Yes, this is a web site for a healthcare and life insurance agency. So how come you are not seeing the usual pictures of the happy family at the park, or the robust seniors on the cruise ship, or the group of children at the circus?
We don't have them because most insurance agencies don't want you to THINK about what you are buying. They would rather you be in some idyllic frame of mind and to think of all the 'fun' things in life... family, friends, health, and happiness.
Well, we want you to HAVE all of those things, and that is why we are IN the insurance business in the first place. With us, it's not about the money. And it's not about trying to 'snow' you with a lot of hype and sales nonsense. With us it's about getting you the right health or life or annuity plan at the right price. Those are serious issues and we want our customers to understand that having the wrong plan can COST them their future or that of their family. How do you put THAT in a picture?
There are two, and only two, things you must know about us.
- We are honest.
- We know the insurance business.
When it comes to life protection, we won't try to make a quick buck on a cheap term plan. We will take the time to educate you on what is "right and proper" for your age and stage in life.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
We know (and you know) that you need health and life insurance. We also know that you don't want to pay for it. (With life, you don't even want to TALK about it!) And we know that the lure of 'cheap' insurance is appealing. There are lots and lots of agents out there who will sell you insurance that will just waste your money.
We tell you the truth. The truth is this. Cheap insurance is never good insurance and good insurance is never cheap. This is why we sell plans from the best of the best of the insurance industry. This is why we write mostly Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Mutual of Omaha, and West Coast Life.
There are cheap plans that will bankrupt you if something really bad happens. We won't sell those... even if you want them.
However, you don't have to spend a fortune to get good protection. We think you just need a good agent.
There are many, many affordable plans that will protect your house, your life-savings, the college fund, and your equity (stock and bond) assets. That's what we sell: Good, affordable health and life plans. In a word (actually three words) we sell peace of mind.
WHY USE AN AGENT?
You're thinking: Do I really need an agent? Can't I just buy something on-line?
The answer is 'no.' Health and life insurance is not like car or home insurance. Most of those are pretty much the same. But health and life can be complex and you should have someone on your side who can sort it all out for you. Yes, you could do it yourself, but why would you want to... especially when it cost you nothing.
The big carriers would love for you to go to their pretty web sites and buy coverage on-line and never talk to an agent. If you buy this way they don't have to pay a commission to agents like us, and they KNOW from experience that many people (like you?) will buy the wrong product at a high price.
Understand this: You will not get a discount or a better rate by buying without an agent. That's the law in most states.
We have two goals. First is to get you the right plan for your budget. Second is to get you the right plan for your budget :-)
We hear it again and again. "Of course you want us to buy the most expensive plan because you make more in commission." It is just not true. Why is it not true? It's not true because if you can't afford the plan you will drop it.
It is important to know that you do not pay any fee or commission to any agent. That is the law in this state. For individual and family health policies, agents usually get paid by the carrier 20% of the first year premium and a small "renewal" after that. Life pays us anywhere from 50% to 80% plus a small renewal. Group health pays a flat 7% each year. Most of the time carriers pay agents as earned. That means when you pay your monthly premium, the company sends us X% of it... be it 20%, 50%, etc. If you drop the policy, our commission stops. If the agency was paid a year's commission in advance (a few carriers do this,) the agent has to pay back the part not earned. That's also the law. There is zero incentive for us to put you in a plan that you will drop.
HEALTH: PLANS AND PLANS AND MORE PLANS
Getting back to the plans, you might ask why are there so many really terrible healthcare policies out there? Simple. Some carriers lure people in with cheap prices. Once the customer realizes that the policy is junk (usually after speaking to a more ethical agent) they drop it. The carrier made a profit and didn't have to pay a claim. Good for them. Not so good for the customers who wasted their money (and not so good for the agent... usually a young, inexperienced guy or gal who was 'sold' by a fast-talking recruiter.)
There is something else that you should know... and if you give us the opportunity, we will prove it to you: Good healthcare insurance can be affordable.
