How to Buy Coverage

 How to Buy Coverage

When we say “no cost to you” it means we do not charge a fee for our services.

If you have to buy medicare health insurance on your own, there are several ways to get it. You can purchase the coverage yourself directly, over the phone, on the internet, or by mail. You can receive it as part of a employee retirement benefits package, or you could get it from a knowledgeable third party, such as an agent or broker.

Over the phone, by mail, or the internet:

Many people consider buying this insurance through one of these methods. While these are the most advertised methods of purchasing anything, we encourage you to consider not going this route. There are several reasons. Most importantly, insurance is complicated. Many people are intelligent and can learn about the basics of the coverage they are buying with a great deal of ease, but how many of us have heard horror stories of how they expected their insurance to pay on something that wasn’t covered and the only response they got was, “we mentioned that in the fine print!” Talking over the phone to a customer service agent helps a little with the confusion, but a phone conversation will never give a representative the understanding of your personal situation that a person coming to talk with you personally will do. Plus, once the sale is completed, there is usually no followup. Anything you need, you must make the call to find out if there is a solution to your problem.

The purpose of this website to give you some of the education you need to make a smart buying decision, but it is not intended to answer your specific question. That’s why we always encourage you to seek professional advice before buying.

An employer or group benefit:

There are several benefits to getting your Medicare coverage from a group or former employer if that option is available to you. The biggest advantage is usually a lower premium. Sometimes group coverage also includes additional benefits not available under normal plans.   And there’s usually a benefits administrator you can talk with about your personal situation.

However, with a group or employer plan, there is always a chance your coverage could terminate, and your ability to move to an individual plan at that point may be limited depending on where you live and the coverage you are in. And you may not have a great deal of time to make that selection. Plus, you have little or no control over many of the changes that happen within that plan year over year. You will be accepting any alterations they give you, whether future changes benefit you or not.

 Your other option is to purchase coverage is from an agent or broker. Despite appearances, an agent is different from a broker.

Agents:

Agents are employees or contractors within one insurance company and can only offer that product. They work with the intent of offering you the best product within the company they work for after determining your personal situation.

Brokers:

Then there are brokers. A broker is an independent person who contracts with many different insurance companies to sell their products. A broker works for their clients and is compensated by the insurance company directly for whichever company the client gets placed in. If an insurance company’s product no longer meets that client’s needs, the broker can find a different insurance company for the client. Because a broker is an independent operator, they are not constrained by one particular company’s offerings.  Generally, clients do not pay additional fees for the broker's service.

These are the basic ways a person typically seeks out coverage. At our company, we are brokers. We work for our clients, and we try to have as many company offerings available as we possible can for them. As companies change their benefits and our clients change their needs, we make every effort to be able to place a client with the best coverage for their needs as they continue through the different phases of their life and healthcare needs.  We do not charge our clients any more than they would pay if they got the insurance without us, and we do not charge fees for our annual reviews. 

We we say "no cost to you," we mean you are getting the insurance for the same price you would get if you bought it directly from the company, and we give you our ongoing advice and assistance at no extra cost.