The National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) is a non-profit professional association organized to promote the common business interests of those engaged in the sale of health insurance

Insurance

In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

 services and to advance public knowledge for the need and benefit of health insurance products and services.

History

NAHU was founded by J.P. Collins, L.D. Edson, A.G. MacKinnon and George Brown in 1930 and chartered June 5, 1930 at the Edgewater Beach Hotel

Edgewater Beach Hotel

The Edgewater Beach Hotel was a hotel in the far-north neighborhood community of Edgewater in Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1916 and owned by John Tobin Connery and James Patrick Connery, it was located between Sheridan Road and Lake Michigan at Berwyn Avenue. The complex had a private beach and...

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

.

Membership

NAHU is an organization for individuals who are active in the health insurance industry. Its membership represents all segments of the health insurance business but the nucleus of the organization has always been agents.

Governing structure

NAHU is governed by an executive board. Since 2005, Janet Trautwein has been the executive vice president and CEO, while Scott Leavitt has been president of the board since 2008.

Meetings

NAHU sponsors two industry meetings every year. Capitol Conference is held every year in Washington, DC, while the Annual Convention and Exhibition will be held in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in 2009 and San Diego in 2008.

Activities

NAHU has taken an active role in Health care reform in the United States

Health care reform in the United States

Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...

, including presenting testimony before Congress and participating in lobbying efforts.

HUPAC is a licensed political action committee

Political action committee

In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...

that raises money for candidates who support business-driven health care reform.

The NAHU Education Foundation helps insurance agents keep up-to-date on licensing classes required by each state's Department of Insurance.

NAHU helps individuals find private health insurance through its "Find an Agent" feature.