| Our Mission |
To educate our membership, represent consumer interests, influence legislation and promote fair and ethical business practices through the association of health and disability insurance professionals.
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Get Involved!
By: Vanessa Benitez
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I've been a member of SDAHU for the last few years and what initially appealed to me is that it's a great place to meet new brokers and mingle with our local carrier representatives. The topics are interesting and the events that SDAHU puts on are always entertaining. For the last three years I have volunteered to assist with the golf tournament and the expo. This involvement has given me a whole new level of appreciation for our organization and the work we do. So much goes on behind the scenes to put on these great events exclusively for the benefit of our members.
This year, I was lucky enough to be asked to join the board and I was not quite sure what to expect. I learned that everyone on the board is very busy professionally but is still willing to carve out time each month for meetings and planning to make our industry, organization, and community better. SDAHU and its board is as charitable with its time as it is with its resources. Not only do they help brokers develop and grow themselves professionally through continuing education and presentations but they also give back to our local community by volunteering their time and donating money to several very deserving charities.
I have come to realize that SDAHU is not just a networking organization. It has helped mentor new agents in the industry, provided continuous legislative updates on issues that affect our industry, as well as providing agents with great selling tools. SDAHU has become a very close knit community of brokers and partners that want to make sure their clients receive professional service.
I strongly urge you to get involved. There are so many ways: become a member, donate your time to a SDAHU charity, attend SDAHU meetings regularly, volunteer at the EXPO or golf tournament, and/or contribute to PAC so your voice can be heard. SDAHU has greatly enriched my life and has made me more successful in my career, hopefully you gain the same benefits by becoming an active member.
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Special Needs Clinic Annual Holiday Plea
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Help support the Special Needs Clinic and the children at Ronald McDonald House San Diego this holiday season! Contribute $25 to support SDAHU's efforts in raising money to purchase toys and gifts for the kids!
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| Why SDAHU? |
- Top speakers at monthly luncheons
- Continuing Education credits
- Staying informed with top industry publications
- Legislative impact in Sacramento and Washington DC
- RHU and REBC professional designations
- Network of peers
- NAHU protects your right to serve your client's needs
- Our mission demonstrates your commitment and professionalism.
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Covered CA & Commissions
By: Craig Gussin
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As VP of Communications for SDAHU it's important for you to know that SDAHU is working every day on your behalf.
I have received many emails from our members about the reduction in IFP commissions, and like you, I am not happy. It's wrong! We work hard to take care of our clients and find the right plan for them. No one else is going to spend the time with a client to look at all their options and help them pick a plan that best meets their needs or their families' needs.
Our SDAHU President Mark Haskell feels the same as I do, so does our CAHU President, Rick Coburn.
What can we as agents do? Covered CA numbers says that health insurance agents submit over 40% of their business, but more importantly, over 70% of the business that stays on the books through the year comes from agents.
Every agent that sells health insurance should contact Peter Lee and your Covered CA representative. Let them know that you want Covered CA to require every insurance company that sells IFP business with Covered CA to pay a minimum commission of 5%.
We as agents need to be proactive and get Covered CA to do now what I, and many agents asked them to do when they were being set up, give agents a minimum commission level.
Covered CA said the market would protect our commissions, we don't need minimums, well how is that working out?
Agents across CA that I have spoken with have told me that if commissions do not get fixed they will stop writing IFP business, and that hurts the consumer more than it does us. As an agent, I agree. It's something for the first time I am considering doing.
It's time for Covered CA to step up, protect agents and show us what they keep saying, that agents are the answer. Consumers need our help!
Please contact Covered CA and CAHU, let them know how you feel. If we do not stop this now, what will commissions be in the near future...probably 1% or less since Covered CA requires insurance companies to pay commissions.
I welcome your feedback.
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