Selecting a Health Insurance Agent or Broker

Your health insurance broker or agent is a service professional just as an attorney or doctor. Does yours give good service? Have a good reputation? Proactively serve and protect you and yours?  Look for ways to reduce your expense? Committed to your satisfaction?

If you are in need of a good agent or broker, the best way to find one is referral. Ask other business owners in your local area if they can recommend someone. Ask for and check references. Use one that lives and works right in your community. It is always better to hire locally as the local vendor has much more at stake if you become unsatisfied.

A wish list for an ideal health insurance agent:

• Well established personally and professionally in your community.
• Over 15 years experience in placing health insurance for business owners in your geographic area.
• Longtime member of local and national chapters of the Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU)
• Licensed in your state (see your state office of insurance or insurance commissioner)
• Few complaints and no unresolved complaints with your local Better Business Bureau and your state insurance commissioner.

The following health insurance experts generously contributed their expertise to this article series:

• Dale Bresee and Diane Stallcup of Henderson Benefits Group, Mr. Bresee can be reached at dale.bresee@GoHenderson.com
• Stuart K. Hawley, president of The Hawley Group, Inc. Mr. Hawley can be reached at Stuart@thehawleygroup.com