"xxxk" <test33[at]testicle.com> wrote
- quote -

I acknowledge the importance of your point (and am thankful public Internet
forums like this newsgroup exist so all these "ideas" may compete against each
other on a level playing field).

Ehealthinsurance states it has "The Largest selection - More health insurance
plans than any other agent." This is not in the fine print; it's pretty
prominent when one goes through the steps of seeing what it offers for one's zip
code. I read the statement to mean it does not offer assistance with all health
insurance plans. So one definitely still has to shop around. Anyone doubting
this should re-read xxk's post.

Further--
Is an agent with whom one meets face-to-face going to offer one all plans
available in your area? I think not. Again, one still has to shop around.

Which is more convenient for a preliminary search, driving around to different
agents or surfing the net's health insurance *commercial* search engines? I'd
say trying a few online health insurance search engines is a good starting
point. I can only see this helping, not hurting, the effort to find good health
insurance. At least if one feels one must see someone face-to-face, one can
compare what the face-to-face agent offers with what one saw on the net, and
then investigate further.

Aside: I emphasized "*commercial*" above because xxk's comments certainly
indicate that there is bias online as well as offline.

I just took ANOTHER look at ehealthinsurance.com (I examined it 6 months ago
too) and it still does not list the 2 MAIN insurance companies in my
area: Fairfax county, VA, zip code 22042 (and I tried all the zip
codes in N. Va. which I know for sure are covered by the companies)....and I
know with 100% certainty that both companies
cover that area and all the zip codes that I tried. The two companies are
KAISER (mid-atlantic) and CareFirst BC BS. The only companies shown
on ehealthinsurance.com for the N.VA zipcodes are "Unicare" and "Golden Rule".

"TB" <borekfm[at]pacbell.net> wrote
- quote -

I think there are some miscommunications happening here.

I am recommending an online health insurance search engine only as a first step,
to allow a client to see what's out there, very roughly.

My experience began with an online health insurance search engine. It steered me
to what I felt was a competitive rate (based on several rates and plans listed)
and then, ultimately, a live agent. Except for the initial search, all
subsequent transactions were done by phone. At the time of my first search, I
had no idea who even offered short-term plans. Not all health insurers do.

If I'd called an agent cold, I'd only know about his/her particular product. I
wouldn't necessarily get any kind of unbiased cross-section.

I think with these online search engines, the chance of a good, impartial,
preliminary recommendation of insurers is better.

- quote -

You do realize requiring such history is not unique to online applications?

- quote -

Funny, I had the exact same experience with Blue Cross/Blue Shield a few years
ago. Not online. With an agent.

Also, you never spoke with a live person in this process?

- quote -

I just don't see how there's much distinction at all. Pre-existing conditions
exist with auto insurance, too. E.g. how many speeding tickets one had. The
variations seem entirely comparable with health insurance.

What are you recommending, anyway? The client go to the Yellow Pages and pick
out an insurance company, and call them cold? Can we say, "shark bait"?
Kidding, but you know what I mean.

And yes, just as car salesman loathe internet car deals, I imagine many
financial agents loathe people who do internet research.

Caroline wrote:
- quote -


I gotta agree w/Brent on this one...there's no good reason not to use an
agent, and at least from my experience the net option was awful. I used
ehealthinsurance.com a couple years ago for my MSA-compatible plan. It
seemed an EZ way to do it because there were only 2 plans in CA at the
time and one had clearly better deductibles.

Unfortunately I also applied through the site, and they totally dropped
the ball. The insurer wanted clarification on something in the medical
history (who on earth can remember doctor visits 15 years ago!?) but
somehow that didn't get back to me, and they couldn't seem to figure out
the status of my app week to week. Long story short, without an agent
involved in the process what should have taken a couple weeks took about
3 months, letters, phone calls - and it was all avoidable.

Anectdotal I know, but w/health I think the net is OK for research but
it's better to work w/an agent for picking & applying. This isn't like
other types of insurance - eg auto, where it's a very straightforward
transaction that largely gets down to cost. With health there's a wide
range in coverage and the open question of which plans/insurers are best
(or even possible) given whatever set of preexisting conditions you
have, or ailments you're worried about in the future. I don't think
health agents have to worry about job security anytime soon!

-Tad

Thanks for all the feed backs!
JS

"Szaki" <szaki10[at]comcast.net> wrote in message
news:Wq7Qb.128447$I06.1108603[at]attbi_s01...
- quote -

"Brent D. Gardner, ChFC" <bgardner20[at]cox.net> wrote
- quote -

Rule #2
Be leery of anyone who posts here who denigrates the Internet as a resource and
at the same time advertises himself as an agent of some kind. After all, the
Internet enhances market competition and tends to drive down the business
prospects of many of these agents. Some are honest. Some are not.

