Access Health Connecticut, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, has started a search for its 2023 Broker Academy.
CEO James Michel said the program was created after their research showed there was a need for qualified insurance professionals in areas of the state that have been historically underserved.
“We looked into our data and there were very limited, almost no Black or Brown brokers in the community, in the urban communities across the state of Connecticut,” Michel said. “So, what the Broker Academy is seeking to do is to recruit individuals that live and work in those communities that are most impacted by health disparities as well as have the highest uninsured.”
Now in its second year, the Broker Academy is free to residents, who are at least 18 years old and live in Connecticut. Access Health CT will also pay for certification costs.
“Each step requires an investment of cash. For example, the State of Connecticut requires you take their certified classes before you can take the licensing exam — that costs money,” Michel said. “We take them past the exam, we have to pay for that as well. That’s two costs. The third cost is that if you pass the exam then you have to apply to get the license and you have to pay another fee.”
“So, we have removed all those barriers for the people we recruit from the communities, so they can become license brokers,” he continued.
Information sessions are available through March.
