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What Role Does Your California Health Insurance Agent Or Broker Play?
What Role Does Your California Health Insurance Agent Or Broker Play?
First, what is the difference between a broker and an agent?
These terms are often interchanged in conversation. Officially, an Agent is an individual or company that acts on behalf of the carriers to market, sell, and service insurance. The Agent has a contract with the carrier in order to transact this business. A broker is person who also contracts with carriers but officially acts on behalf of the client. In practical terms, they are not that different when dealing with California health insurance.
For example, Goodacre Insurance Services is a California agent but our goal is to find the right plan for a individual or company across the major carriers. If Blue Cross has the right option and better pricing for a given person or company, then that’s where we will go. We are independent agents which is important because we do not have interest in pushing one particular company or plan. We do have knowledge from dealing with the carriers every day in terms of which companies are easier to deal with, more stable, or better priced. There are dozens of plans on the market so this can really be important. Just looking a rate quote and benefit summary is only half of the story when choosing health insurance. Some plans exclude certain benefits or apply caps to other types of coverage. We know the lay of the land and I would personally not want to purchase health insurance just based on a rate quote.
Some companies (though not the majors) use “captured agents”. This is a person who sells only one carrier’s insurance plans. They are essentially employees for that company. I would avoid such companies as they may not have the best interest of the client at heart. If a company cannot quote multiple carriers, beware. The major carriers in California are Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, Health Net, Pacificare, and Kaiser. Beyond these five, we do not feel very secure about the others.
How are agents or brokers paid? Agents are paid a commission by the carriers for policies issued and in force. The commission tends to be about the same from carrier to carrier. This commission does not affect the rate. The insurance rate you will get through an agent/broker is the same as you would get going directly through the carrier. The benefit of the agent relationship is that they navigate the carriers to expedite processing, help with service issues once enrolled, and act a third party. Again, a carrier’s main interest to keep you enrolled as policy subscriber but your interest may actually lie with another carrier or plan. An independent broker can help bridge the two at no additional cost to you. Also, the carriers are big companies. Some of the reps are very knowledgeable and others are…let’s face it…newer. By dealing with California health insurance daily, we are a wealth of information and guidance that you may not get by going directly.
What to expect from your broker/agent and especially Goodacre Insurance Services?
Goodacre Insurance Services provides service across three main areas.
California health plan selection.
This really is the most difficult part and it is the reason that people put off getting health insurance. There are many plans and the language is pretty technical. Most people glaze over when they see the brochures or instant quote results. Let’s face it….health insurance is not a common purchase. Typically, people have not needed to shop health insurance in years…if ever. Goodacre Insurance Services has been dealing solely with California health insurance for over a decade now. I can guarantee that with a few targeted questions, the plan selections can be narrowed down significantly. We want you to be informed. On a daily basis, we hear from our clients that they wish they would have called earlier rather than try to navigate the volumes of information provided the plans. Let us help. We do not sell. We listen, advise, and then it’s up to you what you wish to do.
California application and enrollment.
The health application is one more reason that people procrastinate. There are sections in there are mandated by law but which are thoroughly confusing such as the HIPAA qualification. Small Group can be equally difficult in terms of qualification for Small Group health coverage in California. We are happy to walk you through the application once a plan has been decided on. This is also the time to ask about the process, payment options, cancellation options, time table for enrolling in coverage. Based on your situation, we can give you a benchmark of what to expect for a normal processing.
Health Insurance Service and Membership.
Once the plan is in effect, we are your point of contact for membership issues, claims, and future changes. We go in at the end of each month and make sure that faxed changes, additions, and requests have been processed correctly. The carriers are pretty good but 1 out of 100 requests do not show in the system. You do not want to be that one with such a critical issues as health insurance. We can also advise for ways to reduce costs when the rate increase occur based on your changing health insurance needs.
Keep in mind that you can always contact the carrier directly if you choose but why would you? Let us do the work for you since there is no additional cost to you.
