Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Paz.
Jacqueline, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My passion has always been about helping others. I started the insurance industry in March of 1994 at the young age of 19 as a surveyor welcoming new members onto our plan. It was a relatively new insurance carrier in the South Florida area. Within the next five years, I worked myself up the company ladder as a Member Service rep, Claims Customer Service rep, and then as an Account Manager working with clients at a group level. In 2000 I obtained my agent’s license and became an Account Executive assisting our broker community in enrolling their clients onto our plan. During this time, I worked side-by-side with the medical/financial underwriters and learned about their process of evaluating the risk of insuring an individual, and their reasoning behind underwriting decisions.
In 2005, the company was acquired by United Healthcare, and the transition was life-changing for my career in sales. The experience of working for a large carrier and the opportunities and training that came with it is something I am grateful for today. Our Sales Dept emphasized training their reps in EVERY aspect of sales, from consultative selling to the underwriting process, to eventually the account management for retaining clients long-term. In 2010, I took leap of faith and joined my husband in his insurance agency that he had established years prior. We knew we would make a great team bringing both our knowledge of our industry to our clients. He had also worked for the same carrier and knew the process from the inside out. It was that same year that the Healthcare Reform law passed, referred to as Obamacare today. With all the confusion surrounding this new law, I realized I had a competitive advantage over my broker colleagues; the in-depth knowledge and experience of working on the inside of the industry. I set out and obtained my designation as a Certified PPACA Professional and offered my broker colleagues a consultative service contract to train their large employer clients in the intricacies of the law and how they would be affected based on segment size. Today my husband and I own Diversified Employer Benefits, a full service insurance agency helping companies and individuals with their insurance needs. We specialize in Employee Benefits, Life, Disability, Long-Term Care, Supplemental Benefits, and Medicare Advantage plans. Our goal to our clients continues to be clear and simple: to provide financial guidance and address their pressing needs of protecting their families easily and effectively.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The health insurance market is getting more and more unaffordable every day; for many individuals and employers. Strategizing on the right plan to fit the needs of a client can be challenging at times. We’re all looking for low deductibles, but in this market, it’s about choosing a plan to cover you from a catastrophic financial loss and weighing your risk.
Please tell us about your business.
Diversified Employer Benefits is a full service insurance agency helping companies and individuals with their insurance needs. We specialize in Employee Benefits, Life, Disability, Long-Term Care, Supplemental Benefits, and Medicare Advantage plans. Armando and I are blessed to be able to work alongside each other and do what we love to do; helping families and building relationships. Our passion for what we do transcends in our work, and our clients appreciate this.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m grateful for the experience I received having worked on the inside of the industry. I started as a basic surveyor and worked my way through every level acquiring much insight along the way. This knowledge has brought me to where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.getlifeandhealthinsurance.com
- Phone: (786)592-1118
- Email: jackie@de-benefits.com
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
