Why should I change my health insurance agent? 

(I timed this - it takes 4 minutes to read – a great investment!)

For many, changing health insurance agents is like firing a friend. So why even consider changing? If someone is asking you to change something, you should ask; “what is the problem that we are trying to fix?” If there is no problem, then maybe you should not change anything. Another truism is “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” … right? So why change a perfectly good, well respected, quality relationship with your agent? Let’s take a look at it, but first let’s talk about perspective.

1. Be willing to examine the possibility that you are receiving your agent’s best, but you may not be receiving the best. Remember that change almost always improves your situation, so let’s remain open minded. If you never look and listen, odds are you are not improving your situation.

2. Just because an agent has been doing something for a long time, does not mean that they are up to date on the latest things. Like a doctor practicing for 20 years, the new physician is better trained on new technology and procedures that the old doc hasn’t done. So don’t make an assumption that old is better.

3. Two questions you must answer in buying anything is; 1) You speak highly of yourself or your product, who else says it other than you? 2) Can you prove it? If something can be improved, demonstrated and proven at no additional cost, I believe a change should be made.

4. Changing an agent is risk free and adds no additinnal cost. If you change an agent and it’s a bad decision, I’ll guarantee you that your old agent will take you back. What really ticks me off is that most agents earn around $20-60,000 a year commission on ONE GROUP and they don’t do much to earn it. Their commission is your money (part of the premium) and you should receive what you’re paying for. If the new agent provides more, you should change. Why you ask? Because you are already paying for it but you are not receiving it. That should be very disturbing to you.

5. So what are the areas that need evaluating? Well, if the new agent is better at shopping, the services are better, the skill is higher, the negotiating expertise is better, the education is better, the size of the block of business is larger (leveraging), the agency team is bigger, the technology is better, the human resource assistance is better, the compliance audits are better, the employee education is better, and the new agent is more passionate and upset about healthcare cost AND IS DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT … well then you might want to take a close look at things and change. If you do – you just improved your situation and will probably save hundreds of thousands of dollars and receive better service and more stuff for free. It really is that simple.

6. What proof do you have that your agent is attending all continued education classes to learn the newest plans, options and pricing? What proof do you have that your agent is better at negotiating and underwriting than the new agent? It’s worth investigating …

7. Last, if your agent is really your friend, they will remain so. Is it time to make a professional decision and put personal things aside? I recommend that you look and listen …

Tim Owen
Owen and Associates