Why People Still Use Health Insurance Agents

Despite the arrival of the Affordable Care Act and its associated marketplace, many people still have plenty of questions about the best way to fulfill their health insurance needs. That's why there is still room for private agents who sell insurance St. Paul. Private agents can offer far more personalized and detailed advice than any suggestion program or overworked call center agent.

When someone goes to an insurance agent, one of the first questions will be whether the health insurance is going to be for a company or an individual. Companies, like regular people, want to cut the costs of coverage without losing too many benefits in the process. 

However, there is another layer of complexity involved when it comes to business. Regulations exist that mandate certain levels of coverage for employees depending on the number of workers covered, whether they are part or full time, and other such factors. The insurance agent will know of all of these laws and can suggest policies that will be in compliance with them.

Health insurance for individuals doesn't involve that extra legal complexity, but it still isn't cut-and-dried. Individuals will find that there are subsidies for people below certain income levels, but that some policies still cost a substantial amount even with this help. Also, people who make enough to be out of range of the subsidies may find that some policies are no longer a good deal. Talking to an insurance agent is a good way to get help at finding the sweet spot between costs and total coverage.

Individuals will also want to ask agents about which doctors are included in the plans they are considering. For some people, it isn't a problem to just go to whatever doctor is on their plan even if that means switching to a new one. 

Others will find doctor availability to be a make-or-break factor in an insurance choice and will be willing to pay more in order to keep going to their standard provider. Insurance agents can help make sure that this aspect meets the customer's requirements and save the customer from having to personally check all of the available policies.

These are just some of the reasons people still go to insurance agents instead of just clicking "apply for coverage" at the Marketplace during the open enrollment period. For these customers, it's well worth getting the advice of a live agent who knows all of the local options.