Nowadays, people in the industry can find a number of different titles on their business cards; broker, agent, planner, producer, consultant and advisor are the most common. And with Obamacare in full swing, people in the industry could probably add policy expert, psychiatrist, attorney, CPA and critic to their cards as well. Sadly, some benefits professionals could even add the word “former” to their titles after leaving the business altogether. Some states strictly regulate what benefits professionals can call themselves. Others don't. But it's safe to say people in the benefits business have plenty of titles right now.

“It's really personal preference what term people use, as the difference in definitions has become antiquated,” says Kathryn Gaglione, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Health Underwriters.

“An ‘agent’ used to mean someone who was captive to a carrier, and a ‘broker’ could represent multiple carriers, but that's not always the case anymore. While ‘producer’ is a more accurate term, people outside of the industry generally don't recognize it. ‘Advisor,’ ‘consultant’ and ‘planner’ are aspects of an agent/broker's job, but they also don't encompass everything they do for their clients,” Gaglione says. “‘Benefits professional’ also connotes someone who works in the group field but isn't generally recognized as someone who represents individuals and families. The catch-all has become ‘health insurance agent.’”

Brokers/agents

While there are many names for benefits professionals, many of them still prefer the term “broker” and “agent.” Though the two terms mean different things, they basically pertain to the same kind of job responsibility: sales. Agents typically are aligned with a single carrier or product, whereas brokers can sell from a menu of carriers. The terms are still preferred—a look at Benefits Selling readership from 2013 shows that 29.1 percent of readers identified themselves as agents and 22.1 percent of readers identified themselves as brokers. So at slightly more than 50 percent, the terms remain firmly entrenched in the industry, at least by one method of polling.

“In Kentucky, I can only be an agent or broker,” says Zach Zinser of Zinser Benefit Service in Louisville, Ky. “In order to call myself a consultant, I have to get a license. I haven't gotten a license, and if I’m a consultant, I don't know what I’m going to charge somebody. I know some people that have gotten their consultant license, but I don't know if they’re charging people. I call myself a salesman. I like the term broker; it has a better meaning. And when I think of agent, I think of AllState or State Farm—someone that's locked into something. I think it's better for my clients if I’m a broker.”

Consultant

While brokers and agents still reign supreme, many benefits professionals say their colleagues and competitors are moving toward calling themselves consultants.

That's because benefits professionals are often called upon to do more than just sell a product—especially in the small group market, and even in the mid-size group market. The Benefits Selling readership survey from 2013 shows that 11.2 percent of readers identify as consultants—but the term's popularity is growing.

“I think PPACA is changing, or at least affecting, everything in our business,” says Brandon Scarborough, a benefits consultant for Power Group in Overland Park, Kan. “Clients are relying more on their consultants to make sure they’re compliant and giving them the latest updates on everything. That's part of our job—to be as informed on PPACA as possible. That's if you’re a broker, a producer or a consultant—whatever your title is. It's important to know as much as you can about what's going on with PPACA.”

Many benefits professionals say clients come to them with all kinds of questions, which means consultant is a good catch-all. Many say clients come to them with compliance questions that often make them feel like legal consultants. Oftentimes, because clients don't want to pay a lawyer, the benefits consultant gets the call. As many employers and employees begin purchasing coverage, benefits professionals can even be asked to help a client make financial decisions.

“I still consider myself an agent,” says John Tjarks, president of A-OK Insurance in Pea Ridge, Ark. “Consultant is a strong word—you’re going to have aspects of that in your job. With the Affordable Care Act, you’re going to have to know what advanced premium tax credits are and how clients recoup those, and when you’re talking to people you need to know about tax returns and where to look at what's non-taxable. You have to know a lot. You’re no longer in a world where you can just sell a product; you have to know a law. The health care law has made it where you have to know a lot of law—and tax law in particular—so you don't guide your client into a bad situation.”

Advisor

Another name for benefits professionals that's gaining favor is “advisor.” The reason for this is simple: connotation. To many clients, the term “consultant” is associated with a costly fee. “Advisor” doesn't carry the same association, so many benefits professionals look at advisor as a term that lets clients know they’re more than salespeople, but they don't come with a hefty fee attached.

“Advisor is probably the most prevalent word right now,” says Aaron Davis, 2013 Broker of the Year and president of NextLogical Benefits Strategies in Westminster, Maryland. “The thought of working with a broker—the connotation is that you’re a middle man. As an advisor, you’re not saying you’re a full-blown consultant, but it's right in between. Advisor is the up-and-coming name.”

The Benefits Selling readership numbers show that many benefits professionals agree with Davis. About 33.2 percent of readers call themselves advisors.

More names

Other terms benefits professionals use often are planner and producer. The Benefits Selling readership survey shows that 4.4 percent of readers used the term “planner” to describe themselves. “Producer” is also in common usage, but it doesn't show up in the readership survey. Producers work the front lines, churning up leads and cultivating relationships with potential clients, which harkens back to the good old “broker” and “agent” days.

Benefits professionals across the country say there are many other names that apply to their jobs. For Denise VanPutten, an account manager for the Lighthouse Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the word “partner” aptly describes her client relationship.

“Our No. 1 job is to look out for our consumers and their employees,” VanPutten says. “We’re partners. We advise, consult and plan, but we’re a partner with them as they continue to navigate health care reform. I’m going to advise them what they can do and consult with them.”

VanPutten, who works with many small groups, says that human resources titles crop up with her clients, too. “As far as the human resources role that we play, it depends on the group size,” VanPutten says. “In the under-50 market, we are their human resources arm. An employer is trying to make a decision on health insurance so he can meet the needs of his employees and their families. That's a big part of retention. An employer of a 10-person group, he doesn't have an HR person. Larger companies have an entire department for human resources.”

“Do they see me as part of their HR department? We always offer our clients a meeting with the new hires,” Zinser says. “Very few take me up on that. I don't want to be viewed as an HR person—there are people that get paid to do that. But for smaller companies, I don't mind. We get questions all the time about HR matters. You’re already seeing some brokers marketing themselves as HR departments.”

From old-school “broker-agents” to consultants and advisors all the way to non-traditional names, benefits professionals are doing a lot for their clients. Obamacare, or PPACA, has a lot to with that. And there are probably a few names benefits professionals will start taking over in the future. By now, though, most benefits professionals are accustomed to the name game because they know that change—well, that's the name of the game.