not in agreement with. No comment doesn't cut it. Maybe just state that it's up to the government to decide.

I think the absolute best answer you can give is one that is truthful, but doesn't boil down support or disagreement for "Medicare for All"; at least not yet. The reason being is that we don't even know what a final draft of the "Medicare for All" would look like.

My answer would be simple, "I believe that everyone has the right to affordable healthcare. I can't speak on Medicare for All because no one really knows what that looks like yet."

 

[somarco]

Does anyone have a non-confrontational approach when discussing this?

It only becomes confrontation when you disagree with their view.

Logic and rational thinking does not work with the folks who operate on emotion. Because there are people who NEED (name your poison) really doesn't matter.

There are a lot of folks out there who NEED a job but they aren't willing to take just anything. It has to be the right job.

No one is ENTITLED to anything "free". No one has a RIGHT to . . .

Free health care.

Free food.

Free housing.

Free education.

Substituting the word affordable for free is a non starter. What is affordable to you may not be the next person. So once again you find yourself in a debate you cannot win.

Here is a word of advice from an old coot. I don't engage anyone, especially a client or COI, in a debate about social, political or religious issues.

You can't win an argument/discussion/debate with someone who believes M4A is a RIGHT. No need to engage or pander to them.

If you feel a need to say SOMETHING just say that you don't care to discuss things that are politically charged, especially in a business setting.

Even that will probably result in them attacking you (verbally) but that is not your fault.

There really is no way to win those discussions. Best not to engage.

Even if you pander to them it will most likely become evident quite soon that you do not share their position.

Either you avoid networking opportunities or you just stand firm and find a way to avoid confrontation.

 

[fun2drum]

...just say that you don't care to discuss things that are politically charged, especially in a business setting.

Even that will probably result in them attacking you (verbally) but that is not your fault.

There really is no way to win those discussions. Best not to engage.

Even if you pander to them it will most likely become evident quite soon that you do not share their position.

Either you avoid networking opportunities or you just stand firm and find a way to avoid confrontation.

^^^
This sums it up.
You lose the argument before you even say anything when they start off with "What do you think about (insert your favorite political issue here)". They're already cocked and loaded, ready for hot debate.

The best you can do is not damage your relationship further by responding to it.

OR - and only if you're really smooth at this, you could say something like, "I'm for whatever will fix our healthcare problems, but I have a personal policy of not talking about things that involve politics. (laughing) I could talk for hours and never get anything done. Now what'd you think about that big storm we had earlier?"
Obviously don't mention a storm if there wasn't one.
The point is to change the subject into something that may be a hot button for them.

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

I live in Northern CA, and every week I get the question of "so what do you think about the Medicare for all debate." Just last night at a networking event I was speaking with several people, and one of them was an administrator at an assisted living facility that I was hoping to forge a relationship with.

I was asked the question about Medicare for all and I gave a short reply stating that it is my belief that if you and I have paid into a fund for all of our working lives, then why should someone who has not paid into that fund receive the benefits from it. I then get a roll of the eyes from the administrator at the assisted living facility. The reply was "because there are just some people that need it." I told her that was what Medi-Cal is for.

Does anyone have a non-confrontational approach when discussing this? At a networking event, I want to be forging relationships with people who are in ancillary businesses, not creating distance. Yet I don't want to state that I am in agreement with something that I am not in agreement with. No comment doesn't cut it. Maybe just state that it's up to the government to decide.

I always just lay out the facts, while trying my best not to appear biased. I simply tell them that I love the idea, and I would love to get everyone "free" healthcare, but this country is massively in debt, we are already taxed up to the eyeballs, and this will only make our taxes skyrocket.

I always throw in the fact that all politicians that support Medicare-for-all also want to give it to people that pay no taxes, like illegals. And to even further expand on that, roughly 47% of the country pays a net zero in federal taxes. So exactly where is this money going to come from? It's simply a pipe dream.

 

[Northeast Agent]

Analysts Say Sanders' New 'Medicare For All' Bill Could Create a Care Gap

Sanders Introduces Medicare for All Bill | ThinkAdvisor

Sanders' bill would eliminate the current Medicare program, Medicaid and all current forms of private health insurance and create a government program that would pay for health care. It's similar to other single-payer health system bills Sanders has introduced in the past.