Stephen Primiano, RVP Northeast, PMC Insurance Group, sat down with John Wildfire, Vice President, healthcare practice leader, PMC Insurance Group, to discuss how insurance agents can better support their clients in the healthcare sector while driving meaningful growth in their own practices. Their conversation explores how agents can position themselves as trusted advisors in an increasingly complex, workforce-driven industry.
SP: Why has healthcare become such an important growth area for insurance agents, particularly in New England and the Northeast?
JW: Healthcare continues to expand across the Northeast due to an aging population and persistent workforce shortages across multiple care settings. In 2024, the U.S. median age reached a new record high, up 0.6 years from 2020, according to the most recent U.S. government census. Regionally, the Northeast had the highest median age nationally while “boasting” the three states (Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont) with the highest median ages in the country. (Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New Jersey are also in the top 12.)
As healthcare organizations seek to grow to meet demand, they hire more employees. The effects include: an increase in payroll, the need for additional safety training and support from their insurance and risk management partners. For insurance agents, the opportunity is to move beyond transactional placements and provide all-encompassing, advisory support.
SP: Why are long-term care facilities a significant opportunity for agents?
JW: Long-term care facilities present some of the most risk-prone exposures in healthcare. Staff routinely perform patient transfers, work extended or double shifts and face risks related to slips and falls, combative patients and infectious disease exposure. These organizations also operate under intense regulatory scrutiny and thin margins, a combination which adds significant pressure to effectively manage these facilities while still providing elite care for their residents. This is why we continue to see significant M&A activity in the space.
SP: Speaking of mergers and acquisitions, healthcare consolidation is accelerating. How has that changed Workers’ Compensation strategies?
JW: Yes, it is important to note that deals within healthcare are still on the rise. Acquisitions in the first quarter of 2026 reached 231 deals, a 25.5% increase from the 184 deals in Q1 of 2025, according to Levin Associates. This environment favors insurance agents who understand risk holistically and can guide healthcare organizations that change and support them at their most vulnerable time — the first 15 months. We have seen the agents who most often retain their customers or gain additional customers involved in either side of the transaction are those who are proactive to provide support for both the operational aspects of the move, as well as for their employees, keeping in mind workers are likely feeling concern about how this may impact their job status, lengths of shifts and working conditions.
SP: Addiction treatment services are another fast-growing healthcare segment. How does that translate into Workers’ Compensation opportunity?
JW: Addiction treatment services have expanded rapidly due to increased awareness of substance use disorders, government focus plus support and added for-profit organizations specializing in this area. Centers are hiring clinicians, counselors, nurses and administrative staff at an accelerated pace to keep up with demand for their services. As you can imagine, these environments present unique challenges, including emotionally volatile situations, stress-related injuries and physical intervention risks. Because this sector has historically been underserved from an insurance perspective, agents who understand behavioral health exposures have a strong opportunity to differentiate themselves.
SP: There are some similarities for organizations that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they are also rapidly growing, correct?
JW: That’s right. There has been significant growth within these support services and the risk that employees face has some similarities as well. Organizations that serve individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities (such as autism service providers, ABA therapy practices and community-based care programs) are experiencing significant growth driven by rising diagnoses and expanded insurance coverage. This growth is heavily workforce dependent. These organizations employ licensed (and often highly compensated) therapists, clinicians and support staff. With hands-on care and behavioral risk factors, Workers’ Compensation exposure can be more frequent than other businesses. However, depending on the ages (and strength) of the patients, average severity is often much less per claim. For insurance agents, particularly as they work with underwriting partners, having a strong grasp of these topics can help differentiate their specialization in this still underserved and expanding healthcare niche.
SP: What differentiates writing Workers’ Compensation policies in healthcare versus other industries?
JW: Many industries have characteristics that make them stand apart from others. Healthcare is no different as there are three areas which make it unique and, sometimes, more complicated.
The first is class code accuracy. In relation to the myriad of responsibilities that all of the various employees of healthcare organizations hold, there is a rather small set of Workers’ Compensation class codes that they can fit into. This is a very gray area in which not coding employees correctly can lead to significant premium being owed after audit. No one likes surprises when it comes to final cost, so expertise in classifying employees is vital to retaining or winning customers.
The second differentiator is claims handling. Working with an agent who has a team dedicated to healthcare claims handling can make or break the success of the account. As an example, a slip and fall in a restaurant is not the same as one in a nursing home. There are often significant differences in training that employees have gone through, experience and time that the workers have in the facility itself and (quite frequently) a desire for the employees to want to work. (We find many employees in healthcare truly love their work and want to be with their patients and clients.) Working with a carrier that can offer healthcare-centric nurse triage and return-to-work programs can lead to less total expenditure per claim.
Speaking of return-to-work, that is the third differentiator. As previously mentioned, many healthcare workers get into the industry because they love working with people in need. They often want to get back to work in order to do so. Agents that know how to offer return-to-work programs catered to healthcare organizations are those who are supporting the organization’s employees directly. In healthcare, this is easier said than done correctly.
SP: How can agents differentiate themselves in the healthcare space?
JW: Specialization is critical to and recognized by healthcare business owners. They increasingly expect insurance agents to understand their specific operations, workforce challenges and regulatory environment, not simply executing their insurance policies. Agents who can clearly explain how healthcare industry-specific staffing models, growth initiatives and compliance issues impact Workers’ Compensation costs quickly stand apart. By offering education, proactive risk management guidance and access to healthcare-experienced carriers, agents position themselves as trusted advisors rather than transactional brokers. Owners often receive calls from insurance agents looking to take over their insurance policies, however, the brokers who specialize in the space are the ones who win.
SP: What is the long-term outlook for agents focused on healthcare Workers’ Compensation in the Northeast?
JW: The outlook remains very strong. Demand for healthcare services continues to rise, consolidation is ongoing, and workforce pressures show no signs of easing. All of these trends reinforce the importance of well-structured Workers’ Compensation programs tailored to healthcare environments. For agents willing to specialize and engage with experienced healthcare intermediaries, Workers’ Compensation represents not just a line of coverage, but a durable growth strategy in one of the region’s most essential industries.
 John Wildfire |
 Stephen Primiano |
This content is designed for professional insurance advisors and for informational purposes only. It is not legal, tax, or compliance advice and may be outdated as we will not be updating it to maintain accuracy.
About PMC
PMC Insurance is a One80 company and a Bridge Specialty Group affiliate that delivers best-in-class Workers’ Compensation insurance solutions to independent agents across the country.
About Bridge Specialty Group
Bridge Specialty Group is a leading global insurance wholesaler with the scale and specialization needed to meet today’s complex risk challenges head-on. Our teams provide deep industry knowledge, placement precision across lines, and access to admitted, excess and surplus lines carriers, and Lloyd’s markets.
Disclosure: This article was originally published by The Standard on May 15, 2026. Text has been edited for formatting prior to posting on this site.
