Insurance agency, chamber partner to survive under Affordable Care Act

David Robinson

Reporter- Albany Business Review

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Just like tax season each spring for accountants, open enrollment in the fall has become a busy time for health insurance brokers.

Just ask John Millett, president and chief operating officer for of Bouchey & Clarke Benefits Inc., with 18 employees at offices in three upstate New York cities, Troy, Saratoga Springs and Amsterdam.

The insurance agency, which is in an industry investing resources to stay relevant under the Affordable Care Act, is preparing for Nov. 15, when the open enrollment period begins for the new government-run marketplaces, called exchanges.

Among the plans for Bouchey & Clarke has been a private exchange. The company is one of several brokers in the region, including the largest, Rose & Kiernan, based in East Greenbush, to offer that alternative to the government-run health insurance exchange. Basically, they are directing some employers to shift to health insurance plans similar to the 401(k) model that replaced pension plans.

The push to redefine employer-provided insurance has far-reaching impacts for small business groups, such as chambers of commerce. That's because the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, ended their ability to provide group coverage to sole proprietors, who are being forced to buy health insurance as individuals.

Bouchey & Clarke partnered with the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County on its private exchange, Millett said. The move about four years ago gave them both a means to keep providing more coverage options to small business owners, who are among the most disenfranchised by the ACA, he said.

"We have a few hundred businesses in the private exchange," Millett said. "It's small but growing."

Robinson covers breaking news and health care.