Where Do We Go From Here? Prospering in a Post Health Care Reform World Findings from the 2011 MetLife Broker and Consultant Study Date : September 26,2011 Ronald Leopld MD, MBA, MPH Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire The challenging economy and health care reform are reshaping the employee benefits landscape. In preparing for the enactment of health care reform in 2014, brokers and consultants are asking some defining questions about their roles: How will I demonstrate value to my clients in a post-health care reform era? How can I adapt my business model in order to prosper? 2
Study Methodology Broker and Consultant Quantitative Study 502 telephone interviews with brokers and consultants who sell employee benefits to companies of all sizes. Broker and Consultant Qualitative Study 24 face-to-face interviews with brokers and consultants representing various geographic areas in the United States. 3
Three Key Themes 1. Compensation Model Changes are Inevitable PPACA s minimum medical loss ratio-related provisions provides the impetus for significant changes to the commission-based compensation model for brokers 2. New Business Models are the Norm 83% of brokers and consultants say their firm is actively exploring new models and strategies to stay relevant and pursue growth opportunities. 3. Optimism Despite a Tough Environment 71% anticipate that three years from now their clients will rely on their services even more than they do today. The future requires a recasting of roles 4
An Optimism Paradox Brokers and consultants are: More optimistic about their firm s growth potential than the growth of the industry. Confident that their services will remain highly relevant to clients, providing ways for their firm to grow and prosper. 5
A Unique Insight on Broker Confidence The MetLife Broker Optimism Barometer measures the overall optimism levels of brokers and consultants as an indicator of their future success. 6
Clients Are Also Facing Tough Questions Employers are asking themselves What is our role in employee benefits in a post health care reform era? What can we do to deliver an effective program within ongoing cost constraints? 7
What Keeps Employers Up at Night? Benefits costs Escalating medical coverage costs Employee productivity Sustaining productivity gains Retention Balancing benefits cost with employee satisfaction Attraction Resume tsunami? 8
What Keeps Brokers and Consultants Up at Night? 9
Health Care Reform is Perceived as a Threat... 64% of brokers and consultants are concerned that migration to health care exchanges will cause employers to stop offering medical insurance to their employees 73% are concerned about reductions in commissions due to PPACA s medical loss ratio provisions Nearly nine in ten of brokers and consultants surveyed feel strongly that health care reform will increase cost for both employers and employees 56% are unsure if employers will continue to pay most of the cost of health insurance for employees 10
... A Chance To Show Value Health care reform has given us an opportunity to get back out there and to differentiate ourselves as experts more so than a transactional type of consultant or broker. It s given us a platform to have conversations and show our expertise and our value-add. (Broker & Consultant Interviews 2010) 11
... And an Opportunity expect to spend more time consulting with clients on legal and compliance issues three years from now. expect to rely even more than usual on their broker or consultant to keep them informed on health care reform issues. Most employers are not very familiar with the features of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act (PPACA) 12
Economic Cost Pressures Still Loom Large Employers are increasingly looking at benefits not as a perk or an attraction-retention tool, (but) more as cost overhead and are trying to get more creative ways (to) manage that expense. (Broker & Consultant Interviews 2010) 13
Economic Pressures Tee Up Critical Consultations Compared to Human Resources, C-Suite executives seriously underestimate the value of benefits in driving employee loyalty, retention and productivity. 14
Communicating the Power of Benefits Above all - benefits continue to be a powerful tool to retain and attract employees. Brokers and consultants can communicate this message to clients and provide cost-effective benefits strategies to realize results The employee benefits offered to me are an important reason why I remain with my employer The employee benefits offered to me were an important reason why I came to work for this company MetLife 9th Annual Study of Employee Benefit Trends 15
Change is the New Normal Most brokers and consultants are taking action are actively exploring new models 16
Exploring a Wide Variety of Strategies 17
Compensation Challenges the anticipation (with healthcare reform) is that commissions are going to go down so we have to figure out how we are going to make up the difference. How are you going to make money? (Broker & Consultant Interviews 2010) How are brokers and consultants planning to fill any anticipated gaps in their compensation? 18
