Dawn McFarland on How Brokers Can Protect Their Role

BROKER SPOTLIGHT

By Phil Calhoun in conversation with Dawn McFarland

Dawn McFarland, founder and president of M&M Benefit Solutions Insurance Services, brings a rare mix of regulatory discipline, field experience, and association leadership to the California benefits market. Her career path has taken her from banking to insurance, from voluntary benefits to Medicare, and from local chapter involvement to state leadership. This conversation is drawn from a recording between Dawn McFarland and California Broker Magazine CEO Phil Calhoun, with a focus on career development, association advocacy, Medicare and group market shifts, and the impact of California legislation and AI on the broker community.

From Banking to Benefits

Dawn McFarland did not start her career in insurance, but that may be part of what made the transition so effective. After years in banking, where audits, regulation, and operational precision were part of daily life, she entered the insurance world in her mid-30s just as Covered California was launching. That timing mattered. “I know that change is really a playground for opportunity,” she said, describing how she saw the new market landscape as a place to build a business and find a niche.

Her first step was into voluntary benefits, but she quickly learned that the model had limits for the kind of business she wanted to build. She also knew she did not want to manage a large staff the way she had in prior roles. “I learned one thing I knew I didn’t want to do when I transferred careers. I didn’t want to manage people like I’d managed people for way too long,” she said. With strong retention and a growing book, the business demanded a team structure she did not want to build. That realization pushed her toward Medicare, where she found a better fit for her strengths and a more direct client relationship.

Finding The Right Niche

She described that shift as both practical and personal. “I really like working one on one with people,” McFarland said. “I thrive personally better in the experience of working with the underserved.” For brokers listening, that insight is familiar but important. Long-term success is often less about chasing every product and more about aligning the business with the markets and service model that fit the producer.

Today, McFarland said her wheelhouse remains Medicare and individual coverage. She also noted that as the industry changes, diversification becomes necessary, including long-term care and life insurance. Her comments reflect a broader truth for brokers in California, where carrier shifts, consumer needs, and regulatory pressure often force agencies to rethink their mix of business.

Association Leadership and Mentorship

Her association path followed a similar logic. McFarland entered chapter leadership after realizing that working through brokers was the right channel for her business. But what kept her involved was bigger than business development. A conversation with association leader Sima Reed reframed the purpose of membership around advocacy, consumer access, and protecting the role of the agent. “What we do is important,” McFarland recalled being told. The mission resonated. “I’m one of the activist kind of people. I think our voice matters.”

That sense of purpose carried her from local service to the state board and national involvement, and eventually to her current role as California state president. She said mentorship helped along the way, naming leaders such as Alan Katz, Bruce Benton, and Pat Griffey as influential voices. The recurring theme in her comments was not just guidance, but access to people who understood volunteer leadership, government relations, and the realities of running a business while serving an association.

Watching The Group Market

For California brokers, McFarland’s view of the market may be the most immediate takeaway. She believes the pendulum is swinging back toward the group market after years of intense Medicare focus. That shift is not only commercial, she said, but regulatory. In her view, California SB 1244 is an example of how lawmakers are raising questions about compensation and transparency without fully understanding the differences between fully insured and self-funded arrangements. “There’s some real misunderstanding,” she said. “The same rules and the same things don’t apply when you go into the self-funded market.”

“Membership & participation matter, especially if you make a living in the industry.”

She stressed that the issue is not simply what the law requires, but the narrative behind it. Her concern is that broker roles are being described in ways that do not reflect how the industry actually works. At the same time, she sees transparency as a positive force if it is handled with precision. “The more we know and the more that is out on the table, the more likely we’re going to get closer to solving the cost of healthcare,” McFarland said. That is a useful framing for agency owners who are trying to stay ahead of legislative changes without losing credibility with employer clients.

AI and The Human Role

AI is another area where McFarland is watching the details closely. She is not dismissive of the technology, but she is wary of how quickly it is evolving and how little guardrail exists around it. “AI is so far ahead of any of us that we’re just trying to catch up to what it can and what it will do,” she said. For now, she sees the real work as educating herself on AI uses in sales, claims processing, cybersecurity, and data protections.

She compared the current moment to Y2K, when people feared the unknown and had to prepare for a major technological transition. “We are still the human beings in charge,” she said, underscoring that insurance still depends on judgment, accountability, and relationship management. Her point will resonate with brokers who see AI as a tool, not a replacement, for the expertise clients still expect from trusted advisers.

Why Engagement Matters

Her advice to brokers and benefit professionals is direct. Membership and participation matter, especially if you make a living in the industry. “If you earn a living in this industry, that you become a member of the association,” she said. She also urged brokers to engage beyond passive membership by joining chapter leadership, attending Sacramento and Washington, D.C. advocacy trips, and seeing what volunteer leadership looks like through CAHIP’s farm team meetings.

In her view, the profession needs more voices telling lawmakers what brokers actually do and why that work matters. That message is especially relevant in California, where policy decisions can have a fast and lasting impact on compensation, access, and client service. McFarland made clear that presence and participation are not optional if the industry wants to be heard.

McFarland closed with a practical and realistic message about the market itself. The industry has always been volatile, she said, and the anxiety level shifts with every new disruption. But brokers should not mistake volatility for decline. “There is still opportunity,” she said. “Our profession and our expertise will be necessary however this unfolds.” For California brokers navigating compliance, market shifts, and technology change, that is a strong reminder that the fundamentals still matter.

Engage with Dawn McFarland

Dawn McFarland is the founder and president of M&M Benefit Solutions Insurance Services. Brokers and industry professionals can connect with her through her company, and those interested in association involvement can also engage through CAHIP chapter leadership, farm team meetings, and advocacy events in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. www.mnmbenefitsolutions.com/