Health Insurance – The Role Of The Broker

For many people, seeking health insurance is a daunting prospect with a number of companies to choose from each offering a range of policies which can be both complex and difficult to decipher. For this reason it is often wise to employ the services of a broker to match your needs to the right health insurance company and policy.

Having chosen a broker it is a simple matter of giving him your medical details, including details of such things as any pre-existing conditions from which you are suffering and medications you are currently taking, and a list of the things that would wish to see covered in your policy. The broker then looks at a variety of companies and different policies and comes back to you with his recommendations. Once you have had a chance to study these, and to ask any questions that you might have, the broker will then work with you to get your health insurance contract signed and your policy issued.

It is important to understand that a health insurance broker works independently and is not employed by any particular health insurance company. His job is to study the health insurance market and to acquaint himself with the full range of cover available, as well as with how each insurance company operates including such things as its reputation, the frequency with which it increases premiums and the manner in which it handles claims.

Although the broker is independent it is also important to understand that he makes his money by way of a commission each time a contract is completed and that his commission will vary from one insurance company to the next. You may well feel therefore that it is in his interest to recommend a policy to you which earns him the highest commission. If this is something that concerns you then you should discuss this with the broker. If he is a sound and reputable broker he will have no difficulty in discussing this openly with you.

Despite the fact that the broker will be earning commission from the sale of your policy, which effectively comes from your premiums, it does not necessarily follow that a policy purchased through a broker will be more expensive and you will usually find that the same policy purchased directly from the company will cost you exactly the same amount as money as you will end up paying in buying through a broker.

In addition, a broker will often be able to find you a deal which you are unlikely to uncover on your own simply as a result of his knowledge of the marketplace.

Surprisingly, perhaps because the rules on health insurance are constantly changing, health insurance brokers are fairly thin on the ground. In addition, most states require health insurance brokers to be licensed and the licensing requirements vary from state to state.

If you feel confident about seeking out your own health insurance policy and are happy that you can understand the technicalities of a health insurance contract and the details of the small print then all well and good. But, if this is not the case, then a health insurance broker could turn out to be your best friend.