Compensation Model Changes are Inevitable Interest in shifting from commission-based compensation to fee-based for MEDICAL insurance is considered a potential avenue to increase firm profitability 19
Compensation Model Changes are Inevitable Interest in shifting from commission-based compensation to fee-based for ANCILLARY insurance is considered a potential avenue to increase firm profitability 20
Voluntary Benefits Offer Solutions 58% of brokers see an opportunity to sell more voluntary benefits in the next three years 54% of brokers and consultants have developed new marketing strategies based on voluntary benefits Voluntary benefits are going to take more of the spotlight. Basically, every client is asking, OK, how could I round out my benefit offering without costing me more money? And the answer is voluntary benefits. (Broker & Consultant Interviews 2010) 21
Voluntary Benefits Will Be Key to Firm Profitability Brokers are anticipating significant increase for employee-paid products especially disability, life, dental and Long-term care 22
Voluntary Products Can Be a Plan B for Medical 59% of brokers and consultants expect that employer-paid medical insurance will still be an important growth opportunity in the next three years Supplemental voluntary medical products can round out the offering and provide a plan B should commissions decline more than expected Brokers and consultants see growing importance for Long term care (65%) Critical illness (59%) 23
Executive Benefits Offer Potential Value Executive benefits are an under-leveraged opportunity to drive the loyalty of top talent. Nearly half (49%) of employers do not offer executive benefits. anticipate that executive benefits will become more important for their clients in the next three years say they will be very likely to offer executive benefits five years from now 24
An Opening for Life, Dental and Disability Benefits 58% of brokers & consultants report that selling more non-medical insurance products such as life, dental and disability is a potentially profitable direction. Sometimes with our clients, we think medical and then stop we leave a lot of opportunity on the table with the non-medical and retirement products and we won t broach the topic with the client but there is tremendous growth opportunity. (Broker & Consultant Interviews 2010) 25
Health and Wellness Programs Have Profit Potential 50% of brokers recognize opportunity for greater involvement in health and wellness initiatives across all company sizes 72% of employers who offer such programs say they are effective at reducing costs There s more receptivity than ever for clients to mandate wellness programs for their employees so the broker is increasingly playing the role of helping the client engage their employee in the cost equation (Broker & Consultant Interviews 2010) 26
Retirement Products as a Growth Strategy Brokers & consultants, as well as their clients, underestimate the future opportunity represented by employee financial security and retirement Agree that retirement offerings will be more important in the future than they are today 27
Retirement Benefits Drive Loyalty The recession has raised employees awareness of their financial exposure and lack of readiness for retirement Employers underestimate the loyalty value of retirement benefits 73% of employees are very interested in their employer providing programs to help them make decisions about their financial need Strongly agree that retirement benefits are a very important driver of loyalty 9th Annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends 28
Adaptation Profiles: Where Brokers and Consultants are Headed Brokers and consultants may recognize themselves in the various profile attributes and find valuable insights to help them refine their own adaptation strategies Profile MARKET EXPANDERS Adaptation Approach Find new markets for doing what we already do % of Survey Respondents CORE STRIVERS Do more of what we do VOLUNTARY VOLUMIZERS The market is changing so we will create a new market CONFIDENT CONSULTANTS Keep on consulting and leveraging firm capabilities 29
, Adaptation Profile Market Expanders 30
Adaptation Profile Core Strivers 31
Adaptation Profile Voluntary Volumizers 32
Adaptation Profile Confident Consultants 33
Conclusion Brokers and consultants have a good grasp of the challenges ahead and are actively pursuing a variety of adaptation strategies. But this is just the beginning. Brokers and consultants must grapple with generating new and replacement revenue streams while developing the skills and resources to gain a competitive advantage and maintain sustainable firm profitability. Demonstrating value to clients in an era of greater fee transparency will prove a make or break situation for many firms. 34
Moving the benefits industry forward For the more nimble, ambitious consultant and broker, there are just tons of opportunities out there right now to start a conversation with virtually anybody. (Broker & Consultant Interviews 2010) 35