Why Secure Enrollment Should Be a Priority for Every Broker

The open enrollment period is the busiest time for health insurance brokers and agents. There is so much to do and so little time to do it that it may seem easy to take shortcuts that could lead to a less secure experience. If we could offer brokers one bit of advice, it would be this: make secure enrollment a top priority. Do not take any chances.

Offering a secure enrollment experience for your clients is easier when you work with a general agency with a proven track record of investing in secure enrollment technologies and procedures. Whether you handle open enrollment digitally or with paper, every enrollment submission should be secure.

Security Threats Abound

Make no mistake; security threats abound in our industry just as they do in all others. Unfortunately, healthcare is a big target for cyber crooks—the industry's annual losses on ransomware attacks alone top $4.5 million. Over the last 12 years, data breaches have cost the industry an average of $10 million annually.

Direct network attacks are a serious enough issue. But it doesn't stop there; email is another big target for cyber criminals. Among all the attack vectors hackers utilize to compromise business networks, email is the most popular. It accounts for 19% of all attacks resulting in data breaches.

Rounding this out is malware. It turns out that 94% of all malware is delivered by email. Both you and your clients could be at risk if any of your computers are infected with it.

Secure Enrollment Is a Mindset

The statistics tell us everything we need to know about the reality of cyber security. Threats are everywhere. But just knowing this isn't enough. As a broker, providing secure enrollment for your clients begins with a particular mindset. It is a mindset that acknowledges security threats and commits to doing everything possible to not fall victim to them.

The secure enrollment mindset requires being more careful about everything from sending emails to transmitting digital documents. The secure mindset doesn't take any chances with customer PHI and PII data. It is diligent about security on behalf of clients and the entire benefits industry.

A General Agency as Your Partner

A broker might look at secure enrollment with the belief that too much is involved or that they don't have the proper knowledge or skills to create a secure environment. Whether or not this is true, a general agency with a proven track record of security is your best partner in offering a secure enrollment and submission experience.

We recommend a general agency that regularly invests its resources in secure technology and enrollment applications. An investment in security manifests itself in technology, procedures, policies, and broker training. All these elements combined create an environment that helps brokers maintain a secure open enrollment experience for their clients.

BenefitMall has invested millions of dollars in security technology solutions over the years. We stand ready to assist our brokers during the open enrollment period and throughout the year.

Your Clients Are Too Valuable

Do not take any chances if you have doubts about whether your open enrollment experience is secure. Your clients are too valuable. Their business data, as well as the PHI and PII data of their employees, should be protected at all times.

The more secure your open enrollment experience is, the safer enrollment will be for everyone. So don't take chances. Make sure you are doing everything in your power to maintain maximum security, and look to your general agency to provide secure digital enrollment solutions for your agency.