Over the course of two days earlier this month, hundreds of licensed insurance and health benefits professionals from across the state descended on Sacramento for the California Agents and Health Insurance Professionals (CAHIP) Annual Capitol Summit.
The summit served as a direct line between the real-world healthcare challenges consumers face every day and the lawmakers with the power to do something about it.
CAHIP members — who collectively help millions of Californians select, understand, and use their health coverage — came armed with firsthand accounts of what’s broken and what’s working. In detailed meetings with elected officials and legislative staff, they pushed for action on the issues that matter most: making coverage more affordable, expanding healthcare access for underserved communities, strengthening consumer protections, and ensuring that Californians have access to knowledgeable, licensed professionals when making high-stakes healthcare decisions.
“Our members work directly with Californians every day,” explained Dawn McFarland, president of CAHIP. “The Capitol Summit allows us to bring those real-world experiences to policymakers while advocating for practical solutions that improve access, affordability and consumer understanding of healthcare coverage. Advocacy remains one of the most important responsibilities we have as industry professionals.”
With healthcare policy shifting rapidly at both the state and federal levels, the May 5-6 summit featured a rare opportunity: a direct conversation with the candidates who want to lead California’s insurance regulatory system.
State Senator Ben Allen, former State Senator Steve Bradford, and insurance industry veteran Stacy Korsgaden — all candidates for California Insurance Commissioner — took the stage to outline their policy priorities and visions for the state’s insurance market. The discussion underscored just how consequential this race will be for consumers, employers, and the professionals who serve them.
Political consultant and commentator Mike Madrid set the stage with a keynote address on California’s evolving political and healthcare landscape, providing critical context for the policy conversations that followed.
California’s healthcare system is at an inflection point. Rising premiums, coverage gaps, and a regulatory environment in constant flux have left consumers — and the professionals who guide them — navigating unprecedented complexity. CAHIP’s Capitol Summit is designed to ensure that the voices of licensed insurance professionals, and by extension the consumers they serve, remain part of every major policy decision.
As the state chapter of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals (NABIP) in Washington D.C., CAHIP continues to serve as a trusted resource for lawmakers seeking industry expertise and consumer-focused perspectives on healthcare legislation.
The message from this year’s summit was clear: when healthcare policy is made without input from those on the ground, consumers pay the price. CAHIP intends to keep that from happening.
California Agents and Health Insurance Professionals (CAHIP) is a statewide trade association representing health insurance professionals across California. For more information about the organization and its advocacy initiatives, visit cahip.com.
