Health Insurance - Frequently Asked Questions

Why shouldn't I buy insurance directly from an insurance company?

Buying health insurance is a complicated process, and while anybody can go directly to an insurance provider and sign up for a policy, a licensed agent will help you find the plan that is best for you and your family without trying to squeeze every last penny out of you. When you call a big insurance company, you may be dealing with somebody working in a call center who is rewarded for taking as many calls in a day as possible and for selling as many policies as they can, while one of our agents can spend as much time as necessary discussing your personal options with you, without having to worry about a floor supervisor breathing down his or her neck. There are many types of insurance plan and many types of coverage, and if you deal directly with a big insurance company you may have a very hard time getting your questions answered and may end up with a plan that is better for the insurance company than it is for your family.

What if I already have insurance through my employer or my spouse's employer?

Just because you may already have insurance through an employer, that does not mean that you have the insurance plan that is right for your family. Most employers traditionally offer a very small set of options when it comes to choosing your plan, and quite often the plan is not what your family needs. If the employer is subsidizing the plan by paying for a percentage of your premiums (which they usually do), then they stand to benefit by offering cheaper plans.

Quite often your family's needs may require you to supplement your employer's insurance with a private plan, or replace it altogether, lest you end up needing to pay for additional expenses out-of-pocket. It may even be the case that you can find a much better plan through a licensed agent that does not cost much more than your employer's plan. If you can find a much better plan through an agent, pay slightly more for it, and cancel your insurance that you have through your employer, you may find yourself with much better coverage than you had for only a nominal change in premiums.

Be sure to discuss your current insurance plan with your agent so that he or she can look for the best plans to either combine with your work plan or to replace it..

In-Network? Out-of-Network? What is it all about?

Most doctors and hospitals work with one or more insurance providers. If you have a preferred doctor or/and hospital, it is important to make sure that they accept the insurance plan that you use. Some insurance plans are more strict than others when it comes to visits to doctors/hospitals that are not part of the provider network, and they may require you to obtain a referral beforehand for an "out-of-network" expense. It is very important that you understand all the conditions attached to coverage for these visits. The last thing you want to do is to sign up for a new health insurance plan only to find out later that you cannot see your favorite doctor anymore. Your licensed agent can help you to avoid these risks before they become problems.

Why doesn't ImprovedMED.com give a listing of health insurance premiums?

Other web sites that provide a rate listing really only show a one-size-fits-all list of insurance rates, taking little - if anything - about you or your family into account. The truth is, there is no way to get a realistic quote except by from a licensed agent. Don't believe us? Try reading the disclaimers on the web sites that give you a rate listing - especially if you have not completed a rate quote process - and you will see that they guarantee nothing and do not get you any closer to getting the insurance your family needs. ImprovedMED.com's purpose is to get you in touch with the most qualified agents who can give you competing quotes on health insurance, allowing you to choose the plan that works best for your family.