If you have a television, Internet access—or just a set of eyes and ears—you know we're in the middle of a contentious election season.

The presidential race has been an unusually wild roller-coaster ride, and election stress is a common condition.

But for business owners and their employees, there's a specific concern beyond rising blood pressure when the debates get heated: the uncertainty around the future of health care coverage.

While some experts suggest that much of the Affordable Care Act is likely to live on regardless of who wins the White House in November—the cost of health coverage and the evolving legislative landscape remains top-of-mind for many small and midsized businesses as they try to gain an edge in an increasingly competitive environment.

In fact, a recent ADP study found that only a quarter of midsized businesses are confident they understand all of the new ACA regulations and 34 percent of respondents rank the cost of health care coverage as their top concern.

For businesses of all sizes, it has become increasingly difficult to stay on top of health care-related business challenges—and that's where health benefits brokers come in. Courtney Simpkiss, ADP's vice president of broker strategy, explains, “Brokers face a growing demand from their clients to provide recommendations on not just health insurance, but also the right technologies and expert insights to help manage compliance with complex government regulations. We help our broker partners stand out from competitors and deepen their client relationships by arming them with examples of ADP's integrated technology tools and expert services so if the clients choose ADP, both the broker and ADP are helping clients focus on recruiting the best talent and driving growth.”

When it comes to providing strategic counsel to their clients, health benefits brokers need a trusted partner that can empower them to analyze and address their clients' most challenging questions.

For example, when a client asks “Should we migrate toward consumer-directed health plan strategies in advance of the 2020 Excise Tax?” a savvy health benefits broker will explain that while it can be done overnight, it's not recommended. It typically takes four years to convert an employee population comfortably to consumer-directed health.

Further, when their clients ask “What can I do to reduce additional health plan participant charges?” a well-informed broker will likely recommend avoiding networks that are too narrow and plans that underpay for health care services.

For clients looking to negotiate the best insurance rates while keeping administrative costs stable, a good health benefits broker will align those clients with high-quality, plan-agnostic administrative services.

While brokers can't alleviate their clients' election-related stress, they can help them more easily manage compliance challenges.

By providing integrated human capital management (HCM) technology platforms and expert insights, ADP helps health benefits brokers to deliver more value—and more peace of mind—to their mutual client as they navigate an evolving business and regulatory environment.

For more information on how ADP partners with health benefits brokers to help them stand out and stay ahead of the competition, visit www.adp.com/brokers.

Instant Insights /

Health insurance brokers: You&rsquo;re not in it alone

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Health insurance brokers: You’re not in it alone