Nebraska Lawmaker Also Tells Insurance and Financial Advisors That Any Reform Efforts Must Protect the Role of the Agent
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The mandate for all individuals to get health insurance or pay a fine “is the biggest sticking point” in the healthcare reform law, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) told NAIFA members at the National APIC/IFAPAC Training Meeting & Legislative Summit held this week in Washington.
“It’s time to change the mandate,” Nelson said. “People don’t like mandates. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Nelson, who supports the health care law, says other options should be explored relating to the mandate. Last year, he asked the Government Accountability Office to evaluate alternative incentives for coverage and currently is waiting for a response.
Speaking to more than 150 NAIFA members who convened for the summit and for a “Day on the Hill” event, Nelson also called for repeal of the healthcare provision that requires businesses that make payments of $600 a year for goods or services to file a 1099 form. “There’s no doubt there needs to be reform of the reform,” he said. Nelson also addressed the estate tax, urging NAIFA members “to put the pressure on my colleagues” for permanent reform. “Tell Congress that you can’t plan for their constituents” with such uncertainty, Nelson said.
Nelson told the gathering of insurance and financial advisors that it is crucial that any reform efforts “ensure the American agency system.”
“It’s true that insurance is sold and not bought,” he told them, and acknowledged that professional health, life and multiline agents are better suited than federal bureaucracies to help consumers and businesses make insurance-related decisions.
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Nelson, a two-term governor of Nebraska who once served as CEO of the Central National Insurance Group, as chief of staff and executive vice president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and as director of the Nebraska Department of Insurance, had this to say about the industry:
“I respect the insurance business. I recognize the security you provide for people. When people don’t plan ahead, an uncertain future lies ahead for their family or their business. You help close the gap and provide that certainty, and I respect that.”
In introducing Sen. Nelson, NAIFA President Terry Headley described the senator as “a consensus builder” with a reputation for problem-solving and a common-sense approach to the issues.