Your Checklist for Buying Individual Health Insurance With an Agent

Many people seek the help of an expert to navigate the confusing landscape of health care, and particularly to find practical, affordable health insurance . The big question is: how do you know that the advice you’re getting is good, and that the plan you’re offered meets your unique needs? Here are some important things to keep in mind if you are considering individual health insurance:

1. Ask for a license number before you buy individual health insurance.

Health insurance sales is a licensed profession. This means that every health insurance broker must be licensed in order to provide you support and service. A broker that is nervous about providing you his license number is a broker you shouldn’t talk to about buying individual health insurance.

2. Is your agent available throughout the process of buying individual health insurance?

A good broker will provide you with a direct phone number and email address where you can reach him, and should encourage you to keep in contact throughout all the stages of your health insurance purchase. A broker that appears too busy or hard to reach simply doesn’t deserve your business.

3. Is your agent asking you plenty of questions?

Some health insurance brokers immediately jump into plans, prices, and benefits before you’ve even described your needs, but health insurance is not a one-size fits all proposition. Joe may need a basic plan quickly as an alternative to COBRA, while John wants comprehensive benefits in a long-term plan. Sally may require maternity benefits while Susan may not. Bottom line: a good broker will ask questions and attempt to understand your needs before making any recommendations.

4. Are you offered choices and brand variety while buying individual health insurance?

A good broker needs to be your advocate – that is, he needs to represent (and have knowledge of) multiple insurance companies that are relevant to your market. If a broker only offers you plans from one insurance company, that’s a red flag indicating you should shop elsewhere.

5. Make sure you understand the components (and pitfalls) of each plan

Health insurance is complex, so your advice should come with a clear explanation of all the technical industry terms.

A good agent discloses key benefits of every plan, including but not limited to: office visits, wellness, prescriptions, deductible, coinsurance, and out of pocket max. If you have any specific needs (i.e. you take a prescription drug, need mental health or chiropractic coverage) ask about those benefits specifically:

• If you are taking medication, ask if that drug will be covered.
• If you have a pre-existing condition: ask what impact that may have on your rate, and if it will be excluded from your coverage.
• If you have wellness benefits, find out if there are waiting periods before you can get a physical.
• If you have doctor’s office visits with co-pay, ask if they are unlimited or capped after a specific number of visits.

When buying individual health insurance, always take advantage of free advice from an expert to ensure that you make the right decision. To get started, check out GetInsured.com to instantly compare plans and prices in your area.