I have never lived in the same state as my auto insurer. I have never physically
walked into one of its offices, as it has never had branches in any state where
I lived. I have lived in several states since I first began insuring my car
through this insurer over 20 years ago. I have done every minute of business
with my insurer via 800 telephone calls, email, and U.S. mail for all this time.
Never have I had any problem with them. Indeed, this insurer remains among the
most highly rated in the country. Its system is set up to painlessly slog
through the regulations for auto insurance in every state--in every
community--in which I have lived efficiently and thoroughly.

Health insurers do ask for one's state of residence, among other pertinent
information, before providing a quote, if a quote can be provided online. For
more complicated health insurance plans, obviously an online quote cannot always
be done.

Getting the regulations right for each state is a matter of having access to a
good database. This is absolutely no big deal. Good ol' fashioned healthy market
competition has made it thus.

"Szaki" <szaki10[at]comcast.net> wrote in message
news:Wq7Qb.128447$I06.1108603[at]attbi_s01...
- quote -

Rule #1 -- When you have questions about health insurance, you need a local
agent. Period. Nobody else that responded yet fits that description.

Health insurance -- rules, regulations, rates -- very WIDELY from state to
state, as well as by other geographic factors, such as zip code. Nobody
other than a local agent can help you with this problem. I suggest you avoid
anyone that is in another state, who does business across state lines. It is
virtually impossible to know ALL the state variations on one contract, much
less on different contracts with different companies, which makes virtually
ALL internet quote sites for health insurance inherently dangerous to your
financial health, unless they are local.

Brent D. Gardner, ChFC
Chartered Financial Consultant
http://members.cox.net/brentdgardner1378/

"Be ever questioning. Ignorance is not bliss. It is oblivion. You don't go
to heaven if you die dumb. Become better informed. Learn from other's
mistakes. You could not live long enough to make them all yourself." - Hyman
George Rickover (1900-86), Admiral, US Navy, advocated development of
nuclear subs & ships

The Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant
(ChFC), designations owned and exclusively offered by The American College,
signify the highest standards of academic study and professional excellence
in the financial services industry.

"Szaki" <szaki10[at]comcast.net> wrote
snip
- quote -

The best tool I've found for shopping for health insurance is
http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/index.html . (There are a number of such
services on the net. I doubt they vary much from one to the other.)

One option that might reduce your rates is to shop for a short-term insurance
plan. Such a plan would offer you a certain maximum amount of coverage but last
only six months to a year. So if you had a terrible accident during this time,
you'd be covered up to the maximum of the plan for that time. After the six
months to a year, you'd be on your own. Also, such plans reserve the option for
the insurer *not* to renew. So if you can avoid a bad accident or illness for a
short time, then it might be a great option. Also, as usual, the higher the
deductible, the lower the premium. Fortis Insurance Company (800) 800-1212 (last
I checked) is an insurer that might be able to help you with a short-term plan.
(I don't work for Fortis. I have just used them in the past. Never made a claim
with them, so I don't know how they are on this front.)

Consider also a health savings account. This is a new option, put into law only
a few weeks ago, that allows you to sock money into an account and let it build,
tax-free. The catch is you must have a health insurance plan that has a certain
deductible. Lots on the net on this. See for example
http://www.healthsavingsaccount-hsa.com/ .

As for why your rates went up, this is happening nationwide. If the insurer says
it's nothing specific to you, then you can ask for more of an explanation, but
short of hiring a lawyer, I think you're stuck with believing the insurer when
it indicates this is what needs to make profit; health care costs are higher;
malpractice is driving rates up; the decline in interest rates means they have
to recover profits from customers; etc.

Sorry about your unemployment. Good luck.

In article <Wq7Qb.128447$I06.1108603[at]attbi_s01> , Szaki
<szaki10[at]comcast.net> wrote:

- quote -

Is this just for yourself, or do you have others on the policy.
This isn't that bad for a family, especially if there are women
and children on the policy. For a single male, this is about 3
times too expensive.

I am in the very same situation at the moment. I am taking the
cobra option from my last employer, and it costs a bit over $200
a month for HMO coverage.

If you don't need full cough and sneeze service, check out State
Farm. They have major medical policies. It has a $1000 deductable,
so you pay for the day to day stuff and doctor visits, but they
pay for anything major that comes up. For a single male, I paid
less than $300 per year. This might work for you given that $500
a month will pay for a lot of doctor visits.

-john-

--
================================================== ==================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708 john[at]johnweeks.com
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ==================

I got unemployed in last year September. I able to continue my health care
plane from my employer half-price for 2 months, than 32 months full price,
$517 for two persons, including dental, vision.
After talking to the provider, said they have to raise the rate to $628,
from January, because the group I'm belonging to, got more expansive.
November they canceled my insurance, because did not receive my payment,
which I mailed in. I didn't know what's going on, mailed another check,
certified, signature return, cost me $8.
My insurance got re-instated, than in December got my check back,(one they
never got, according to them) saying there is no group # on it, they didn't
know who it belongs to. I had my address and Tel# on the check, and mailed
with a note, what company I use to work for.
Are they trying to get rid of me? Why they raising my insurance, 25%?
Is there other cheaper alternative?

Thanks, JS