The first footmark
in choosing health insurance for your fellowship is finding a
honorable broker. A broker is a sales rep who has a state license to
deal and service contracts of multiple health plans or insurers. Some
states require that you purchase insurance through a broker; others
allow you to go flat to insurers. But the benefits of exploitation an
insurance broker make it worthwhile in almost any state of affairs.
The majority of group health insurance is
"written", or sold, by freelance agents or brokers who work for
agencies. much, these agencies will handle multiple benefits for your
company: health, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, and more
than. They develop relationships with the providers that let them act
to a greater extent efficiently on your behalf. They can also assist
your employees process claims or resolve problems: many have “patient
advocates” who your employees can contact for assistance.
Your health care costs will be based on your
employee demographics, so the quotes you get from dissimilar brokers
will be fairly similar. Because of this, you should pick out a broker
based on the level of service they can allow for. Some attributes to
look for include:
Flexibility – remember that the broker plant for
you: they should be able to help you get the best deal and the scoop
plan for your employees.
Responsiveness – even during the valuation
process, pay attention to how longsighted it takes the broker to get
back in touch with you.
A multifaceted access – by managing several
benefits and handling employees’ questions, the broker makes
themselves more valuable to you.
The broker you choose should be very experienced
in dealing with firms of similar size and in the same industry as your
own. Interview several candidates and ask questions:
What services do you offer that I will not be
able to get from some other broker?
What types of problems can you solve for my
employees?
Tell me about some problems you have helped
other clients’ employees adjudicate.
Can my employees call you for help 24/7? Do you
have a web site or online chat for employees to get help?
Finally, location may or may not be an important
issue to you. It may be convenient to have a local broker, but since
your employees’ interactions with them will be online or on the phone,
it is not essential.
Watch out!
While almost all brokers are honest, there are
some that may not present policies evenhandedly. They may offer a
computerized search that purports to equate all policies on the
market, but favors their own pet policies.
As with any business purchase, if you come
across a cost that is too good to be true, you should be suspect.
Every state has a department that keeps track of all insurance agents
and policies. If you have doubts about the legitimacy of a broker or
insurer, you can call and ascertain up on them. Good interviewing and
use of referrals should also help you deflect these types of scams.