1.  A licensed Insurance Agent needs to be familiar with all products on the market rather than one or two.  They can advise you which carriers and benefits will best fit your particular situation.  They continue to be your advocate when you have claims or billing issues throughout the life of your policy.

2.   Not all Insurance Carriers sell Individual and Family Products.  Some only sell products to Employer Groups.

3.  Not all carriers sell every type of insurance benefit.  Several only sell HMO's, some only PPO's and some both.  Some Carriers sell only Dental and Vision and others only Life and Disability.  Your Broker can lead you in the right direction.

4.  Each Insurance Carrier will quote different rates based on your age, where you live and the benefit plan you choose.  All rates must first be approved by the Department of Insurance before they are released.  If agents claim that they can offer you the "cheapest" prices through their agency or website, they are misleading you.  All Agents have access to the same prices and it is illegal to sell a policy at a discount or at a higher premium.  What separates the good Agents from the bad, is how they put your insurance package together.  Excellent service and expertise makes a world of difference.

5.  Carriers that sell Individual Health Insurance have no rate guarantees, and can increase their rates as often as once per month.  However, most carriers increase their rates annually or semi-annually depending upon trends and inflation.  You are never singled out for a rate increase by your Insurance Carrier.  If it happens to you, it happens to everyone in your benefit plan.

6.  Insurance Carriers can never cancel your Individual or Family Policy for any reason other than non-payment of premium.  So if you do get sick and utilize your policy, you will always be covered at the same rate as someone your age, in the same geographic area and in your benefit plan. The same holds true for someone who is completely healthy and has never had a claim.

7.   All Individual / Family Health policies in California are "medically underwritten".  This means that you must complete an insurance application that asks details about your medical history for the last ten years.  You must sign and date the application as being true and complete.  Therefore, it becomes a legal document.  Upon review you will be assigned a monthly rate that is based on your documented health history.  Sometimes the carrier will ask for complete medical records from your Doctors before reaching a decision.  You can either be approved at preferred rates, be rated up, or be denied completely.  Due to recent guidelines, Insurance Carriers can no longer "exclude" a particular illness from your policy.  It is either all or nothing.

8.  If you have never been sick a day in your life, getting health insurance is a cinch. However, if you do have a pre-existing illness, having a good broker to confide in could either make or break your chances of obtaining a policy.  Each Carrier has different guidelines for either accepting or declining various conditions. 

Brokers have access to these guidelines and can direct you to the most likely choice.  Although Agents do not make the final decision, we can often save you time, money and unnecessary grief.  In the worst case scenario; if you are declined by all the carriers you have applied to, the State of California has a Guaranteed Plan available.  Unfortunately, it is expensive and there is a waiting list to get approved.  If all else fails, speak to your broker about obtaining a Group Health Insurance Plan. 

(See "Group Insurance"  for the details.)