Thursday
The Phone Beef With Your Health Insurance Company
Ever notice that when you are dealing with a larger health insurance company and have a complaint (or question) that you spend what seems like hours on the phone getting the run around from department to department? Then, when you get off the phone after talking to several people, you're not really sure what they said - if they indeed said anything at all that helped you with your problem.
Dealing with large online insurance companies who don't happen to be in your area can be a total nightmare, and is just one more reason why dealing locally will improve your relations with your health insurance broker and the companies s/he represents. Those larger online behemoths that happen to be in other states can't help you deal with a local doctor's denied claim, for the very simple reason that they don't know the doctor. Frankly, they hardly know you either.
Stay local and talk to local insurance agents. They know information that can make your life much easier and are able to provide you with quotes that are tailor made for your circumstances. This is much better than getting a general insurance package from a large no-name broker who has no idea what exists in your area. This isn't to say that general packages might not be suitable to some individuals, however, in most cases, local insurance agents make sure their customers have their needs met specifically, with no song and dance or run around.
Insurance agents advice comes free and if you don't want to buy a policy from them - so be it. They are not there to "sell " you something; they are there to make sure you get what you need. If they sold people something that didn't work, you can bet they would not have too many happy customers. If you want to know if your agent has a good "rep," just check how long they've been in business. They longer their history, the better the chances are that they know what they are doing, and will also stand behind you in the event of an insurance dispute.
[expert=Evan_Tunis]
