You Need an Agent on Your Side
A PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE BROKER IS THE KEY TO NAVIGATING THE WORLD OF HEALTH INSURANCE
Ongoing support
As an individual or business owner, you don’t pay any more for employee benefits purchased through an agent or broker than you would if you purchased the coverage directly from an insurance company. Insurance carriers set aside a small portion of the premium to pay brokers a commission, which covers not only the selling of the plan but much of the servicing required. An agent continues to receive commissions as a plan is renewed, so service after the sale – often long after – is just as important as the sale itself.
Good agents don’t just sell health insurance, they know health insurance. Your agent will show you a variety of plans, explain the benefits and potential shortcomings of all of them, explain the latest health care trends, then help you pick a plan that best fits your needs. Once a policy or plan is selected, the agent will coordinate the complex process of enrollment and/or changing your benefits package. A licensed life and health insurance agent is well-versed in plan installation and enrollment procedures, which lessens the burden on you.
Insurance agents go by many names—they may be called agents, brokers, producers, or health insurance professionals. But the best description of what they do is serve their clients as professional insurance advisors.
What do I gain by using a professional insurance advisor?
Health insurance is an extremely complex product. Before deciding which policy is best, you have to consider a number of factors, some are: the scope of what you want to cover; the degree of risk toleration, the network of medical providers and the monthly cost.
Health insurance is best looked at as financial protection against the high cost of medical treatment. Advisors educate and advise you on ways to manage this big financial risk. The process is far too big for a one-size-fits-all approach. The professional insurance advisor helps individuals and business owners make informed choices on cost-effective coverage options and provide ongoing service and support.
Every day, hundreds of thousands of professional health insurance agents and brokers help individuals and employers purchase health insurance coverage that best fits their specific budget and medical needs. More importantly, agents and brokers help their clients resolve day-to-day issues that may arise after the policy is sold.
As benefit specialists, professional health insurance agents and brokers can help you:
- Design benefit plans
- Find innovative ways to save you money
- Resolve claims disputes
- Conduct enrollments/terminations
- Solve complex billing issues
Agents and brokers help design and implement cutting-edge health promotion and wellness programs and help their clients comply with state and federal laws like PPACA, HIPAA and ERISA.
As members of a profession that requires a license and has stringent prerequisites of educational course work and testing, agents and brokers serve more in the role of advocates for clients than simply as salespeople. Professional agents and brokers help procure coverage for and service the health insurance and medical care needs of tens of millions of Americans.
Professional agents and brokers have extensive industry knowledge from a design, benefit, pricing and care perspective. Many small employers can’t afford to have this level of expertise in-house and simply do not have the time that it requires to administer a comprehensive, compliant benefits package for their employees.
Professional agents and brokers work very hard to be knowledgeable to keep pace with the ever-changing health care system. There is no way a governmental agency in some far-off location could match the service and value agents and brokers bring to their clients. Agents and brokers are the point of contact for the majority of Americans who purchase health care coverage.
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the Agent/Broker
Only agents/brokers can offer advice, compare plans, evaluate variables and sell both inside and outside of the ACA (Obamacare) Exchanges/Marketplaces. Because agents value client relationships and use the latest technology, they are able to help clients navigate a complex system in a simple way. They are here to serve the consumer (individuals, families, employers, seniors and more).
Certified Insurance Agents
A Certified Insurance Agent is a licensed health insurance agent who has passed Covered California's intensive training and certification program. You have the option of working with a Certified Insurance Agent at no cost to you.
How to Find a Covered California Certified Insurance Agent
You may use Covered California's agent search tool to locate a Certified Insurance Agent close to you or find one that you already know, like Steve Downey in San Diego!