A conversation with Naama O. Pozniak, Cal Broker associate publisher and CEO of A+ Insurance Services in Studio City, California
The problem with healthcare and insurance, says veteran broker and Cal Broker’s new associate publisher Naama O. Pozniak, is not what we are doing. It’s what we aren’t doing. In a nutshell, the health insurance and healthcare systems haven’t figured out how to make people healthier.
Meanwhile, Pozniak says true innovation in insurance policies and coverage has all but stalled amid essential health benefits and many other factors dictating what policies offer. You’d have to be living under a rock not to notice that deductibles for most people have skyrocketed.
“Bottom line is that what we’re delivering right now doesn’t make a lot of sense on many levels,” says Pozniak. Does that bum her out? Nope. “I’m actually very optimistic. We’re going to see huge changes and I think we’ll see changes for the better.”
Pozniak says tech will play a key role in the future of improving public health. “There will be a day when there will be MRIs for $10 on every block,” she predicts. “You’ll be able to check your diabetes using your phone and doctors will communicate with you through artificial intelligence (AI).”
Nonetheless, serious changes will only come when the majority of people are empowered to take their health into their own hands. For Pozniak, a meditation instructor and a big fan of yoga and healthy diet, that means a marrying of Eastern and Western approaches.
“The most important thing is that we ensure we work together,” she says. “Everybody needs a seat at the table–hospitals, doctors, insurers, brokers, drug makers, A.I., tech, sages, scientists, startups, innovators–we need to come together and figure out how we can manifest what people really need—good health and a good, sustainable health care system.”
And what hopes and dreams does Pozniak have for Cal Broker, now that she has a seat at this table? “I’m feeling humbled and grateful for being in this position. If you had asked me a few years ago, I’d never have guessed I’d be a part of a magazine. But together I think we can bring new ideas and information to Cal Broker readers. Oh, and I also want to create the finest mindfulness event in the insurance industry.” Stayed tuned for more on that.
— Victoria Alexander