Getting Proper Quotes

The quoting procedure for personal health insurance is usually the most over-looked part of the process. Getting quotes can save a lot of time and energy in the long run because you will know exactly what is out there as far as different plans and pricing goes.

There is a right way and a wrong way to get a quote. Many people don’t think about the quoting process as being part of the actual health insurance procedure and will solely rely on verbal quotes over the phone and think nothing more before they pull out their charge card.

Pre Quote

Before you ever pick up the phone to talk to a personal health insurance representative, you should know what you are looking for. A good way to do this is to check out different insurance carriers and plans on the Internet to get an idea of what is offered and the prices of each type of plan.

Discussing Quotes

Once you have an idea of what you are looking for, then you can pick up the phone and start calling around. When you get an individual health representative on the phone, ask your questions to determine if the plan they are suggesting is the best for you.

Ask about other plans, not shown on their website to see what other types of deals they may have and do not be afraid to tell them you will get back with them once you have looked over all of the information – just because you are on the phone doesn’t mean you have to purchase at that moment and usually, representatives will offer you other pricing and incentives if they know you are looking around. Remember it is the personal health representative’s job to try and get you to make a purchase with their company.

Obtaining Quotes

Once you have discussed with the representative and have come up with a sample plan that fits all of your needs, ask them to send you a hard copy of the quote. If you you decide that company is who you want to do business with it will be helpful to have it to refer back to. If one person offers you a great incentive, you want to be able to reference that quote if someone else picks up the phone next time.

It is also imperative that you get a hard copy because with so many quotes, you will have a difficult time remembering which company promised what. This will help in comparing quotes at a later date, to have exactly what each company promised.

Yes, this may take some time, but it will be well worth it in the long run when you come away with the best plan and pricing that fits your needs. In a recap of how to obtain proper personal health insurance quotes, remember to do your research ahead of time so you know what you are looking for. Ask questions about each plan and company including if there are any plans the representative thinks might fit your needs better. Finally, get a hard copy of the quote so that you can compare the different companies later and don’t have to bother with remembering all of the details. Once you have done this, you can even help your friends and family with the correct way to get a proper health insurance quote.

Return to the Table of Contents for the Choosing Health Care series