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.