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Let’s face it, if you have ever shopped for affordable health
insurance online… it probably caused some brain damage! Doing a
basic search on Google or other popular search engines will
bring up literally pages of ads claiming to offer the most
affordable health insurance plans.
My questions are these:
1. Are the companies legitimate?
2. Are they health insurance companies or brokers?
3. What will they do with my personal information necessary to
get health insurance quotes?
4. Will they really save me money?
For the most part, the answer to the first question is yes, the
majority of these companies are legitimate and actually
providing quite accurate information. Health insurance
companies compete heavily to get new customers and spend a lot
of money to get premium quotes out to those shopping for
affordable health insurance. The reason I say “for the most
part” is because there are several companies advertising
affordable health insurance that are really offering “discount
medical plans” with very limited insurance components. These
plans are not “major medical” plans and should not be used as
anything more than a supplement to a major medical plan.
While some of the advertisements you find are directly from the
insurance companies, the majority of links will lead you to
brokerage companies that may contract with only one, or
numerous different insurance companies. Dealing with a large,
reputable brokerage company will assist you in your finding the
most affordable health insurance plans available in your state
as you are able to compare many different plans together on one
site. Your state regulates the price of each plan and the
monthly premium will be the same whether you get it from the
brokerage company or directly from the insurance company.
Other companies online gather your information as though you
will be getting an instant quote but then actually sell your
information to numerous independent agents and brokerage
companies. You can then expect to get as many as 20 or more
follow-up phone calls within the next 24-48 hours. This may be
a bit overwhelming but does put a lot of licensed, independent
agents all on your side. There is certainly an advantage to
having trained agents independently search for the exact type
of policy that meets your personal expectations.
To save the most money and find the most affordable health
insurance, I would recommend that you either use a large
brokerage firm or speak with several independent agents
licensed in your state.
If you know what features and benefits you are looking for in
your health plan and want to compare policies and pricing
between many companies then check out a large brokerage
company. If you feel more comfortable getting good advice and
allowing a licensed agent guide you through the maze of finding
affordable health insurance, start with the representatives at
ProHealthQuotes.Com. Fill out some limited information at their
website and they will contact you and explain your options.
They will never sell your personal information or charge you
for their service.
Good Luck!
Steven Smith
Steven D. Smith
is a licensed life and health insurance professional and CEO of
SDS Financial, LLC. He is also the author of the
“
2008 Guide to Choosing and Using
Your Health Insurance Plan” and “
Your 2008 Guide To Good Health
Insurance”.
Other articles and books about Health Insurance written
by Steven Smith can be found at his website
www.AvoidingBadHealthInsurance.com
Steven Smith
November 2007
Source: http://www.AvoidingBadHealthInsurance.com
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