Agency Profile: Information Oasis

Nevada Insurance Agency Company

Scott Schellin has a finger on the pulse of the Affordable Care Act. In fact, not much happens in the state and national legislative arenas without his agency being aware and involved.

Schellin, 39, was the 2012 InsurPac Young Agent of the Year, and currently serves as legislative chair for the Nevada Independent Insurance Agents. The agency’s life-health expert, Michael Lyons, will be the next state president of the Northern Nevada Association of Health Underwriters.Schellin says the agency’s know-how is good for business as well as the industry.

MICHAEL LYONS, LIFE AND HEALTH BENEFITS SPECIALIST

An immediate ACA change was reduced commissions because of medical loss ratio changes. Employers asked how the law would affect them. Some commercial clients experienced large rate increases due to employee demographics, while rates for others stayed flat. This summer, when these groups start receiving renewal offers, some will see big changes in plans and rate. This is when we’ll really see the long-term effects of the law.

SCOTT SCHELLIN, PRESIDENT

Mike’s expertise allows us to stay on top of the constant changes in health care so we can help our customers figure out what they need. Also, we’re the state administrator for one carrier’s professional liability program for medical and other professionals. Cross-selling from that program allows us to develop our individual and small group health insurance business.

JIM RHEA, AGENT

We were a life boat for many clients with individual plans. If clients qualified for advanced premium tax credits on the exchange, we were there to help them through the daunting process. Without knowing the insurance business and the volume of available plans, individuals felt that visiting the exchange was like drinking water from a fire hose. We spent a lot of time with each client to find a plan that worked. We’re still working out how much time we can spend and yet remain profitable.