Benefits Broker

Leaders of a bipartisan "Gang of Six" senators said Tuesday that they've reached agreement on a major plan to cut the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the coming decade through tax reform, Medicare and Social Security overhaul, and repeal of the CLASS Act, among other measures.

Sales professionals who are successful are often found to be in leadership positions, either in their field of expertise or within their company.

Despite that black cloud looming in the background like some kind of catastrophic debt ceiling, the mood here at the BenefitsConnect Summit is decidedly upbeat. Hell, it's downright bullish — among brokers and carriers alike.

The role of health insurance agents and brokers over the next few years will be even more important as middle-market decision makers navigate choices in a post-health care reform era.

Efforts by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make the new health insurance exchange program as flexible as possible for the states could hurt health insurers.

Chicago-based Hub International Limited announced it will purchase Strategic Employee Benefits Services of Louisiana, a Metairie, La.-based benefit consulting and service firm.

The National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) is backing an effort by health insurance agents to get Congress to exempt producer compensation from health insurance medical loss ratio (MLR) calculations.

With a default deadline drawing ominously near, House Republican leaders are giving the tea party what amounts to a symbolic floor vote on a "cut, cap and balance" debt-limit plan while behind the scenes work continues on a fallback measure that could become the framework for a compromise.