Affordable is defined as a plan that fits your budget and that allows you to accept the level of risk that you are comfortable with. You need to be able to sleep at night.
Good is defined as a plan that will be there when you need it, one that will pay for the big items and which does not have artificial caps or low life-time maximums or plans missing important coverages (like physician visits or brand-name prescription drugs.)
We wrote a short tutorial on "How to buy healthcare insurance." There are others on the web. After you understand the basics all you need to remember is this: The best plan is the one that meets your needs and fits your budget.
LIFE: PLANS AND PLANS AND MORE PLANS
We know there are a zillion life plans out there from ten-zillion companies. We sell a lot of Ohio National and West Coast. Why? Because they are both honest, they are financially strong, and they have great service. We can (and do) sell other carriers, but ON and WC "fit" for so many of our clients in so many good ways. We also like the John Hancock plans WITH their long-term-care rider... two products in one... good value.
Yes, we sell term, but we don't like to. Term has its place and is "right" in certain situations, but it is a "wasting asset." You have heard "Buy term, invest the rest." Fine. However, most folks either LOSE the rest or they SPEND the rest. We believe that whole life is still a sound method of savings and protection. If that can't be afforded, then guaranteed universal life (UL) is the next best thing. Last comes term. It's cheap for a reason. 95% of term policies expire worthless. The carriers take all your money and never pay a claim. What a deal (for them!) We'd rather see you get something for your money, not just a letter of termination.
CHOICE IS GOOD
However, one size does NOT fit all. This is why the really good carriers have a plethora of plans, sometimes too many! And this is another reason you need an agent. In health there are huge differences between HMOs, PPOs, EPOs, managed care plans, and the new HSAs... Health Savings Account plans (which we like very much for all our clients, not just business owners.)
In the life area there ways to tailor a plan to fit each budget, often by offering the client a mixture of term and permanent (whole or UL)... with easy to understand concepts that would never occur to the average person... but which Mutual of Omaha agents (and those of other companies... NYL, Met, MassMU, etc.) are trained in.
Yes, we could write for second and third-tier health companies; carriers who have cheap plans, low coverages, huge deductibles, and who make you go through root-canal to get a health claim paid. Sure, we'd sell a ton of them. We could make a lot more money.
For life, we could sell the cheapest plan-of-the-week term policies from "B" rated companies. Lots of agents do that.
But we won't do it. Scroll up and re-read the 5th and 6th paragraphs again.
WHAT ABOUT GROUP HEALTH FOR SMALL BUSINESS?
Are you an employer or self-employed with a spouse or partner? You may not know that in California group health insurance is 'guarantee issue,' meaning that there are no declines due to health problems or pre-existing conditions. And in California a group of two is legal, and a group is basically defined as a for-profit business.
Do people who can't get individual coverage start small businesses with their spouse or friends so that they can get group coverage? Yes. Is it legal? We're not judges or lawyers. Most carriers have rules stating that a business can't exist for the sole purpose of getting insurance. But if a business is formed legally, and real commerce is conducted (services are rendered or items are bought/sold) and the business shows a profit and it pays taxes... to the best of our knowledge it can get group coverage. (It's not cheap, but it's available.)
In the past, group rates used to be close to or lower than individual rates. And in the past many companies paid 100% of the premiums. Not so much anymore. Rates are not lower than individual policies and these days some employers are forced to cut back to 70% or less. Many employers have abandoned group health entirely.
What is true (and what most agents won't tell you) is that they hate writing really small groups, say under 10. Why? Because the commission is low compared to the work involved. It's great if the agent can land a "whale" but it's a ton of work for very little money when doing small "mom/pop" groups.
We write group health. We like to write the California Choice product. Or we like the Blue Shield Suite Deal product. Both are too long to explain here, but call and we will explain "why" to you.
GROUP LIFE?
Group life is great if you are an employee and if the boss is paying for it, but often it is not portable when you leave your job and the plans tend to be low... under $100,000. We don't write a lot of group life these days as we'd prefer to deal one-on-one with each employee instead of a one-size-for all plan for the business.
