[Below is a letter received from Chris Harrison, Region 5 of the National Association of Health Underwriters.]

Good evening Region 5 members, I know many of us are concerned about what has passed the Senate over the past several days. We are equally concerned about how this will affect us as “agents/brokers/consultants”.

I can tell you that all of us have been concerned about the 11th hour deals that would be made and what provisions would be added. While many of them are troublesome, we (NAHU) have been successful in many of our efforts. We have mitigated some of the items that remain troublesome and will continue to work through our legislators who are, or will be, ultimately part of the Conference Committee to merge the House and Senate Bills. Janet Trautwein has prepared a short video to share with you are primary concerns and action plans that we the members can take. I encourage you to listen to it on the You Tube site. 

Like many of you, I will be watching the next several days and weeks with great interest. This fight is far from over; the Conference Committee is still a venue for us to find additional success. I wish each of you a Happy Holiday season and hope you will continue to stay tuned in this lively debate.

Sincerely, Chris Harrison NAHU Region 5

Link to the letter NAHU has prepared for Congress with thier concerns. 

[It should be noted here that some provisions of the Senate bill will go into effect as early as 2011.  Brokers are concerned that the health exchange and requirements for a high loss ratio will lessen their commissions or eliminate them entirely.   They are also worried about individual product elimination and the requirements for a employer voucher system for those employers who opt out of the employer fully funded plan.]