appreciated by employees. And in many cases even when we check the market, the association plan still remains the best price, so it’s not like they’re paying more for that stability. How do you handle the changes in the industry? Continuing education is required in this industry, for me and for our employees. Even without that, it’s important to stay on top of developments because there is a lot of change, especially every time there’s a new administration in Washington, D.C. When we had massive healthcare reform a little over 10 years ago, it actually ended up being a differentiator for us. We had an attorney on retainer who was really immersed in healthcare reform. He gave us a lot of help and guidance through that transition period, which in turn allowed us to become a good resource for our clients. Many of them were overwhelmed with how to deal with what was happening. We still have that same attorney on retainer today. He writes legislative alerts for us on a regular basis, and we distribute them to our clients when it is appropriate to do so. Those alerts are valuable and help keep us educated on what’s going on and things we need to do differently. However, perhaps one of the biggest benefits of being in an association health plan is the built-in compliance. There is a third-party administrator who really takes the burden off of the employers, which is kind of unique, a lot of times, that’s not included. Have you had any mentors throughout your career? What did you learn from them? My father was and still is a mentor. When I started in the business in 1999, I was very green. I had a business marketing background but no actual insurance knowledge. My father taught me everything I know about the insurance programs. He was always big on doing the right thing for the client, regardless of whether you know it benefits us or not. He would often say, “If you put the client first, in the end, you’ll be successful.” When you mentor others, what advice do you pass on to them? All of the employees that are with us now are people that I personally hired. None of them came from the insurance industry. I don’t know that I’d call it mentorship so much, but certainly, I helped teach them about the business and pass on my philosophy of trying to go above and beyond for the client. It’s pretty simple: If the client asks you for something, give them what they asked for. But then, take it a step further and ask yourself, “Is there something else I can give them that they haven’t asked for but would be helpful?” I try to emphasize that we should not stop with the bare minimum and always go the extra mile. To learn more about the KTA Health Plan, contact the Phil Brown Insurance Agency. Scott Brown, REBC, RHU scottbrown@philbrowninsurance.com (502) 719-4429 Laura Medford lauramedford@philbrowninsurance.com (502) 719-4430 14 | Kentucky Trucker
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