First... the Do’s 
                           Another check list


If you do (get it?...do?...oh well) decide to invite a broker to your home

• Ask the health insurance broker your list of questions before you make an appointment.

• Make sure you check out the agent, the agency, and the health insurance company's credentials through your State Data Link and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

• Check the health insurance company's financial rating with A.M. Best and / or Standard & Poors.

• Always ask your agent if the recommended insurance company offers a discount for paying quarterly, semi-annually, or yearly. 

• Check to make sure your agent can fill policy gaps with supplemental health insurance to reduce out of pocket expenses should something serious happen.

Here is why you want to do perform a thorough check. The State of Nevada is worried enough about scams and fraud to release this video.


                                          Nevada Insurance Alert!

In short order you will determine if this agent has those "multiple arrows" to offer you from their quiver and know if they are an honest, legitimate broker.  Why waste your time with your most valuable commodity... your time.

• Ask your prepared questions while you have them on the phone with you. (how did you like that twist on words?)

• Stay in control but don't be controlling. Make sure it remains a conversation. As long as you have your list of questions in front of you, you'll stay on track...and the agent won't know what hit 'em. Just don't scare them off.

 
By asking questions, sales people maintain control of the conversation. Don’t let them control the conversation. Make it a give and take. You can always buy health insurance online  and achieve your goals without having to sit down with an agent.

Don't be gruff...


But also, don’t commit to an appointment. Are they a health insurance broker? What do you know about this agent who you've only JUST spoken to on the phone? Go ahead... check out the agent, their agency and the health insurance company through your State Data Link (make sure it is “A” rated). It's just that easy!


They NEED your business. You don’t need theirs.


"You now have the power" (that was my best Darth Vader) to set up an appointment... if they meet all of YOUR criteria. Believe me, if you have your prepared questions ready from the questions page, they will know immediately that you mean business. You will also realize this after only ONE phone call.


What an Epiphany! What freedom! All of this by asking just a few simple questions!


Don’t be shy! You are getting ready to spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars per year with the best company of YOUR choice.

Then... the Don’ts

• Don't invite an insurance agent into your home, unless you make sure they are not wasting your time by offering you only one health insurance company / provider.

• Don't make any on-the-spot decisions. Always wait until you've "slept on it" and performed a thorough check-up

• NO ONE-LINE AGENTS! 

“Well why not?” you may ask, well here’s why…

The perils of a "one line health insurance agent".

This is where the “high pressure – talk you in to it” comes in to play.


This salesperson is truly that…a salesperson. This person may very well know that their product is not the best available for you and your family but what choice do they have? (Did you guess that I don't like high pressure sales?)


They only have one product to offer you and your family so they have to talk you into it.


They have one shot to sell you.


One-line sales people also know that if they leave your house without a signed policy, the chances are almost nil that they will ever get one, especially if that sales person is traveling distance. The further the sales person has to drive, with gas prices the way they are, the less likely they are to return.


They have nothing to lose by “putting on the pressure” while they are in your home. Besides, unless you’ve already invited another sales person into your home previously, you have nothing with which to compare this sales person’s “take it or leave it” policy. They may very well talk you in to thinking it is the best company available to you…unless you are prepared. But, that's why you're here, right?


Your solution... DING, DING, DING... always use a broker!


A broker works with multiple health insurance providers and, based on your health or “pre-existing condition(s)”, can help you determine the best approach based on your particular need(s). Brokers have a “quiver FULL of arrows” from which to choose.

You can purchase without being "sold"

Brokers do not have to be sales people (even though some can't help themselves). These professionals have the comfort level of bringing your family multiple products from which to choose, mix and match so the pressure is off. They normally will be able to offer you something that will please you and your budget.


Always make sure any health insurance company your broker recommends has, at the very least, an “A-“ rating through A.M. Best or Standard & Poors. Both of these rating companies have the highest credibility and are used worldwide.

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