Tag Archives: agencies

The Great Irony: Saving Lives While Struggling to Make a Living By A.L. Childers, ACA Health Insurance Writer and World-Renowned Author

Leave a reply

Imagine this: you’re on the front lines of healthcare access in America, ensuring families have coverage to avoid medical catastrophes, only to realize that your paycheck barely covers your own bills. This is the daily reality of an ACA health insurance agent.

Yes, I’m a world-renowned author, but let me be clear—writing books doesn’t always pay the bills, and neither does being an ACA agent. Why? Because corporate greed knows no bounds, and the very companies that profit from our hard work seem determined to undervalue us.

The Life of an ACA Agent: A Balancing Act of Dedication and Despair

As ACA agents, we pour our hearts into helping clients navigate a complex healthcare system. We spend hours explaining policies, ensuring compliance, and tailoring plans to fit individual needs. We’re there for people when they’re scared, confused, and desperate for solutions.

But while we work tirelessly for others, our own needs often go unmet.

Numbers That Don’t Add Up

Let’s break this down:

  • The average company makes thousands of dollars per ACA policy over its lifespan.
  • Agents are paid $10–$20 per hour, with some earning only $2.50–$10 per policy written.

Here’s a personal example: last week, I worked 40 hours and earned $600. That’s $15/hour. Meanwhile, the company profited significantly more from the policies I enrolled. To add insult to injury, I pay $50 weekly to maintain my licenses in multiple states—a requirement my employer mandates but doesn’t reimburse.

How is this sustainable? Spoiler alert: it’s not.

The Hidden Costs of Being an ACA Agent

Being an agent isn’t just about answering calls or filling out forms. It comes with hidden costs and risks:

  1. Licensing Fees: We’re required to be licensed in every state where our company sells policies, which adds up quickly.
  2. Continuing Education: Staying compliant means investing time and money into education courses.
  3. Unpaid Training: Recently, I was threatened with a write-up for not completing a 3-hour GA (general agent) test—on my own time. As a W-2 employee, why can’t the company pay me for this?
  4. Legal Liability: If a client lies about their enrollment, guess who’s on the hook? Us. Without recorded conversations, we’d be left defenseless against false allegations.

Clients Who “Forget”

Let me paint a picture: you spend an hour helping a client find the perfect zero-dollar premium plan. You record the call for compliance. A month later, they claim they’ve never spoken to you. Why? To dodge a bill, dispute a penalty, or just stir up chaos.

How could someone forget an entire conversation about their health insurance? They didn’t. They lied. And without recordings, we’d be left holding the bag.

Corporate Greed at Its Finest

The ACA was designed to make healthcare accessible, and agents are the backbone of that system. Yet the companies profiting from our work treat us like disposable cogs in a machine.

Consider this:

  • Companies make thousands of dollars per policy over its lifetime, but agents earn less than $10 per policy.
  • We’re expected to act as healthcare experts, compliance officers, and customer service reps, all while being underpaid and overworked.

What Needs to Change

  1. Fair Compensation: Agents deserve a livable wage and fair commissions that reflect the value we provide.
  2. Paid Training: Employers should compensate agents for required tests and courses.
  3. License Reimbursement: Companies should cover the cost of state licenses.
  4. Transparency: The public deserves to know how much companies profit from ACA policies and how little they pay the agents doing the work.

Why It Matters

This isn’t just about me—it’s about the thousands of agents across the country struggling to make ends meet while providing an essential service. We ensure families have healthcare, yet we’re treated as expendable.

To my fellow agents: keep fighting the good fight. To the companies: pay us what we’re worth. And to clients: please, for the love of all things holy, stop lying. We have the recordings.

References

  1. The Affordable Care Act: A Primer for Agents (Industry White Paper, 2023)
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Insurance Agent Wages (BLS.gov)
  3. Healthcare Profit Margins: A Deep Dive (Journal of Health Economics, 2022)

This is a call to action—for better wages, better treatment, and a system that values the agents keeping it afloat. Until then, I’ll keep writing books, selling policies, and demanding the respect we all deserve.