Why Do I Need A Health Insurance Agent?

A good health insurance agent can make a huge difference in helping you select the best possible fit when it comes to health insurance. Their well honed expertise can get you the coverage level you need for less and save your out-of-pocket spend in the year ahead.

​If you've shopped your state's health insurance exchange, you probably know that government hired "navigators" are readily available to interact with you as you hem and haw over which plan best fits your needs.

How do agents differ from navigators? And what makes a health insurance agent superior to an ACA navigator?

Why Shop For Health Insurance Via A Licensed Agent?
Now, both health insurance agents and ACA navigators can be helpful as you shop for your new health insurance policy.  But the fact is, in general, agents will possess a higher level of training and experience (that comes with getting a hard-won license) than navigators.

Agents are not just working their “job”, like many navigators, but are pursuing their lifelong passion. They can help you delve deeper into the "fine print" of insurance policies and more skillfully "translate" health insurance terminology into "plain language."

Also, you keep the same agent after enrolling in your new health plan. That same professional agent will be there as an advocate for you and to help you understand how to file claims or deal with other issues later on. And you can go to the same agent year after year. You can have a professional relationship with an agent, one who is aware of any changes in your health or financial needs over time, not just at that one moment of enrollment like you would have with a navigator.

It is always a different navigator on the exchange, selected at random, and you can't rely on them for significant assistance once you've already signed up. Very rarely, if ever, will you talk to the same navigator twice.  If you have issues with claims or care in the future, who will you have to help you? Another random navigator or your Professional health insurance agent?

How Do Health Insurance Agents And Navigators Differ?
But how else do agents differ from navigators? Is it a mere luxury to have a skilled agent assist you, or are there additional, substantial differences?

The answer is, yes, there are yet more advantages to having an agent over a navigator than what we've thus far discussed. These advantages include:

• An agent is free to show you options outside of the government-run exchange. That is something navigators aren't allowed to do - and your best plan or a great supplementary plan might well lie outside the bounds of the ACA exchange.
• Licensed agents are able to recommend to you specific plans. Navigators are just there to give you basic information about the exchange and to answer yes/no questions. They aren't permitted to recommend any particular plan to you.
• Agents can help you apply for government subsidies and enroll in subsidy eligible ACA-compliant plans just like navigators can. Plus, you have a ongoing relationship with an agent, someone who is advocating for a policy and cost that is right for you and your budget..
• Normally, all state-licensed health insurance agents have to pass a criminal background check and undergo a rigorous credentialing process. Unfortunately, this is not typically the case with government navigators.

When you are selecting your health insurance agent, you should choose someone who is a true consultant and not just a sales agent for a specific carrier or an ACA navigator, so you can receive solid and unbiased advice. Their independence allows them the freedom to shop around for the best policy (or policies) for you, regardless of the carrier.  Basically, a licensed health insurance agent can do everything for you an ACA navigator can do, only quite a bit more!

To learn more about how a health insurance agent or broker can help you choose the best possible health plan this year, feel free to contact us at Summerlin Benefits Consulting today!