Ohio residents pay an average of $471 a month for their health insurance if they’re 40 years old. When you go through the marketplace or exchange, you’re at the mercy of an algorithm that uses a few base questions to show you the options that you have available. A health insurance agent in Ohio can work with you on a deeper level to find the right plan for you.
How a Health Insurance Agent Can Help You Find the Best Plan for You
Help Navigate Marketplace Plans
Marketplace plans are available that may best suit your needs. An insurance agent can help you browse through these plans and explain the options that you have available to you. Since the agent’s services come at no cost to you, the information they provide can be invaluable.
Alert You to Non-marketplace Plans
The marketplace is just one avenue where you can search for plans. Sometimes, the best plans are not listed on the marketplace. The insurance agent will assist you in finding these plans so that you have a clear picture of the healthcare options that are available to you.
Assist You with Subsidy Plans
Subsidies may be available to you, and a health insurance agent will be able to:
• Recommend subsidies that may fit your needs
• Assist you in applying for these plans
• Lower your out-of-pocket expenses
Most states allow agents to access plans so that they can provide the best options to their customers.
The agent can help you both apply for these subsidies and may enroll you into these plans to save you significant time in the process.
Advocate on Your Behalf
When you sign up for a plan, you’re often left alone and have no one to help you the following year. However, an agent can work as your advocate year after year so that when open enrollment comes around or there’s a major life change that you go through, the agent can help you find the best plans available.
Additionally, they can:
• Ask questions about benefits
• Walk you through the claim process
Learn and Understand Your Needs
Your needs are unique, and when you go through the marketplace, your needs are often not considered in the same way that an insurance agent can offer. An insurance agent will work to understand your unique needs so that they can:
• Narrow down plan options
• Eliminate plans that won’t work for you
• Find only the best insurance options available for your needs
Often, the insurance agent will assist you in finding the plan that matches your needs and budget. However, when you sign up for the marketplace and don’t work with an agent, you’re missing out on potential plans that may offer you better coverage and benefits.
Ohio’s health insurance costs are expensive, but you need coverage to ensure that if a medical emergency does occur, you’ll receive the care you need most. Health insurance agents in Ohio can help you find a plan that best fits your unique needs and budget. They’ll even help you work through subsidies that can save you money.