By Susan Stewart, Licensed Insurance Agent
As the world of Medicare continues to change, having a good agent has never been more important for retirees. It’s our job to work with you to find the healthcare plan that best fits your budget and needs each year and finding someone you trust can make the process much smoother.
If you don’t have an insurance agent you like working with, here are a few things I recommend people look for or ask about before choosing to work with an agent:
- Is the agent with a certain carrier or a broker? The advantage of a certain carrier is detailed knowledge. They know details that a broker may need to look for. A broker, meanwhile, offers more options and matches your needs to a plan rather than a certain carrier.
- Do they ask questions? How are their listening skills? Does it feel like they’re invested in learning about you to find the plan that best fits your needs?
- Is there compassion for your circumstances? A good insurance agent will genuinely care about you as a person and ask about what’s going on to make sure they consider everything important to you.
- Do they answer your questions in a way you understand? Do they encourage you to ask questions?
- Do you sense a commitment to caring about you after the sale? This goes back to being genuine. Yes, insurance is a business, but when the person on the other side cares about you as a person, it’s a lot easier to trust they’re advising you with your best interest at heart.
- Can they tell you about their qualifications? Do they provide you with a phone number to contact them in the future? What about a license number? Ask for this information. Confirm the company name and look it up online to verify credibility. If an agent has nothing to hide, they’ll not take offense but gladly give any information you need while being happy you’ve paid attention.
- Do you feel pressured? Hurried? Not acceptable.
- Are they thorough? Anyone who promises you something but doesn’t explain the rest of the plan isn’t watching out for you. You need to understand not only the benefits you want, but also the limitations.
- Do they follow your instructions and record your calls? If you decide not to proceed with a plan, make sure you confirm that the other person did not enroll you. Medicare requires the agent to ask, “Do you want me to enroll you in X plan for X start date and a monthly premium of X?” Medicare requires a clear yes. Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for a beneficiary to find out they were enrolled without knowing it. ALL calls are supposed to be recorded. That’s accountability.
- Does your agent follow up? Keep promises? Return calls? Answer emails?
Do you already have an agent that meets these criteria? My advice? Don’t even talk to other agents. Don’t surrender an hour or two of your day to do yet another review and consider a change. You’ll lose the agent you trust if you change plans.
Now, are you a good client? That matters too. Do you listen, or do you constantly interrupt out of impatience? Are you respectful? Do you remember that’s a human being on the other end of the phone? A person with a job to do and a life outside of work? No one likes being shouted at, called names, or unfairly accused.
Are you patient? You help me help YOU when you give me time to be thorough. It’s impossible to do an accurate review in 20 minutes. If you don’t have time, please don’t waste mine. Is your voicemail full, or not set up yet, preventing me from calling you back and leaving a message? I’ve had people get very upset with me, telling me how hard it is to get hold of me when I’ve tried to call them repeatedly. Do you return calls when left a message? Have you added your agent’s phone number to your contacts so when you’re called, you’ll know it’s your agent and take the call? Adding my number prevents call blockers from stopping my attempts to call you back or follow up. Yes, sometimes people shock me with unkindness. Yes, it hurts to know I went above and beyond for someone, only to have them change their plan. Be a good client.
If we can work together, there is accountability and trust on both sides. Kindness costs nothing and thoughtfulness matters. The world is far too short on both.