Through television, radio, newspapers and websites, the Americanpeople are again aware of the health care issue that divides ourcountry.

Since the election of President Obama in 2008, health care hasbecome an intense topic of debate among lawmakers, theirconstituents and journalists.

Whether one is insured or uninsured, health care, or the lack ofit, affects everyone. The political environment, along with therecent passage of legislation overhauling health care as we onceknew it, has brought the issue to the forefront of both politicaland economical conversation.

The struggle for Americans tofind affordable health care has had an effect on political figures,companies providing insurance coverage to groups or individuals,and the patients receiving or being denied health carecoverage.

We have seen how the health care issue has divided our country'sleaders and Americans from all walks of life. It has had an effecton people's lifestyles, our economy, and a political atmospherethat has been both peaceful and violent.

If we add in the demographics of the aging population along witha growing demand to insure hundreds of thousands legislated bypolicymakers, new guidelines for today's health care market willemerge.

The new market will affect nearly every aspect of most people'slives.

This legislation has created valuable opportunities forinsurance providers, which may or may not have been available inpast insurance cycles.

PROMISING ALLIED MEDICAL CLASSES

Changes in legislation, along with the present condition of ourpopulation, have led to some hot button classes in the alliedmedical field.

o Health screening operations, which can testfor anything from high blood pressure to osteoporosis, have becomea common site at many local drug stores and national retailers.

The preventative health measures these screening operationsassist will continue to blossom under the new legislation and willbecome a sound base line for any producer.

o Mobile health clinics, which are convenientlike health screening operations, are another allied medical classthat will continue to grow in the future.

This class can help address the problems facing the currenthealth care system, which include attempting to increase healthcare access, the limited resources offered by health care providersand the demand legislated by Washington.

Mobile health clinics can offer both preventative and primaryhealth care, as well as a major return on investment for healthcare providers. Therefore, this class should be one of the firsttargeted in marketing and sales calls.

o The assisted living facilities class, whichhas been a growing and prospering class for years because of theage demographic of people living in the United States, shouldcontinue to flourish.

Continuing emphasis on healthy living, and the government'sattempts to provide health care for all, are among the potentialdrivers of future growth.

o The home health care markets are the hottestof all of the allied medical classes as a result of these samerecent trends and on the basis of forecasted data.

The future demand of baby boomers and the cost effectiveness ofhome health care make the dynamics of this class appearpromising.

Advances in medical technology and the comfort and costeffectiveness of staying at home add up to rapid and prolongedgrowth in the home health care field.

COVERAGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

Allied medical forms and coverage have gone through a massiveoverhaul since carriers began to write the policies years ago.There are now many different options in coverage that suit anyexposures, needs and requirements.

Allied medical coverage is available with multiple limit optionsranging from $250,000 to $5 million on a standard underlyingpolicy. After choosing the appropriate limit, insureds have theoption to select defense inside or outside the limit.

There are also multiple deductible options available that rangefrom no deductible to $5,000 and up.

This coverage is typically offered in a package form whichincludes general liability and professional liability.

Both coverages are typically offered on a claims-made form, butoccurrence can be requested on the general liability. To addressthe needs in the insurance marketplace, carriers have even startedoffering both coverages on an occurrence form, which can be a majorselling point to the insured.

In addition to offering both professional and general liabilityon one quote, some carriers have begun to offer hired and non-ownedauto and property insurance on the quote.

Making allied medical coverage even more appealing, carriersoffer multiple sublimits to address the variable exposures of theunique insureds. Some of the common sublimits include abuse andmolestation, employee theft, legal media, and assault andbattery.

With multiple markets offering coverage to allied medicalprofessionals, the option of addressing coverage gaps shouldcontinue to grow in the years to come. It is an advantage forinsureds looking for coverage, which should be a major sellingfactor when addressing insureds in the field.

MARKETING ALLIED HEALTH CLASSES

There are many reasons to market and sell allied healthproducts. These activities are a must for flourishing producers,and these classes should be on the top of any producer's targetlist.

The current situation in this country has created the perfectstorm for this class to expand exponentially over the next fewdecades.

With expanded regulation, growing educational opportunities anda bulk of the United States economy tied to the health care field,it is poised to be a most important growth mode in the years tocome.

Also, with professionals being spread thin, a growth in demandand our litigious society, these products are a must for anyonepracticing in the medical field.

All of these factors, along with the millions of dollars tiedpublicly and privately to research and development for health care,makes it the perfect time for producers to expand their horizonsand attack this business opportunity.

We are currently at the proverbial ground floor with thisinsurance class, which makes it a remarkably good time to startgrowing a book of business.

Jordan Kurkowski is a professional linesunderwriter for Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Burns & Wilcox,in the firm's professional lines center of excellence.