If you're paid commissions and fees by a health insurance carrier or TPA, listen up. Look in the mirror and ask the question, "If carriers and TPAs stop paying me tomorrow, will my clients pay for my advice? Could I survive on other revenue?" If you answered "yes" at least once, you're in better shape than most. But read on because there's more.

If a "yes" doesn't come out of your mouth, you should be scared. Very scared. Like Hitchcock's birds, health reform proposals, ideas, tweaks and drafts are flying around D.C.

I'm paranoid. Even if you're not, they are still out to get you.

Here's a close call I saw in 1992. It's a California flashback, but not in the Grateful Dead sort of way: I'm in my early 30s working as the small group sales manager for a major health insurance carrier. State senate and assembly bill drafts are being printed as fast as today's bail-out money. Concerned about my own job, I attend a town hall meeting to discuss probable legislation.

Picture the room: It's crammed with fear-faced benefit advisers, mostly in their late 40s and up. Old guys imagining their generous small group health insurance commissions going down the drain. Retirement dreams shot.

Why are so many advisers freaked-out? Because they have no other substantial source of revenue. No diversification. And I don't just mean "rounding out" the benefits package, as you will see.

Fortunately for the California advisers, their health insurance commissions don't get legislated away. So back to business as usual, weight challenged and content. Like a Bible miracle praised then ignored, most advisers go back to their old undiversified, sinful ways.

Slap. Slap. Slap. Wake up little Susie. It's 2009 and if you think this is a false alarm, you're in for a gut punch. Listen up. Spit out the binkie. Drop the blankie.

Stop trying to solve every client's challenges with another employee benefit. Let's pretend you already rounded out your client's benefit package.

If you've worked with a client long enough, you know the decision makers and influencers. Furthermore, you hear things. (Not your standard Pink Floyd lunatic in the hall voices). You hear about bad hires, terminations, employee turnover, absence abuse, terrible managers, vendor issues. The list goes on, and guess what? Each problem has a solution.

Here's what happened to me. My client mentioned their hiring process was out of control. She wished they could just stick their best employees into a magic photocopier and duplicate them.

Coincidentally, a trusted acquaintance is in the business of "cloning" your best workers, (it's legal and the EEOC likes it, too) allowing HR to work on talent management and resources instead of firefighting all day, instead of interviewing all day, and instead of analyzing resumes and calling references (that won't give good dirt anyway). Results with measurable ROI. Gets HR the respect they deserve. What HR exec or owner wouldn't want this? Why didn't I know about this?

I did my own due diligence, then I immediately told my client. My client now "duplicates" their best workers, enjoys lower turnover, less involuntary terminations, less training dollars spent and measurable productivity gains. It's like they found a way to get their hands on the steering wheel and take control.

All because I paid attention to my client's issues and had a solution with no relation to my benefits comfort zone.

The vendor gave me a thank you finder's fee. Something I didn't expect. The dim light bulb above my head got brighter. I asked if he works with any other benefit advisers. He said he tries, but these are the stupid excuses he hears (my comments in parentheses):

1. Clients are busy. (They work too.)

2. We're busy. (You should be.)

3. Not a core competency. (So what.)

4. Let me get through this renewal first. (What about your client's problems?)

This is all about your parched client walking through the blazing desert, looking for a glass of refreshing, cool water. Will you be there to give them a drink? What's your Plan B? Because when the candy is shaken out of the health plan piñata, don't expect it to land in your hands. EBA

McCleary, the founder of Hispano Employee Benefits, can be reached at emccleary@hispanogroup.com.