According to a study by the National Association of HealthUnderwriters, small businesses rely on health insurance agents andbrokers to help with purchasing health insurance coverage thatbest fits their budget and health care requirements. Agents alsoplay an important role in servicing the policy after the salesprocess, the survey finds.

The survey, which questioned more than 3,300 of NAHU's members,finds over 50 percent spend half of their time providing clientservice beyond the sales process. Nearly 95 percent of allrespondents facilitate claims and billing issues, and almost 90percent assist clients with compliance information every day.

"In the midst of this massive health care overhaul, the agent's role as advisor and educatoris even more critical," states NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein. "Asmembers of a profession that requires a license and has stringenteducational requirements, agents and brokers serve more asadvocates for clients than simply salespeople. Without theassistance of health insurance agents or brokers, health careconsumers would be left alone to deal with the ever-changinglandscape of our health care system.

"Nearly all agents attest to assisting clients with claims andbilling issues, and more than half of those same agents spend moretime working with their clients after a sale is complete than theydo to initialize the sale. Health insurance customers who useagents report being satisfied not just with their insurance butalso with the work performed by their agents, especially when itcomes to the agent's role in finding the right policy, in enablingconsumers to be smart shoppers of health services and in reducinghealth care costs."