Personally I feel stabbed in the back. 
 
I've worked several hours getting a few people enrolled in PCIP. Between doing letters, explaining how it works, etc it takes a slot of time away from generating business other ways. The $100 fee barely covered overhead and basic hourly wages. 
 
So now rather than have an agent that will 'sit down' and explain things people get to call the government and get a phone operator who knows squat about insurance.  
 
I don't have the figures but I'm willing to bet government overhead per enrolled is higher than mine... I do it better and cheaper - but this is just another way to put the squeeze on agents.

I view this current administration as hostile to insurance agents. Therefore I am not surprised by this action.

Having made presentations to a couple of area business organizations on the PCIP plan in the last several weeks, I can say with confidence that very few people know the PCIP even exists. So, the significantly increased awareness that GEHA thinks has been achieved must be in the same alternative universe where Obamacare actually reduced a family's insurance costs $2500 a year. Here in the mid-south it's still a well kept secret. And truth to be told, after the recent report that the average annual cost of a PCIP enrollee was $28,000+, GEHA may have decided they had all the awareness they could afford. The irony of this action is that it will probably result in even more adverse selection in the PCIP plan. We brokers can bring in that marginal uninsurable person that would otherwise continue rolling the dice. While the really sick and/or opportunistic will seek out the PCIP. I recently enrolled 3 small business owners in the PCIP plan, each was uninsurable due to some pre-ex issues but their actual current use of health care services was moderate to non-existent. None of these people knew about the PCIP plan before I the evil insurance broker introduced them to it. And now our government partners have kicked us to the curb. I wish I could say I was surprised but as this entire health care reform process has been say one thing and do another I can't say I'm shocked. A disservice is being done not only to insurance brokers but to many citizens who will remain unaware of this program.

Are these call reps even licensed or have E&O protection? 
 
 
 
There is a big liability as PCIP in our State of Florida, denied people stating that they had creditable coverage during the 6 month (or more) qualifying period. 
 
I am not talking about the coverage they asked on their applications, such as STM , Cobra, Conversion plans etc. 
 
PCIP actually denied people who had just an Aflac supplemental policy!  
 
What happens to those people who were denied the government program, incorrectly, who then have a serious illness or accident? 
 
Pretty dangerous….. 
 

It will be the same with the exchanges too, if PPACA is not overturned by the Supreme Court. I guess they were having such adverse selection and raising of costs they don't want to keep people out there pushing it to the uninsured. Keep American's dumb is the role of this administration as they seek to change it to more like their European buddies.

There was really never an intent to embrace the agent distribution channel from the outset of PCIP. This action simply exposes the Fed's actual intent, its lack of value placed upon professional insurance agents and its ignorance toward a profession that has long delivered great benefit to the social welfare of the American public.

I have not seen or heard a single (Talking Head)or a presumed ( Health Insurance Expert),in ANY media, that has been remotely helpful or accurate in their discussions, regarding Health Reform etc. My personal physician depends on ME, to inform her of the facts. No mention of the HRA opportunity or PCIP either - ANY where outside the industry. With people to dumb to realize they don't know what they think they know, added to totally self serving folks, the picture seems very very ugly. I haven't met any prospects or clients with knowledge of PCIP, and also have had a number of agents contact me for information. Our future won't be decided by facts, and that is catastrophic.

Of course, Sebelius & Obama will never glorify themselves in the media for being fully responsible and taking all credit for the increased PCIP enrollment success; not those evil capitalist working-for-a-living helping people insurance agents.

What do you expect when the Gov't is involved in running things. It's just another way for the stupid dumbmasses hired by stupid dumbmasses to find a way to work less and get paid the same. Who and how is this change going to help? Not those that need it obviously! Best way to reduce our tax burden is to get rid of gov't waste and firing a bunch of incompetent gov't employees, starting with the TOP! Less tax and more money for programs like this that help people. UGH! Is it time to vote yet?

What's everyone crying about? Did you really believe this program would last or ever succeed? It is as poorly thought out and planned as the healthcare reform and it was never meant to work. The mistake they made was to involve Brokers,who could make it work. By the way would any of you beleivers like to buy some swamp land in Florida or a Citizens homeowner policy?

