How to Become a Health Insurance Agent

Do you want to become a health insurance agent? There are several steps that you have to take to be able to sell health insurance. Your state Department of Insurance will have a listing of all of your state specific requirements. Often, each state requires that you complete a certain amount of pre-licensing training. This training is usually available in a classroom, online, or through independent study. When the pre-licensing training is complete, you will have to schedule, pay for, and pass a licensing exam. Most states require that you score at least a 70% on your pre-licensing exam. After you pass the exam, you will have to apply for an Accident & Health producer license. You can often download these applications on your state Department of Insurance web site. The Department of Insurance will usually conduct a background check and then issue your license. College education is not required to be a licensed insurance producer.

In order to maintain your license, you will have to maintain good standing with your state Department of Insurance. You will also have to complete a certain amount of continuing education hours. Usually your license will need to be renewed every 2 years and you usually have to complete 24 hours of continuing education. Continuing education credits may be earned through classroom, online, or self study training. You will often have to pass test(s) to demonstrate your understanding and completion of your continuing education requirements. There are several pre-licensing and continuing education providers available. You need to decide what type of training meets your learning style before you spend the money on the courses.

Now that you are licensed health insurance agent, you need to decide if you want to work for an insurance company as a captive agent or as an independent health insurance agent or broker. A captive agent works for one company and sells only products provided by this specific company. An independent agent or broker is in business on their own. The independent agent is able to sell health insurance products from several companies. The independent agent will often use field marketing organizations to help with contracting with all of the insurance companies. Field marketing organizations also provide back office assistance and marketing help.

A health insurance agent is able to sell major medical insurance, disability insurance, long-term care insurance, Medicare products, among others. Each type of insurance product may involve certain requirements and further training before you are able to sell the specific product. Often, as a captive agent and as an independent agent or broker, you will have to purchase Errors & Omissions insurance to protect yourself from professional liability.

Get more information about niche markets and increase your sales: Become a Health Insurance Agent

How Do I Choose the Right Insurance Agent to Help Me Purchase Life Insurance For My Family?

1. To get the best chance of finding the most coverage at the cheapest rate for your particular health, you should look for a qualified Insurance broker. Brokers either work for themselves or they work for a large brokerage firm. The advantages of dealing with Brokers are many. A broker unlike the agent from your Car Insurance Company has access to hundreds if not in some cases thousands of different types of Life Insurance policies.

Your car Insurance agent will only be able to sell you the policies that his particular company has. He is known in the industry as a captive agent. In some cases captive agents can even be fired for trying to sell for other companies.

Where a broker has the freedom to contract with any number of companies he or she wants to sell for. That gives a broker access to hundreds of companies and each company has many different Life Insurance products. Also a broker should have your best interest at heart as he or she would want to keep you as a client for future products they may have to sell you.

2. Some things to look for in a good agent. Longevity! Someone that has made a full time living selling Life Insurance for at least 10 years or more. That would be my preference. If an agent/broker has sold that long and able to make a full time living doing just Life Insurance then that agent knows his business. You can only fool people so long and you would not be able to make a living. So a broker that can prove to you that they have been in the business full time is the one to lean towards.

One way you can check on how long they have been licensed is to contact your local Department of insurance. They have all the licensing records on all agents as well as any complaints or sanctions. I shouldn't have to tell you that if you check and find out they have a complaint even one or sanctions stay clear of that person!

3. Does the broker seem to know your geographical area? A broker that attends church in your city, plays golf at the local golf club, or does volunteer work in your area are all good signs they have grounded their business in the area and want to protect their reputation. Never buy Insurance from some guy that is breezing through town! Only consider doing this if you live so far out in the boonies that you have no choice.

4. Does he seem more concerned about pushing a certain product on you before he has qualified your needs? If so, move on fast! That type of agent is too much in a hurry to make the sale and not looking at what is the best product for you.

