Navigators vs. Insurance Agents/Brokers

The Affordable Care Act aka Healthcare Reform, requires state exchanges to establish a "navigator" program (Section 1311(i)) that will help people who are eligible to purchase coverage through the exchange, learn about their new coverage options and enroll. States will award grants to entities that will provide these services. Since its inception, in some state capitals, a debate is waging about whether insurance brokers and agents perform all of the same functions as navigators and whether navigators should thus be required to be licensed as brokers and agents.

How Do Navigators Differ from Brokers and Agents?

In a nutshell, licensed health insurance agents/brokers assist you with enrolling into a qualified plan. They are paid a referral fee by insurers for enrollments. With a company like iCan, you can be rest assured that there is still objectivity, because iCan works with more than one health insurance provider and performs due diligence so that their clients get the most affordable health coverage available to them. They do not try to fit a circle into a square, just for the sake of earning a perfunctory fee. Additionally, Agents/Brokers are licensed - just like the ones you will find at iCan Benefit Group - with licensing requirements varying from state to state.

Navigators do much of the same. They distribute fair, impartial information about enrollment in qualified plans and facilitate enrollment in said plans. And, while "facilitate enrollment" has not yet been defined for Navigators, it generally means that they can aid someone in completing an application, but they CANNOT EXECUTE it. Additionally, they are not licensed and do not have the same level of training that an Agent/Broker does.

Who Should I Speak To Then?

If you're looking for information about plans and plan pricing, you can be assisted by either an Agent/Broker and/or a Navigator. The main difference being, the Navigator cannot actually get you enrolled, thereby making the Navigator a middle man in the health care enrollment process.

Are there any programs or models that are not handled by Agents/Brokers?

Yes. Programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are examples of such.