Health insurance “continues to be a conundrum for real estate agents,” says Andrew Bell, broker-owner, NextHome Endless Summer in Jacksonville, Fla. “It’s a problem in our profession that needs a solution and does not yet have one.”
Brokerages want to help but often aren’t sure where to start—especially since the issue can be thorny. Subsidizing health insurance could be construed as inconsistent with a brokerage's worker classification structure, which could be problematic from a legal perspective. To fill the gap, many agents rely on the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, Medicare or a partner’s health care plan.
To improve the options, NAR has been advocating to expand eligibility for Association Health Plans (AHPs) to self-employed individuals. There’s been some progress: This past December, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act. Now this bill needs to pass the Senate, which would mean the NAR could provide access to group health plans for its members.
In the meantime, here are some ideas for brokerages and associations that want to expand their agents’ choices.
Look to Your Local Associations
The Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association (ORRA) was inspired to create its own offering after a rather unconventional prompt—a deluge of spam texts. During the last open enrollment season, Chris Atwell, ORRA's 2026 president, received nearly 80 texts from senders falsely claiming to offer plans affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS®. (NAR takes action against such spammers and cautions members not to engage with texters making such claims.)
“We were kind of like, ‘what if we actually did offer a real health care solution, something innovative yet not cost-prohibitive for families?’” Atwell says.
ORRA partnered with PeopleOne Health, which operates four health centers in the Orlando area. “We found their solution to be affordable, and it made sense regardless of the situation members are in,” Atwell says.
Introduced in December 2025, this substitute for health care services is a subscription-type plan. Agents pay a monthly $160 fee for preventative, primary and mental health care, including imaging, generic medications, lab work and physical therapy.
Atwell notes there’s only one plan option, and the monthly subscription fee is the sole cost.
“There’s no bill other than the subscription fee or monthly cost. There are no deductibles or copays,” he says. “There’s also no network. It’s a great stopgap for somebody who doesn’t have health insurance—which a lot of our members do not.”
Even if benefits like this don’t exist at the local or state association level, association staff might have access to resources or information on health care options that brokers can offer their agents.
“For brokers, especially smaller brokers, ask your association to help you find out where the leverage points are within your local community,” Atwell advises.
Get Creative
Richard (Rick) Haase, president of United Real Estate (URE) and COO of United Real Estate Group, headquartered in Dallas, considers health insurance a critical aspect of financial health.
“Most people don’t know that not having [health] insurance at all is the leading cause of bankruptcy in America,” he says.
The lack of coverage can cause anxiety and hinder agents’ productivity and can also pose a challenge to brokers aiming to recruit top talent, Haase adds. “If you say to any human being, ‘Go perform your job, but carry into your job a worry and emotional insecurity about whether you will be wiped out by medical costs,’ that person will perform poorly or not do your job. We had to do something about it.”
After a comprehensive search, URE decided to work with Clearwater Benefits, headquartered in Austin, Texas. About a year ago, they introduced UREG Health care, which offers access to medical, dental and vision care, including telemedicine and free generic medications and mental health support.
“Clearwater understood the rules of engagement for independent contractors,” Haase says. In this type of partnership, the brokerage acts as an affinity group sponsor, with Clearwater serving as the third-party broker and administrator. The brokerage negotiates preferred pricing with Clearwater and provides URE agents with access to Clearwater’s platform. Agents who enroll form a relationship with Clearwater.
To help agents navigate the selection process, Clearwater offers personalized consultations. Simplifying this decision process is critical, as it can be intimidating and confusing, Haase says. Agents can “get peace of mind—that there’s not some goblin out there they haven’t dealt with that at some point might take out their financial freedom,” he says.
Other brokerages are trying similar approaches. Keller Williams partnered with Decisely, a benefits brokerage and HR services firm, on “Real Agent Perks,” which includes a health care plan marketplace.
Brokers: Remind Your Agents of this NAR Program
At the national level, there are health care options available through the REALTORS® Insurance Place, a collaboration between NAR and SASid, an insurance technology company, broker and administrator. This marketplace includes 30 plans for NAR members and their families, including group dental and vision, flexible short-term health insurance and supplemental health insurance.
“We ask members what they need, and we go to the market with different carriers and create solutions,” says Paula Colling, key account manager, SASid.
Based on demand, pet insurance and group short-term disability insurance recently became available. Brokers can also work with SASid on customized options, like the wellness bundle (encompassing telehealth and discount vision and dental options) they recently put together for a brokerage with over 1,000 agents, says Tim Noble, SASid’s director of operations and sales.
Health care coverage for agents is inherently challenging and currently has no easy solution. Even if you can’t provide access to full-blown coverage, you’re still helping to put agents on the right trajectory, Atwell says. “For any benefit, particularly when it comes to health care, one of my core values is progression over perfection.”
