In their song “Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To BeCowboys,” which topped the charts back in 1978, Willie Nelson andWaylon Jennings advise moms everywhere not to let their childrengrow up to be cowboys, encouraging them instead to “let them bedoctors and lawyers and such.” After all, those are the twoprofessions parents dream about for their children, aren't they?The funny thing is, as insurance agents, we're a little ofboth—half doctor, half lawyer. Our parents should be proud.

But most health insurance agents don't go to medical school; infact, no higher education is required to obtain a license.Nonetheless, brokers spend all day talking with clients aboutmedical issues. Our job is to help Americans finance their healthcare expenses, and that's impossible to do without having a fewconversations about health care.

With no formal training, a lot of agents just wing it. Westumble a little at first, but over time we learn which medicalconditions scare insurance companies the most, which lifestylechoices cause these conditions, and what medications are most-oftenprescribed to treat them. We advise people to go to an urgent carecenter rather than the ER if it's not a life-threatening emergency,take generics rather than brand names because they're “chemicallyand therapeutically equivalent,” and get an annual physical so theycan catch conditions early.

And on top of all the free medical advice, most agents alsoprovide a number of legal services for their clients. We divehead-first into matters like ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA and all sorts oftax issues. Sure, we throw out the disclaimer that people shouldconsult with their lawyer or tax adviser, but most of our clientsjust do what we say without seeking professional help.

Until now, for the most part, brokers have done OK. We've guidedpeople through the medical system and held their hand through somecomplex compliance issues, but I'm wondering if it might be timefor brokers to take a step back and let those with more formaltraining do the job.

A broker, by definition, is someone who acts as an intermediarybetween a buyer and a seller, usually charging a commission.Brokers don't perform the service themselves; they find the servicefor their clients. So why do so many agents feel the need to get inthe weeds and solve all of their clients' problems?

On the medical side, a number of new companies are emerging tohelp people navigate the health care system. “With the growth ofconsumer-directed plans like health savings accounts, which askpeople to take more responsibility for their health care decisions,this is especially important,” explains Dr. Eric Bricker,co-founder of Compass Professional Health Services in Dallas.“Consumers need to be able to compare cost and quality, and havingsomeone who can negotiate with providers on their behalf isessential.” Employees can access the services that Compass providesfor a low monthly fee. And best of all, if the broker delivers thissolution to his clients, he doesn't have to perform the servicehimself.

Brokers may also want to team up with someone who can help theirclients with legal matters, especially as the health reform lawmakes things more complex for both brokers and clients. Accordingto Quitman Stephens, an attorney and partner at Cantey Hanger inFort Worth, Texas, the ACA has created a number of new requirementsthat brokers may not want to tackle on their own. 

Stephens says it's his job as a lawyer to ensure that hisclients are in compliance with the law “in a way that avoids thembeing subject to any penalties and achieves great results.” AndStephens and attorneys like him are partnering with brokers to makesure everything goes as planned.

Going forward, our clients will need someone to answer theirmedical questions. And they'll need someone to answer their legalquestions. And they'll need all sorts of other experts. And to findall of these solutions, they'll need a broker. If we spend all ofour time trying to be the expert, rather than focusing our effortson finding the expert, we're not really doing our job as a brokerand we're probably doing our clients a disservice.

 Eric Johnson can be reached at 817-366-7536 [email protected].