health insurance agent

Choose The Wrong Health Insurance Coverage…And It Can Cost You Thousands…

Don’t Be Caught Unaware

Do YOU know how to get the health insurance policy you need to cover your healthcare needs without excess costs?

Making poor choices as you choose your Health insurance policy can be disastrous, both to your pocketbook and to your health. If you’re one of thousands of Michigan residents who need health insurance or need to maintain continuous coverage, make sure you get the information you need to avoid trouble.

Health care quality varies. To ensure you receive quality health care all areas involved must be evaluated carefully. These areas include doctors, hospitals, medical groups, and health insurance plans. The type of health insurance plan you have can and does affect the quality of service you receive.

For example, your physician may suggest certain tests to diagnose your condition. Your insurance may not cover the tests, or may determine they don’t think it’s necessary. Medical tests can be quite expensive…make sure you have the coverage you need. Doing your research before you make a final choice on which health insurance policy you get is the best way to avoid problems later.

Pitfalls to Avoid as You Select Your Health insurance

Pitfall #1. Not getting enough information. Many people in search of health insurance are uninformed. They’re not sure exactly what type of coverage they need…they simply know they need Health insurance. Not all health insurance policies are the same.

The amount of coverage, co-pay amounts, levels of coverage, and how claims are processed are items that can vary greatly. These items can be a great expense if you choose the wrong plan for your needs. The costs can be more than just money. Time and the quality of your health care can also suffer.

This can be especially true if you have chronic health problems and require regular visits to specialists. Don’t assume that just because your health insurance agent shows you a policy that it’s the one you need.

Today’s health care services cover more areas than ever before. Some health insurance policies cover most, some don’t. Take the time to match your needs to the policy that provides coverage in the areas that are important to you.

All Health insurance policies have sections defining what’s covered in each area of health care. You’ll want to make sure you review areas such as health screenings, physical exams, specialists’ care, emergency care, prescription coverage, dental, vision care, family planning, chiropractic, hospitalization, and alternative care coverage.

Pitfall #2. No Comparison. Just as you shop for the best price and quality for items like cars, clothing, groceries, and other monthly expenses, you should do the same when choosing your Health insurance policy. Common items to compare are coverage levels and co-pays for doctor visits, prescription medicine, hospital stays, and emergency health situations. Other items to consider will depend upon your current health status and your age.

For example, if pregnancy or family planning is in your future, you’ll want to compare policies to make sure you get the best coverage in those areas for your monthly premium. If you’re older and nearing retirement, these items won’t be important. Do your best to avoid coverage you’ll never use.

Pitfall #3. Monthly Budget versus Coverage. Many people sacrifice proper insurance coverage due to costs. It’s true that most of us must budget our monthly expenses. Health insurance can be a big portion of that budget. The idea that some coverage is better than nothing is true, but by shopping and talking openly with your Health insurance agent, you’ll be able to find the best policy for your budget and your health care needs.

Before you begin your search, it’s a good idea to list any questions or concerns you have regarding health insurance coverage. Whether you shop online or off, make sure you’re getting information and quotes from a licensed insurance agent. . Keep asking questions until you feel confident about making a good decision.

Get information from three or four health insurance providers. Compare costs, benefits provided, and ease of filing claims.

Pitfall #4. Not being prepared. Once you’ve narrowed your policy options down to one or two policies, it is very important to understand how your policy coverage is implemented. You should make sure you know exactly what is required of you in certain medical situations. Situations like: Do I need a referral to see medical specialists? Must I get approval for specific lab tests before the tests are done? What steps should I take when emergency care is required?

This one pitfall can heavily affect your out of pocket health care costs. Make sure you understand exactly what you need to do in these situations before they occur.

By taking the time to avoid these pitfalls you can feel confident in your choice of Health insurance selection. You can also relax and know that you’ll be prepared when you need to use your health insurance. Protect the health and well being of you and your loved ones….take the time now…before it’s too late.

Copyright 2006 Lisa Ip

California Health Insurance Brokers

The world is moving at a very fast pace. People undergo a large amount of stress and pressure in order to sustain a high quality of life. As a result, some people face health problems at an early age. In such times, a good health insurance policy is very important to take care of the sudden expenses arising due to health problems. There are a lot of health insurance companies that offer health insurance plans for people of all ages. It can be a daunting experience to select an appropriate health plan from the myriad of insurance plans available in the market. Health insurance brokers are insurance agents who operate independently with several insurance companies to find the best types of health insurance policies for their clients. There are plenty of health insurance brokers in California who guide their clients to select a health insurance plan that is best suited to their requirements. Health insurance brokers generally work on a commission basis.

Typically, most people choose their health plan after verifying the price of the insurance plan, the flexibility of the plan, and the basic coverage offered. The company that offers the insurance plan is often also the deciding factor while selecting the plan. It is advisable to have a quality insurance obtained from a reputed health insurance company.

Generally, experienced and reputed health insurance brokers discuss various health insurance plans with their clients and recommend a plan according to their medical history, age, and lifestyle. They help their clients to get their claims settled in time and also inform the clients regularly about any updates regarding their policy.

Established insurance brokers have their own websites that offer free health insurance quotes of various insurance providers in California. Customers can obtain these quotes after filling up an online application form. Unlike a typical health insurance agent, the broker deals with several insurance providers and is in the best position to inform the clients about the pros and cons of obtaining insurance from a particular company.

