Winning at employee benefits is like the Indy 500: It's a fast-paced endurance race, littered with hazards.

In this industry, we know all about hazards. Many of you have been in this race since before the start of the ACA. Most agents spent a couple years trying to figure out what plans would look like, a couple implementing the plans, and a couple more dealing with the fallout.

Hazard on the track

Which brings us to today: Not only is there a hazard on the track, but it also appears we might be moving to a different track altogether.

I see the majority of agents in “huddle mode,” just like five or six years ago. They're saying, “We don't know what new reforms will look like, or what the new rules will entail.”

Looking down the track

If you find yourself in this boat, some advice from race car driving instructors also applies to you:

“Look as far down the road as you can. Always look to where you want to go. Get your eyes up and you'll have advanced info.”

At a time when there's great uncertainty, brokers should work even harder to focus on what they do know. Look to the horizon, and you'll see trends that point toward opportunity. You'll have advanced information. Then, you'll see what adjustments you need to make long before your competitors. Plus, you'll get clients prepared for future challenges long before they arrive.

A chance to pass

It's true, we don't know what plan designs will be. But let's look at what we do know:

• Medical costs will continue to rise. There's no end in sight to the medical advancements and twice-the-rate-of-inflation-increases trend.

• Out-of-pocket costs will continue to rise, too. As we move away from the ACA's “lots of mandates and lots of controls” philosophy, the only direction to go is toward “consumerism.” By definition, “consumerism” means higher out-of-pocket costs. Sometimes it comes out with the obvious higher copay, coinsurance, deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. It can also come out in other plan designs.

• Rx plan designs will keep shifting to push costs to members. The trend is back to double-digit rate increases, and there's no end in sight for the next decade.

• Shrinking networks will become the norm. It's another way to reduce provider costs by driving more visits to a tighter network. But it comes with unique challenges. Employees will need help with guidance, provider searches, price/quality transparency, and out-of-network claims.

Where's the opportunity?

Maybe you're feeling like an Indy 500 driver, stuck in the middle of the pack, and without an obvious out. You're yelling in your headset, “Reid, I don't see opportunities in what you just laid out!”

If you agree the above trends are coming, then one opportunity is to become a consumerism expert. I believe we have hit a tipping point on out-of-pocket costs: Future medical plans will fail without consumerism tools that actually work and get used. Make this part of your story, your strategy, and your brand.

Find tools that are so helpful, simple and practical that employers and employees will use them to save a few hundred to a few thousand dollars each year on their medical costs. Sell the challenge and the solution; and add another non-medical stream of income. Most brokers have not made this a priority in the past. But imagine how many employers will happily follow you over the next few years if you can show them new, viable ways to engage health care.

The winner's circle

That's just one simple idea, but there are more. Come join me at the BenefitsPRO Broker Expo in Indianapolis for a workshop called “Winning the health care race.” It'll be an interactive brainstorming session where we address these changes, some ideas, and more. At the finish, each group will share their team's best strategies to a panel of experts. 'Winner's Circle' prizes will be awarded and we'll ride into the future!