Most of us who shop for health insurance don’t know where to begin. Ask a friend or family member? Do I go into a local office to speak with someone? Or do I go online to look at my options? Shopping online provides you with unlimited access to information regarding health insurance so if that is the path you take; you need to make sure you are aware of a few things.

First off, if you don’t go directly to a carrier website or the marketplace, you will most likely end up on a third-party site and receive an abundance of phone calls, emails and text messages. The downside to going directly to a carrier website or the marketplace is that you may be limiting yourself to a few options. When you go to a third-party site for a quote, you will have access to a lot more options. If this is the fate you choose, you need to be aware of the calls you will receive.

Most of the callers that will be calling will offer options such as fixed indemnity plans or short-term medical plans which may not be your best option. For example, if you are searching for health coverage because you recently lost your employer coverage, recently married, divorced, lost eligibility for Medicaid or moved out of your coverage area, you will qualify for Special Enrollment which will allow you to purchase a plan through the Marketplace. The Marketplace will allow you to look at carriers such as BlueCross and BlueShield, Ambetter, Cigna, Anthem and Molina. These carriers provide coverage for pre-existing conditions and provide traditional major medical benefits.

Unfortunately, most of the calls that you will receive will not offer you these plans even if you qualify for them because most agents make very little or nothing at all if they offer these plans. Instead, they offer the fixed indemnity or short-term plans that were mentioned previously. It is important to understand your current situation and what you qualify for. These are the things you want to be made aware of.

When someone informs you that your plan has a $0 deductible, that doesn’t imply that you won’t pay anything for your medical expenses. The plan being offered to you most likely is a fixed indemnity plan that only pays a fixed dollar amount for expenses and then the insured is responsible for the rest. They may also mention that the specific carrier is offering a special enrollment period to get into a group or an association. That is not how insurance works. Don’t let someone convince you that you must sign up right away or you will lose the offer. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

If the person who calls you doesn’t take the time to get to know your situation and doesn’t provide you with information in writing, then you need to question if that person is the right agent for you. Make sure you are dealing with an agent that wants to get to know you and make you feel comfortable with your health insurance experience. Here at Next Level Benefits, we will take the time to get to know you and your family and take your experience to the Next Level.