Insurance Agency is getting more and more professional year after year. Today we have most knowledgeable and dependable Agents in the market than what we had 5 or 10 years ago. The suggestion of direct insurance sale is like people buying drugs from the medical shops without a doctor's prescription. This will certainly not workout. Best of Insurance companies world over are depending upon Agents or other intermediaries.
Direct sale is suicidal for the insurers.
This is basically to find his needs and suggest accordingly. The insurance company may not be able to do this and it is only the agent who can do this. Also as an intermediary the agent will also be able to offer other value added investment advisory services like tax planning, etc. Therefore selling insurance should be left to the agent and the insurance company should totally concentrate on other important activities. Anyway the question of discount is invalid as it will mean viloation of Sec 41 of the act by the insurance company.