5 Reasons Why You Should Have Your Own Independent Medigap Insurance Agent

Enrolling in Medicare and making Medigap decisions can be daunting. There is just so much information to process! And the open enrollment clock is ticking, which means there are a lot of important decisions that need to be made in a fairly narrow window of time. This is where an independent Medigap insurance agent can help you and it doesn’t cost you anything to have them work for you.

1.) Agents are advocates for clients

Medicare is a vast government bureaucracy – and large insurance companies often become vast bureaucracies of their own. They have to, just to be able to deal with the vast Medicare and healthcare bureaucracies they interface with.

When you have your own agent, who knows you and your family personally, you aren’t just a number – you have an advocate within the system who knows you, personally, and who knows to call when there is a problem. Remember – Insurance is a competitive industry. To be successful in the insurance business, your agent relies on his or her ability to keep customers happy and provide sound, timely and effective advice and assistance when it’s most needed. After all, that’s where referrals come from!

2.) Agents provide more options

When you call the insurance company directly, chances are the carrier operating the call center won’t be able to speak with you about all of the Medicare Advantage and Medigap options available in your county. They have just that particular company’s insurance products, at their rates. When you speak with a Medigap insurance agent, you are much more likely to be able to get information on all the options available to you and with multiple companies.

3.) Agents screen underperforming carriers and providers

Yes, the menu of coverage in Medigap plans is standardized. But everything else can vary substantially. When you sign up for Medigap insurance through an independent agent, your agent can help you sort through carriers with history of rate increases, stability in the marketplace, poor “star quality ratings” for Medicaid Advantage providers, and, of course, high premiums.

4.) Agents keep you posted with changes

The health insurance industry, Medicare and Medigap insurance world is constantly changing. New plans are rolled out, other plans are discontinued, or networks modified almost every day, somewhere in the country. Medigap agents make a point of staying up to date about the changes in the industry – and keep you current.

A good agent will be in touch with you periodically, via letters, emails or phone calls, or periodic insurance reviews, to let you know of any recent changes that might affect you, or provide you with a better value. When you work with a Medigap insurance agent, you don’t have to worry about whether you are still in the best plan, years after signing up – and you don’t have to worry about whether you have the latest, most up-to-date information.

That is, your agent can help you rest easy, knowing you’re getting current information not just this year, but every year in the future.

5.) It’s free!

That is, the agent’s services and recommendations are free to you, the customer. The agent is paid a commission, of course, based on what you sign up for. But it is the insurance carrier that pays the commission, not you. You would pay the same rate working with an independent Medigap insurance agent as you would going directly to the insurance company. Unlike with some other forms of insurance coverage, there are no premium savings to be had by going ‘direct,’ via a website or 1-800 number to a switchboard.

And best of all, our services and expertise at Lifelong Insurance are always free to you. Don’t let your open enrollment period slip by.

Call me today from anywhere in the country at 888-901-4870 or click here to send me a message. I look forward to serving you.