If the broker takes the time to ask questions about your life style, your family, your future goals, then that is someone that probably is trying to get to know you well enough to suggest some good plans that will fit you. Also they have to ask you about your health as that is the main component in getting your Life Insurance application approved through underwriting, another signal if the broker knows what they are doing. If they do not ask you any medical questions they do not know how to put you with the right company that will approve you based on your medical issues and life style.

In a case where the agent doesn't know how to choose the right company that will insure and approve you, this can hurt your chances in the future, because if you are declined for a policy it is now in your MIB medical record that other companies will see. This can affect your ability in this case to obtain insurance in the future, and or get a good rate.

5. If you get to the point of deciding to do business with a broker and you start the paperwork, and the broker doesn't seem to know the paperwork very well. RED flag! That doesn't mean this is really bad, it could mean he just took on a newer company to him and he or she is simply not familiar with the paperwork. But be careful on this one.

Life Insurance applications have to be filled out perfectly or the Insurance company will send them back to the client or agent. If the agent/broker tells you to lie about your health, this is Fraud and of course you would not want to deal with someone like this.

In summary you want someone that knows their products, knows how to underwrite your specific medical issues and how it pertains to each companies underwriting requirements.

Lastly if you smoke do not lie to the agent about this or allow the agent to lie on your behalf as this can really back fire on you down the road.

As what can be construed to some as a white lie, can cause a claim to be denied down the road once your dead and have left your family now with no coverage because the policy was not done the right way.

For more information in a great FREE VIDEO about the different types of Life Insurance then here is a must see VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cys-LMMuIc

Jacque Smith has been an Independent Insurance Agent for over 16 years. She has helped thousands of people including Senior's choose the right Insurance plan for them. Whether it be Life Insurance, Health, or Medicare Insurance she has always put the clients needs before her own. Jacque also has done a great deal of voluntary work in the senior community in her city. The experiences and joy of being able to meet new people every day is what has kept Jacque in the Insurance Industry.

If you want to have a qualified broker in your area contact you then go here and I will find the best one for you. http://www.yourinsurancesecrets.com

Remember, knowledge is Power!

Insurance Agents Must Protect Their Clients' Interests

If you use an insurance agent to obtain your insurance policy then that insurance agent has certain responsibilities that are imposed by law. When an insurance agent undertakes to procure insurance for a party, with a view to earning a commission, he becomes the party's agent and owes a duty to the party to act with reasonable care, skill and diligence. If an agent is unable to obtain the insurance you sought, he has a duty to timely notify you. The failure to procure the appropriate coverage or the failure to timely notify you will render an agent liable damages.

If your agent has broken these rules you may sue for money damages for the breach of the agreement to obtain the insurance requested or for negligent breach of the agent's duty. In addition, an independent insurance agent and his client may have a fiduciary relationship. A fiduciary duty between principal (you) and agent (insurance agent) requires the exercise of utmost fidelity and good faith. The existence of a fiduciary relationship obligates the agent to make a complete and full disclosure of all material facts concerning the transaction which might affect the principal's decision regarding the subject of the relationship. It is a breach of fiduciary duty for an insurance agent to occupy a position antagonistic to his principal.

If your agent failed to obtain the policy or coverage you requested, or failed to notify you and you have suffered an uncovered loss or are being sued but have no insurance to cover your liability you may be able to hold your agent accountable. You have the right to pursue your insurance agent for his wrong doing in a court of law. You can also report your agent to the department of insurance in the jurisdiction where the policy was sold. You can complain to the insurance company or broker who employees the agent.

Insurance agents provide and important and valuable service, that must be done in a responsible and professional manner. If your agent has failed to carry out your instructions, improperly placed an insurance policy or mislead you, you have the right to hold the agent accountable for any losses you incur as a result.

Chris Faiella is a personal injury and insurance lawyer. His practice focuses on cases of serious personal injury, wrongful death, insurance coverage denials, and insurance company bad faith. To learn more go to learn more go to http://www.tgflaw.com, http://www.peoplesinsurancelawyer.com or call him at 1-800-264-3455.

