"Mass politics, mass production, mass retailing and even mass education," Godin writes," gave us efficiency and productivity and made (some of us) rich and (some of us) powerful. Now, he says, mass is dying "because human beings have figured out how to be productive, and we have gotten more productive over time." In other words, consumers now have the means to exert their individuality, or weirdness, and seek out products and services accordingly.

Godin notes, "Despite the growing gulf between what politicians label as rich and poor, in much of the world even the poor are rich enough to make choices, rich enough to have passions, rich enough to care about what they watch or what they buy. When we give people choice, we make them richer."

So what does this have to do with health care benefits? Mass is dying in this industry, too.

It wasn't that long ago that health care benefits came in one size and one shape. The employer decided on a few deductible and coinsurance options and that was the packaged offered to everyone from the shop floor to the executive suite. When the "triple option" (HMO, PPO, Indemnity) was introduced employees were given some choice, but still only three flavors.

Today, consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) offer another option and the accompanying account-based plans (FSAs, HRAs and HSAs) offer even more discretion in how health care dollars are spent. Further choices are also now being offered by many employers in the way of voluntary benefit programs that supplement core coverage.

But, it is about to get even weirder because insurance exchanges, both public and private, are poised to take choice to a whole new level in the world of health benefits.

Josh Hilgers is President of Health Partners America, LLP, a company that is working to bring about this choice revolution in health insurance though a private health insurance exchange that brokers and agents can introduce to their employer clients.

"Technology has been changing the way we do many things over the last 10 years," said Hilgers. "The way we listen to music, get our news, communicate with each other, pay bills, and even make "friends" have all seen dramatic impacts. Therefore, it should be no surprise that the way we purchase health insurance is changing as well. Americans purchasing their own insurance are already taking advantage of the new tools and shopping platforms that technology has enabled but soon, the way we buy group insurance will experience a fundamental change that, I believe, will affect the majority of Americans."

Hilgers said that this paradigm shift will come as employers alter the way they offer health insurance.  He says that today's defined benefit health plans (DBHP) will soon be replaced by defined contribution health plans (DCHP). The DBHP is the tradition approach where employers offer one, or two, plans from which employees choose a coverage option best suits their needs. The DCHP, on the other hand, is more like a 401k plan where the employer provides a set amount towards health coverage and employees are free to choose any plan available on the market to meet their health insurance needs.

According to Hilgers, one factor driving this change is higher costs. But while employers are looking to control their expenses, this approach also has many benefits to the employee such as the ability to change jobs without the need to change insurance coverage, tax advantages and, of course, more choice in available plan designs.

"Technology and innovation is making it easy and affordable for individuals to choose their own coverage from a variety of options," Hilger s said. "Private health exchanges will likewise allow employers to offer far more choices than have previously been available in a group setting."

Hilgers said that brokers will continue to have a role to play in this new marketplace. "Brokers are able to offer their employers a private exchange solution where employees can shop for the best plans for their needs," Hilgers said. "Personal health plans as well as personal supplemental or ancillary benefits can be packaged and tailored to fit those needs. Brokers may also offer non major medical plans on a group voluntary chassis for better pricing, underwriting and plan design choices."

As Godin stresses in his book, mass is dying, but along with the death of mass, consumers become richer because they have the ability to choose what works best their particular brand of weirdness. Hilgers suggests that private health exchanges are poised to usher in a new era of choice in health coverage and a richer experience for consumers.