Agents and brokers are required to have a license and continuing education by the California Department of Insurance. You can always research an agent’s history, carrier contracts, and other information through them. There are different types of licenses. The two most common are Life/Health which is used to transact California health insurance and Property and Casualty is used to transact insurance such as auto or home insurance. Some agents do both health and P&C but it is increasingly difficult to this well and keep up with the ever-changing industries. This is why we choose to concentrate on health insurance solely. We know the carriers, the plans, and changes in the market. This makes us invaluable to you.
As we say on the phone here at Goodacre Insurance Services…”How can I help you out”.
Role of Alternative Medicine in modern society
Role of Different Medicine in contemporary culture
Normally, different medication varies from traditional medication because different medication is older as well as what we may call non-traditional or non-Western medicine. Different medicine does not comply with the conventional science as well as study that existing medicines undertake. Alternate medicine might also be labelled complementary or standard medication or the treatments that can be incorporated right into current medication. The team of the National Collection of Medicine of the United States categorized alternate medication under the category of complementary therapies in their Clinical Topics Heading Section. This was done in the year 2002. The interpretation provided was that alternate medicine healing techniques were ruled out as an indispensable part of the conventional allopathic medication. Treatments like acupuncture, diet programs, physical treatment like exercises or yoga exercise, etc. are termed as natural medicine. These therapies are called corresponding when they are made use of along with standard therapies. If they are done in area of standard treatments, they are called alternative treatments.
In April 1995, the panel of National Institutes of Health And Wellness, Bethesda, Maryland, worked on Definition & Description, WEBCAM Study Method Meeting, Workplace of Natural Medicine. The panel defined alternative medication as well as corresponding medication as those healing sources that incorporate all health and wellness systems and techniques that are different from the leading health and wellness system of a particular culture or society. Normally, therapies like ayurveda, organic medication, herbal remedies, homeopathy, acupuncture, naturopathy, diet plan methods, chiropractic care, music therapy, massage therapy, pranic recovery, and so on are categorized as alternate or complementary medication. People who do not locate a remedy, solution or success in allopathic medicine normally attempt natural medicine. Such people usually experience cancer, joint inflammation, obtained immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS), persistent back discomfort, etc. Treatments included under natural medicine would discontinue to be included in that group once their efficacy is proven and they are considered secure and effective. They are after that thought about as component of conventional medicine. An example would certainly be chiropractors. Twenty years ago insurance policy would certainly not pay for them as they were thought about “different as well as inadequate.” Today thousands of people have actually been aided by chiropractic doctors and also they are currently acknowledged in the clinical community. A comparable motion is underway in the nutritional supplement as well as nutraceutical market.
Over the years, increasingly more people have been making use of natural medicine since traditional medication is not working for them. The 2004 study by the National Facility for Complementary & Natural Medicine of the United States exposed that about 36% of Americans used alternative medicine in 2002. If alternate medication is utilized along with traditional allopathic medicine, an integrative doctor is an individual’s ideal alternative. Some typical doctors are adamantly versus or merely do not rely on corresponding medication, even though research study proceeds to show the advantages of several compounds. Your medical professional must be educated concerning other approaches you may be utilizing and if they are not comfy keeping that after that constantly do not hesitate to pick one more physician. This would certainly enable the doctor to anticipate any possible complications or a far better time in which to utilize a corresponding treatment. The issue in operation natural medicine stems from the truth that some professionals of alternate medication do not have actually a certified clinical degree as well as for that reason do not have a valid medical license. Nevertheless, in current times, many schools and colleges have actually started supplying training courses in homeopathy, ayurveda, siddha, unani, acupuncture, as well as naturopathy. The current growth in this industry appears by the lots of people demanding various, and also in many cases much better, treatment than what they are getting in “modern-day medication.” They are no more accepting the truth that they require to endure with pain or disease since contemporary pharmacy does not have a magic bullet for them.