The past year hasn’t been easy for anyone. The unemployment ratehas remained stuck near 9 percent. The economy is getting worse,not better. We still don’t know what’s going to happen with healthcare reform, how it’s going to be implemented or even if it everwill. But it’s been especially hard on brokers and anyone else inthe business. Though 2011 was difficult—at best—people in the bizare coming up with new ways to keep their livelihood. And a lot ofthose innovative ways involve greater employee contributions—thinkvoluntary benefits and wellness programs. That’s one way to stayrelevant and stay in the game, but as one expert told us, the onlycertainty there is in the coming year is uncertainty.

Scott Mardis

Senior vice president, sales

Ameriflex

Mount Laurel, N.J.

“In 1999, brokers and agents only had to learn threesimple acronyms to be successful— HMO, BOR and a BIC pen. In 2011,acronyms have far surpassed these simple three to become a wholenew language essential for survival in today’s benefit marketplace.Brokers and agents have to navigate through complex plans thatcover a variety of different product designs. It is not unheard offor a broker to implement a CDHC, HDHP with an HSA/LPFSA and HRAwrap on a PPO platform pre-taxed through a POP plan, bridged with aVB GAP plan, a DHMO, and LTD/STD offering all while remainingcompliant with COBRA, HIPAA and ERISA and up-to-date with HCR andPPACA. It’s enough to need a PhD or good EAP.

If 2011 was the year to learn this new language, the challengein 2012 will be to teach this new language to employers andemployees. I can guarantee you that to most employees, theseacronyms are about as familiar as BFF and LOL are to mygrandfather. We need to be adept at speaking and teaching thislanguage or face the real possibility that both the language andindustry become the new Latin and Roman Empire—DEAD.”