FAQs

A: Here are several reasons you should join AHIA:

• AHIA provides members with the monthly Health Insurance Matters® newsletter featuring sales ideas and legislative updates.
• AHIA hosts free monthly online forums on industry and legislative trends which members receive cost savings.
• AHIA members receive discounts on a wide range of products: COBRA, Section 125, 401(K) guides and business services.
• AHIA provides various free marketing for its members including the agent locator on both AHIA's website and HealthDecisions.org.
• AHIA takes a lead role within the NAIFA federation on federal and state legislation.
• AHIA was instrumental in securing the tax advantage we have today in our LTC products.
• AHIA was influential in getting the necessary votes to enact legislation allowing HSAs.
• Please request a Health Legislative grid for more of AHIA's advocacy efforts.

A: "The vailable PowerPoint seminars, brochures on HSAs, HIPPA, COBRA have been used to enhance my practice and my services to my clients."
-Elli Blaylock, LUTCF, RHU, REBC

"I've learned over the years that knowledge is power and AHIA has given me an enormous amount of knowledge and an enormous amount of power."
-Arnold Katz, CLU

"From its very first day, with its affiliated team of lawyers and staff, AHIA has been the only true voice of professionals in Washington, D.C. helping to keep us in the business."
-Karl Hansen, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF Founding AHIA President

"You [AHIA] have been very good friends and I look forward to continuing to work with you."
-Congressman Bobby Jindal (R-LA)

A:The mission of AHIA is to provide advocacy, services, and education to professional advisors in order to support a private, competitive health care insurance marketplace.

AHIA members are NAIFA Federation members actively involved in the sale of group and individual health related products including disability, long-term care, critical illness, Medicare supplement insurance and work site products.

A: AHIA offers free monthly meetings through the use of online forums, produced in conjunction with Employee Benefit Adviser. These are educational online audio and web conferences that provide a convenient and cost effective way for members to stay current on timely topics and issues in the health insurance industry. Members can also use these forums to increase their awareness of emerging trends, obtain information to increase sales, and improve client satisfaction. Participants log-on to view presentations on a wide-range of topics that are of interest to the health and employee benefits advisor.

A: AHIA has an annual luncheon meeting in conjunction with NAIFA's annual meeting. The next AHIA annual meeting is scheduled for September 8, 2008 in San Diego, California.

AHIA is hosting an Employee Benefits Educational Symposium in September 2008 in conjunction with the NAIFA Annual Convention and Conference at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California. View the schedule or register for the event here.

State and local AHIA health chairs are responsible for hosting meetings on the local level. AHIA provides the chairs with program suggestions including a list of CE-eligible presentations and speakers.

A: The Award of Excellence is an award given to associations, which meet the following requirements:

• Association held a meeting on a health topic
• Association has an AHIA health chair.
• Association's AHIA health chair is a member of AHIA.
• Association has 10% (silver award) or 15% (gold award) of its association membership as AHIA members.

A: AHIA works with a number of organizations to offer the following educational opportunities to AHIA members at discounted rates:

• CSA - Certified Senior Advisor
• CSS - Certified Senior Specialist
• CLTC - Certified in Long-Term Care
• COBRA Certification
• LTCP - Long-Term Care Professional
• LTC University
• HIA - Health Insurance Associate
• MHP - Managed Healthcare Professional

A: The AHIA War Chest is a fund - of generous contributions - used to:

• Inform and educate clients and colleagues, including other association members, about the current health care and health insurance legislative environment,
• Enhance public relations efforts,
• Promote to Congress and the public the benefit of value-added services provided by the private sector, including agent-advisors,
• Communicate with the Administration and with members of Congress about health care and health care financing choice, quality, competition, cost, access, and the service agent-advisors provide.

The AHIA War Chest makes it possible to fully equip our membership with the tools we need to safeguard the continuing role of the professional health insurance advisor in the financing of quality health care.