Independent Insurance Brokers Salary Commissions - Offer 20% Or 200% Commission Increase?

Most independent insurance brokers would bend over backwards for a 200% salary commission increase. See how and why a brokers salary income with total commissions increasing 20% is a better offer. Marketers are not very perceptive to what entices independent insurance brokers.

Envision yourself reaching the point of being an insurance seller that has chosen to go on straight commission instead of salary. You have the freedom to choose your career direction and pace. These are the same traits that independent brokers have. Suddenly you receive a job offer promising to double or triple your salary if you follow the proven techniques to become a part of this marketing selling team. Would you do it?

As an insurance product marketer are you offering agents the opportunity to double their commissions, an increase of 200%. Some of your competitors are showing jumps using their secretly developed weapons, where you could strike making$250,000+. In fact, they prove it by showing how much one of their top producers is now receiving since employing these new techniques. Although not realistic, this is not fraudulent. Insurance marketers can manipulate commission figures and sales production making their offer seem almost guaranteed. Rarely does it do them any good.

Could an insurance marketer likewise be personally enticed? I offer you a 200% increase in salary, commission, and overrides and a new marketing firm. I use my 26 years of analysis backed by facts, and proven techniques to show how you cannot fail. Would you personally stop what you are doing, and have enough faith to take my offer? If not, why do expect agents to grab what you are offering them?

Reasons why big offers do not work. You are not thinking like a broker. For them to receive such a big offer to increase income, the marketer or brokerage general agency would have to receive almost 100% of the agent's production. As you know, the people you are targeting should not be untrained, inexperienced agents already destined to fail. You cannot change the destiny of too many agents already proven to have a failure rate of over 90%. Experienced brokers are your target.

It could be you who forgot the key steps to establishing a compatible match. A thesaurus definition of independent gives related terms such as self-reliant, liberated, self-regulating, unconstrained, on your own, distinct, detached, self-supporting, and unconnected. Brokers received all these freedom benefits when they stopped being a captive agent no longer wanting to work under the control of an agency. For these independent brokers they would have to give back many of these freedom benefits to be under your control. That is almost like asking a former prisoner now enjoying benefits of choice to voluntarily go back to a set supervised locked-in situation.

200% Commission of Nothing is Nothing Marketing people often feel they are giving insurance producers what they want. Insurance brokers are independently seeking what they need. The rarely want to give up so much of what they worked extremely hard to accomplish. They often have more faith in the lottery or casino then they do in you. You are asking for too much trust. Therefore when what you think they want is not really what they want, both you and the broker end up in a no win situation.

20% Commission of Something is Something A typical broker of five years working strictly without a guaranteed salary on solely commissions might be making $65,000. This independent insurance broker is keeping an eye out to achieve his want. His or her want is to increase income by 20% during the next 12 months. That means going from $65,000 to $78,000 by increasing commission earnings. There is no want to earn $130,000 or $250,000 if it meaning risking all that has been learned. Why venture out with no written guarantee and having to give up a tremendous amount of independence? Improving 20% by adding a new product or increasing leads or higher commissions is very logical and wanted.

The Insurance Marketer Attracting Brokers Think through the eyes of an agent. Then realize that a piece of the pie is better than none at all. Independent agents are needs based, and many that are earning $65,000 now may be the $130,000 or higher earners of tomorrow. There are eighty percent more brokers looking for ways to increase swiftly their commissions by 20%. Look at brokers as a long-term investment. First you start with then giving you 1/5 of their business. Gradually through their selling skills of yours of getting them to sell another product of yours, the amount of business increases year after year.

Anyone that lasts in insurance sales for over a year knows that this type of selling is not a dream world. Keep yourself and brokers you are targeting in the reality zone. Be realistic to them and you will be rewarded with trust, loyalty, and an income guaranteed to increase.

Well published author, Don Yerke likes to concentrate on what you don't know or what no one else dares to print. Tell it like it is.

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