This year's BenefitsPRO Health Care Survey reveals an industry that has weathered years of change and disruption relatively well, leaving brokers feeling positive about their businesses and the future. However, some uncertainty remains; concerns about disruptive new innovations, regulation and consolidation provide some storm clouds on the horizon. But for the most part, brokers seem to find the sailing manageable, if not always smooth.

Setting the scene

Nearly 400 benefits professionals responded to this year's survey, the highest response in the past three years. Respondents identified themselves as filling a variety of roles: consultant (24 percent), general agent/managing agent (19.6 percent), brokerage employee (19 percent), brokerage owner (19 percent), other (14 percent), and carrier executive or representative (4.5 percent).

Smaller firms dominated the survey; 48 percent of respondents said their firm had 1 to 5 employees, and 17 percent listed 6 to 25 employees. However, large companies were well represented—12 percent of respondents were from companies with more than 1,000 employees, and 11 percent were from companies with 101 to 1,000 employees. Meanwhile, 6 percent of respondents said they were from companies with 26 to 50 employees.

The survey also asked respondents to break down their book of business by premium volume across customer segments. The responses favored individual and small group sales: respondents' agencies on average had 35 individual accounts, 49 small group accounts (2–100 lives), 27 mid-market groups (101–5000 lives), 16 large group accounts (501–3,000 lives), and 12 national accounts (3,000+ lives).