If health care reform works according to plan, a tidal wave of new patients will hit physician practices, pharmacies, insurance agencies, hospitals and other health care providers across the state.

About 83,000 of the estimated 1.5 million uninsured Ohioans are expected to sign up for coverage next year on the states Health Insurance Marketplace the centerpiece of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will offer subsidized health insurance to millions of Americans who have had little or no access to health care in the past.

Thats a lot of opportunity, said Phil Parks, vice president of marketing at the Wagner Insurance Agency in Dayton. I think what youre seeing today is people who have been selling insurance for a long time who see the opportunity and are gearing up and getting ready.

Consumers do not need an insurance agent to sign up for coverage in the marketplace, but a licensed agent or broker can help them navigate the system and sign up for coverage and receive a commission on the monthly premium from the insurer, Parks said.

He said most people signing up for insurance for the first time will need help dealing with the paperwork and administrative hassles that go along with buying insurance and filing claims.

We can answer all their questions and do all the things we were trained to do when we got into the insurance business, Parks said. We think that will be an invaluable service that people are going to turn to us for.

Depending on the numbers that come in, we could very quickly find it necessary to add people to our health division, he said.

Once they have health insurance, many new enrollees are expected to head to the doctor as soon as they can.

Springfield resident Mendelynn Fisher, 62, said she has not been able to afford health insurance in the past on her Social Security survivors benefits.

But shes anxious to see what her options might be on the health insurance exchange where she would likely eligible for a generous federal subsidy to help pay for coverage and has already made plans to see a doctor.

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Health care industry braces for new law’s impact