Find Affordable Group Health Insurance Quotes in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

Small business owners in Dallas Fort Worth Texas often turn over the task of finding affordable group health insurance quotes to their administrative assistants.  Often, the assistant is given little advice other than to "find a more affordable group health plan in Texas," or to "shop around and find better rates."  This article gives some suggestions that an assistant can use to help find more affordable health insurance coverage without wasting time.

Group health insurance, especially for companies with fifty or less employees is  highly regulated and is a very competitive business.  In Texas, United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Aetna and Unicare represent about 80 % of the small group health insurance market.  Each of these carriers is financially strong, and has their own extensive PPO network throughout the state. 

Other group health insurance companies in Texas will often "rent" another company's PPO healthcare provider network.  Some of these other health insurance companies are not as financially strong, with lower AM Best ratings. While many of these other group health insurance companies are good companies, an assistant should be sure to review plans from the top four companies first and should have a good reason why to consider another company's plans.

But if an assistant decides to telephone each insurance company individually, considerable time and effort will be wasted, and their company will not receive any better rates than if they contacted a competent group health insurance broker who represented all or several companies.

And if an administrative assistant does an internet search and applies to an online website and enters their company's contact information and employee  information in hopes of getting better rates, all they will get is months of phone calls from agents.  The online form  they filled out was probably from a lead generation company that will turn around and sell that information to dozens or hundreds of agents who will in turn contact the company and ask for an appointment.

In fact, the very best place for an administrative assistant to look for affordable group health insurance quotes is to interview and select a smart group health insurance broker or multi-line insurance agency who will take the time listen find out what the company needs, and listen to the client.  Then they can present a proposal with recommendations for plans and programs that will meet the business needs. 

A business will not pay any more or any less for going through a group health insurance broker since the rates are the same whether a business works directly with an insurance company or with a broker.  And a broker will be much more responsive to the needs of a company than a big group health insurance carrier, so the assistant's company will get the service and expertise for free.

Since all group health insurance carriers in Texas reserve the right to change the initial rates quoted to a company subject to the underwriting of the individual employee insurance applications, any knowledgeable broker will  ask questions about  the number of major health claims that employees from the company incurred over the last year.  And a good broker will also ask if there are any known employees or dependents with health issues that could affect the final rates.  That way, the broker can give the company a better estimate of what the final rates may be even before the applications are submitted to the group health insurance carrier for underwriting approval.

A knowledgeable group health insurance agent will also know which insurance companies have the most affordable rates based on the type of company, the size of the business, and overall age makeup of the company's workforce even before the underwriting process is completed.

A good group health insurance agent is really a trusted advisor to the company, and can save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of their recommendations and proposals.  Examples of programs that can save companies money are Consumer Driven Health Plans like health savings accounts (HSAs) or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), and complementary programs like employee wellness plans that can help lower insurance rate increases in future years.

If a group health insurance agent promises to "save the company money" with competitive rates, without knowing anything at all about the company, then the administrative assistant should be skeptical.  The agent is likely telling the assistant what they hope to hear in order to win their business.  

And any group health insurance agent who "pushes" one company's plans without presenting alternatives may have a hidden agenda.  And look out for the group health insurance agent who offers a round of golf, a free lunch, or ticket to sporting events to win a company's business, because they may not not have knowledge and expertise or have the company's best interests at heart.

An assistant should check to see if the group health insurance agent has received specialized  employee benefits and consumer driven health plan training, such as a Chartered Benefits Consultant (CBC) professional designation.  And before granting an interview, the assistant should have been asked a half hour of time  to get the information that they need to come back and present thought out recommendations based on a survey of all of the major carriers in the company's area.

If an agent is reluctant to first with the assistant and to ask questions and expects the assistant to fax employee and company information to provide quotes at the first face to face meeting is not likely to want to meet with the assistant throughout the year and deal with billing or enrollment headaches that inevitably come up.   

A broker who will take the time to find out the needs of the company and then returns with a meaningful proposal that helps cover the company's employees at the most affordable rate is the type of agent or agency that an administrative assistant can be assured has the company's best interests at heart.

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For more information about group health insurance plans and employee benefits, and to receive a no-obligation consultation, businesses in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas can contact Mike Chapman at GroupBenfitsAdvisors.com, (888) 398-6246 or (214) 764-6315.