Group life is almost always term insurance and as we said above, term is a "wasting asset." We think you should own permanent insurance, either whole life or universal life... not rent term life.
GROUP IS NOT ALWAYS BEST
An interesting thing is happening these days in health. With layoffs, downsizing, and off-shoring, a lot of employees are declining their company's group and buying their own individual health and life plan. Yes, it will cost more since they have to pay the whole fare, but they are masters of their destiny. They are not bound to a job in order to keep their insurance. And they get the plan that is best for them. Often the company health plan (available via COBRA ) is not cost effective where an individual one might be.
We write small groups. Why? Because its not about the money, it's about the service. We're in this business to help people. Yes, it's a trite expression, but it's true. We do well by doing good. We'll do a COBRA-to-HIPAA transition even though the carrier will pay us only $50. Most agents would give the client a phone number to call and say "Good luck." Not us. What goes around comes around. It's true.
And when it comes to groups (large or small) we also provide what are called "workplace supplements." These are popular low-cost, specific benefit policies for specific purposes, such as accident, cancer, disability, term-life, etc. Many businesses which can't afford to offer major medical will offer an array of supplemental policies. Often these are paid 100% by the employee, and they are inexpensive. While they can't take the place of a full major medical, they are far better than nothing. We especially like the Colorado Bankers Life worksite products.
A FEW MORE WORDS OF ADVICE
We advise clients to find an independent agent, one who is not beholden to only one carrier. It's the only way to get an objective opinion and a fair choice.
And whatever you do, do not, do not, do not buy insurance on-line or from one of the "we-sell-all-carriers" sites (we can't mention the name but you've probably seen their ads on the web and TV.) Most are phone-bank operations where you will get pressured into buying whatever "the deal of the day" is, and you will probably pay through the lower part of your anatomy to get it.
Saving money by "buying direct" for many items we purchase is generally possible - except with insurance! Many Insurance Quote Services and others like to advertise that you are "buying direct" and "cutting out the agent". The truth is, you aren’t saving a dime!
Any entity that offers insurance must be licensed as an agent/agency by the State in order to offer insurance. The only thing you ‘cut out’ is knowledgeable input and personalized service. Why do we say this?
No agent or agency can offer you a "special price." Prices are submitted to the individual State Departments of Insurance for approval. A "captive” agent (one who works exclusively for one insurance company) cannot offer you a lower price for the same insurance policy than any other "general” agent who is licensed to sell insurance and represents any number of companies.
Regardless of the number of agents or entities is involved in your purchase, you pay no more. Focus on the bottom line - what the policy is going to cost you compared to another company with similar benefits and features
Look. This is not fun. This is why we don't have the pretty pictures and bright colors and the hype and 'excitement' on this website. This is all about protecting your assets. This is serious business, and we treat it so.
We can't make it fun, but we can make it easier because we have a simple system that is written down. That system reads:
- Find the best options for risk-level of client and make recommendations.
- Assist client with any medical-history issues during underwriting.
- Never let client buy a 'bad plan'... even if they want it. Walk away if necessary.
If you give us the opportunity to serve you we will do an excellent job. We will assess your needs, find you several options, and we will help get you through the underwriting process. That's our service.
We don't really sell insurance. The carriers do that. We sell us. You buy us.
Twenty-four/seven, we're here.
Need to change your policy? We're here.
Get sick and need help with a claim? We're here.
Want to call and just chat? We're here.
Anyone can (and will!) sell you health or life insurance. We will give you the opportunity to BUY peace of mind... knowing that you received the best plan for your money, one that will cover your assets and which you can keep from year to year.
We will earn your business and referrals to your friends, family, and colleagues.
We're good at this, we like doing a good service for our clients, and if you choose us, we will be proud to have you as a client... and a friend.
Thank you,
Alan N. Canton, Owner
InsuranceSolutions123.com Agency
Fair Oaks, CA
916-962-9296
CA Lic # 0F31110
