It's the wild west out here and companies are doing what they can to survive, said Ronnell Nolan, CEO of Health Agents for America, which represents independent insurance brokers.
Each year since the launch of Healthcare.gov, insurance broker Craig Paulson faces a difficult question: should he continue to sell individual market plans even though insurance companies increasingly refuse to pay commissions?
If his Utah-based insurance brokerage firm Altura Benefits stops selling exchange plans, consumers may be left with lower quality coverage or none at all. In the past year, Aetna announced it would stop paying any commissions on the induvial market in Utah. Molina Healthcare later announced that it wouldn't pay for commissions on special enrollment plans.
