Orlando — I'm bombarded by tech this week.

As I wait for my lunch, still trying to process the headlinerthe “keynote” is here at the Benefitfocus One Place event, I'mstill sifting through the buzz over Apple's Spring Forwardevent.

While both are harbingers of the “consumerization of benefits”as CEO Shawn Jenkins pointed out here, they also highlight how farbehind the tech trend our industry remains.

We bear some of the blame for that, but the market didn't forceanyone's hand until health care reform turned from scary bedtimestory to brutal reality.

But what reform also did was take employee benefits mainstream.When I took this job nearly 11 years ago, health insurance rarelymade the news. And forget about HSAs or HDHPs. No one knew what thehell those things were.

Now they're talking about them everywhere. When people outsidethe business ask what I do for a living now, I don't get that blanklook anymore.There's a level of awareness there that simply wasn'tthere before. And, sure, it might be riddled with errors and bias,but that only makes the broker's role that much more critical.

Consider this: More than two-thirds of federal exchangeenrollments processed through Benefitfocus alone last year werebroker-assisted apps. Sure, PPACA's a mess, but it's far from theFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse. On the contrary, it's probably thesingle greatest driver of growth right now for brokers willing tobrave the individual and small group markets.

I haven't made it through all the press reports yet, but Apple'sfancy new watch has the potential to revolutionize a market that'sbeen shuffling along for a few years now. And a vibrant wearablesmarket, coupled with engaged employers, can drag consumer-drivenhealth care into the 21st century. Transparency and accountabilitycan go from being toothless talking points to an everyday part oflife.

But a whole new level of regulatory meddling looms that makesPPACA look like small potatoes. We've already had the FDA put thesmackdown on 23and Me. I can't help but think they'll team up withtheir friends at the FTC to slow down progress as best theycan.

Regulators have always lagged behind real progress. They're asresistant to change as many of my broker friends — if not moreso.

But consumers want — and brokers and carriers need — thistransparency revolution. If you doubt me, look for the numbers nextmonth when the Apple Watch goes on sale. Or better yet, try to buyone the day it drops.