Leonardo da Vinci, who I'm told knew a thing or two, once said, “It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”

It's probably one of many reasons why so many of my broker friends had such a miserable time in mid-December: Dec. 15, of course, was the deadline for would-be enrollees to sign up insurance effective Jan. 1. So, naturally, most of them waited until the last weekend to start asking for help—much to the white-knuckled frustration of brokers across the country.

They vented on social media—including more than a few pictures documenting wait times on the HealthCare.gov hotline—although it looked like it was more of a lukewarm line at best. A few even texted me, raging against the machine, the gears and the soylent green it kicked out.

(One was still taking calls after 10 p.m. Sunday night.)

I know I've made this analogy before, just maybe not quite so bluntly, but consumers (like voters) are like kids.

Like it or not, they've known about this deadline for months. But they resisted, as da Vinci would point out, as long as they could.

I'm sure for many of them, it's confusing. So they don't want to deal with it. Nobody likes feeling stupid. And most hate asking for help (or directions).

I'm equally certain it strikes many as annoyance they simply don't have time for. Until they don't have any time left.

Then there's the obvious answer: money. It's the same reason so many people are dropping their tax forms into post office boxes on April 15. Who wants to pay that money any sooner than they have to? Especially if they don't think they're getting anything in return? And who wants to be forced to do anything on top of all that?

And brokers are caught in the classic “blame the messenger” conundrum. Sure, the feds can change the rules. The judges can kill the subsidies. The states—such as Idaho and New York, for example—can change the deadlines. And the carriers can apparently do whatever they hell they want with the premiums. But guess who ends up being the bad guy? That's right, the broker.

Remember, these are consumers who barely know the difference between a deductible and a premium. You think they're aware enough to blame someone other than the poor sap on the other end of the line who just told them that coverage they had last year is gone? Or, their premium just doubled—for half the coverage? Who's gonna get cussed out? Not Sylvia Burwell.

It sucks now, and I'm sorry. Each and every one of you is an unsung hero. You're lifesavers for these people and they don't even know it.

Instant Insights /

Procrastination fuels frustration

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