Online Health Insurance Leads

Health insurance lead generation systems provide a stead stream of potential clients for health insurance brokers. Health insurance leads are considered to be people who may need health coverage to supplement the health coverage provided by their employer. A health insurance lead can also be someone who is self-employed and needs to obtain coverage for themselves or their entire family. Health insurance brokers rely on health insurance leads systems to supply them with enough potential clients to keep their business going. There are a large number of people who either need additional coverage or are in business for themselves and need an individual or family health insurance plan.

Health insurance lead services are available at a reasonable cost to health insurance brokers. Typically, health insurance leads companies will charge an annual or monthly fee for the leads and account maintenance. When considering a health insurance lead system, it is best to look for one that offers an unlimited amount of leads for one low monthly fee. Some companies that provide health insurance leads charge a per-lead fee. Make sure the leads are guaranteed for you money back or at least a guarantee that the company will replace them free of additional charges.

The way it works is through referral systems. The qualified health insurance lead fills out a form on the health insurance leads provider’s website. Upon receipt of the form, the lead service emails the health insurance agent the information submitted by the health insurance lead. The health insurance agent then contacts the health insurance lead via email or phone and provides them with a quote on the type of health insurance coverage they are looking for. In order to obtain the most qualified health insurance leads, health insurance brokers can give the leads service company specific information about the types of coverage offered.

Many health insurance lead generation systems come with automated email follow-ups. It is important for the insurance agent to contact the health insurance leads as soon as possible. Some of the health insurance leads are provided to more than one insurance agent. With the cost of health care constantly rising, the health insurance industry is very competitive and timing could make the difference between success and failure. With a consistent health insurance lead generation system and quick follow-ups, a steady stream of high quality leads will continue to come in. This could give you a huge advantage over the competition.

Health Insurance – Tips to Help You Choose the Right Policy

Choosing the best health insurance plan involves the following:

  1. Finding the health insurance plan with the lowest cost (but only with respect to the other two criteria)
  2. Finding the health insurance plan with a network that meets your needs
  3. Finding the health insurance plan with coverage that meets your needs

Choosing the right health insurance policy involves finding the lowest price amongst the policies that meet your needs as to network and coverage. Choosing the lowest price is of course very easy. Determining whether the health insurance plan’s network of doctors meets your needs is only a little more difficult. Choosing a health insurance policy that covers you well can be complex. Most of this article focuses on this area. I’ve been a health insurance agent since 1985 and have helped many families find affordable health insurance. You can find out more about me by visiting 1800insuranceCT.com. These are the strategies that I use when helping a family find good medical coverage in my home state of Connecticut. To help find out what health insurance plans are available and approved in your area, I’ve put together a list of Insurance Departments for each state.

Choosing the Health Insurance Plan with the Right Network

Most companies have websites that will list the doctors and hospitals that participate in their plan. All that I’m aware of will have a printed list that they can mail to you. The right plan will have your doctor on their list or at least doctors who serve your home area. If you travel it is important to find a plan that covers you well in other geographic areas as well.

Choosing the Health Insurance Plan with the best coverage

Health insurance contracts may be the most complex of the insurance policies purchased by the average family. Understanding how your health insurance policy will pay for your medical bills can be difficult. Fortunately most of the brochures and outlines of coverage that you may receive from a health insurance provider will have a similar structure.

They will have sections similar to the following: What is Covered? Health Plan Exclusions and Limitations What is Covered?

This section will detail what medical procedures your health insurance policy will cover. The policy should have a phrase like “reasonable and customary” or “usual, reasonable and customary” or something similar when describing how much they will cover.

Watch out for health insurance policies with:

Dollar amount limits for each procedure

A long list of procedures that the health insurance policy will cover Better health insurance policies will not list dollar amounts for each procedure. They will pay using a formula that is based on what other doctors or medical providers will charge you in the same geographic area. A phrase like “usual and customary” indicates that they use such a formula. The cost of medical care rises so quickly that a dollar amount that seems impressive today may not fully reimburse you even a year from now.

Solid health Insurance policies will not have a long list of procedures that they will cover listed on the policy. The long list seems impressive because the list takes up a lot of space. Look at the statements below. It should be easy to choose between one and two.

  1. “Our health insurance policy will cover you for everything except for expenses caused by self-inflicted injuries and substance abuse.” (“I’ve been to every state in the union except Alaska.”)
  2. “Our health insurance policy will cover your nose, your ears, your toes, your hands, your right lung, your calf and your knee” (“I’ve been to New York, Connecticut, Nebraska, Washington DC and Vermont”)

Health Plan Exclusions and Limitations This section will tell you what is excluded. Typically elective surgery will not be covered. Also experimental procedures and expenses caused by self-inflicted injuries will not be covered. You should understand each of these exclusions and limitations before you commit to a policy. Most policies will not include maternity insurance, so if you want to get pregnant, make sure that you know how your policy will cover maternity expenses. Unfortunately, maternity insurance is not available in many states except as part of a group insurance plan. To summarize:

* Determine what health insurance plans will cover you in your area

* Determine which health insurance plans offer adequate coverage

*Choose the plans that offers the best value based on price and coverage

This article was originally published on http://www.1800insurancect.com/articles/tips_for_finding_coverage.htm