The reason pcip is getting enrollments is because they paid agents like us to tell clients about it. Now that they think they have some of our client list and clients are now telling their friends, they think they don't need us. This will just lead to many clients who could be helped by the program never knowing this plan exists. We aren't going to do missionary work for the government. Paying an agent $100 for all the work we do and all of the explaining we do is a bargain. They will spend so much more than that per person for their own form of advertising. They are just jealous that they couldn't get the program jump started without us. It is a huge mistake. Huge.

I guess it will have to fall on the medical professionals to sign them up. We can't afford to work for free right now. We need to prepare for more of this in 2014

GEHA takes it in the ear.

Uh... ok.... thanks.... and by the way.... don't send us anything else, ok?

Regarding the post by Marty, 4/18/2012..I honestly don't think "THEY", think about client list or anything logistical. I have seen every agent I know, that concentrated on Health Insurance, drop out of the industry - with the exception of a few Blue Cross agents I know here in N. Carolina, and myself. Most former agents aren't reflected in the unemploment statistics either. **Since we're all in 6 or 7 figures and play golf 4 times a week:) (seems an unspoken assumption from the masses) - the public will be glad to see us lose revenue, never having a clue that good agents are so valuable to their finances and health care quality.

If insurance companies want more business, stop denying people health care coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Being an independent agent from the first day I received my health and life license, I can only say I am shocked that CMS or HHS would abandon the very people that are skilled at communicating changes and new options in the personal and group health insurance market. Just because they've hit a 50,000 enrollment point and serving in 28 states doesn't meant the job is done. What about the millions that have lost coverage because rising pricing has pushed many small employers out of the realm of affordable coverage for themselves and their employees.

I agree with other agents. If I look at the PCIP plan as a person needing health insurance, it is a good plan with good costs. You would think that it would be popular and if the plan was marketed as we as agents have done for a very long time (me over 30 years) it would have had enormous enrollment rather than the pathetic enrollment it got. The government in their stupidity alienated the people that could help the most, agents. Even the broker referral was difficult to do. People are constantly being told not to give out their social security number with good reason. What do they ask for from agents, social security numbers. I helped many people and when I helped first and the person's problem got solved they could not care less about providing me the information I needed to get the referral fee. I got to the point I needed all information first. Yes, there are criminals out there but most all agents are good people and help people. We agents have to get things done and completed to get paid unlike government employees who seem to be there just to fill the space and damn whoever might actually want to get something done.

Government inefficiency is legendary.  
Whatever the Government gives, the Government can also take away if it suits their purpose, That is not anything new. It is sad but true; the more people expect from the Government the more they will give up to get it.

The sources I have, and many of you may have as well, communicated that the PCIP program is running more costly than predicted and in order to make the funding appear sufficient HHS needs to slow down enrollment. They are not concerned with adverse selection in this pool, it's a given. Former head of implementation of exchanges with HHS, Joel Ario, indicated over a year ago in a meeting I attended that they know the exchanges will fail due to adverse selection if agents are not involved. I anticipate that the mistrust and angst this action creates in the agent community will have a counterproductive impact on agent willingness to engage in enrolling healthy clients, who have other comparable alternatives, in the exchange.

Maybe now that the government has reached it's own "epic proportion of size" it's time to quit paying them for the too much government we have amassed to.

Oh yes. So much more of this to come. Carriers are embracing Obamacare and no spin will make me think otherwise.

With this Administration it is not about helping anyone. It is all about the appearance of helping. We brokers sent them to much 'business" that required the Gov't to pay large immediate claims. My first enrollee's effective date was May 1st and he had a quadruple by-pass May 8th.

Are you guys on here serious? It's game over for us and Obama has won unless we get the Senate and Romney. 
 
Otherwise forget it. And not only that the Fed Gov take your and my business with no compensation to us.  
 
PCIP Plan,.....$100? You're worried about that? Really? Just give the person the website and let 'em mess with it themselves if you even want to bother telling them about it.

National health care within 5 years. We all better not get too attached to our health insurance commissions. If Obama is elected again the commission cuts will start in Jan. 2013. Better pare back and pay down your debts.

This is foul. What do you tell a sick person with cancer who just loss their health coverage because their employer, which is small just couldnt't afford their plan anymore and was forced to drop it? Well sweetie, I know you are in the midst of chemo and radiaton and fighting for your life, but I can't get paid to help you, so go online to do the best you can. That is not supposed to be what America is about.