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#Advantage: Working with a Covered California “Certified Agent”

Covered California” is the new public health insurance exchange in the state of California. If you live California, you’ve probably heard quite a bit about it over the past 6 months. These exchanges are a new way to buy health insurance and are a major part of healthcare reform.

The California exchange opened back in October of 2013. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Californians have enrolled in individual insurance plans there. Many of these plans have been subsidized by Advance Premium Tax Credits (or APTCs). These APTCs can substantially reduce the monthly cost of health insurance.

If you’ve taken a look at Covered California, you’ll know that there are various ways in which to enroll. Some of them include:

  • Online. You can set up an online account and enroll via the internet. You can also assign a Certified Insurance Agent to your case through your online portal.
  • Over the phone. You can call Covered California’s phone number and enroll with a service agent.
  • In person. You can enroll in person with A) Certified Enrollment Entities, B) Certified Enrollment Counselors, or C) Certified Insurance Agents. 

The purpose of this blog post is to explain some of the advantages of enrolling with a Certified Insurance Agent

Advantage

Here are some really good reasons to work with a Covered California “Certified Insurance Agent”:

  • Certified Agents are Licensed Professionals: Any insurance agent that is certified with Covered California is also licensed with the state department of insurance. Many of these agents also have years of experience and know the industry well.
  • A Single Point of Contact: This is one of the biggest advantages. You’ll have a single point of contact if you enroll with a certified agent. You can pick up the phone or send an email to that person anytime. If you need to make changes or have questions in the future, you’ll have someone familiar to work with.  However, if you enroll with a Covered California customer service rep over the phone, or a Certified Enrollment Counselor, you may speak with different people each time.
  • Certified Agents are Appointed Directly with the Insurance Companies: Insurance agents are appointed and have a direct relationship with the insurance companies. This can help with quick, effective, and efficient customer service.
  • Certified Agents Have Passed Rigorous Certification Requirements: These are people that have gone through extensive training and testing to obtain their certified status.
  • No Cost. You can work with a Covered California “Certified Agent” at no cost to you. Compensation is built into every insurance plan, regardless of whether-or-not you decide to work with an agent.

As you can see, there are a number of good reasons to work with a Covered California “Certified Insurance Agent.” Look for this badge when searching for assistance from an agent or agency:

CCCertified

Policy Advantage Insurance Services is certified. Please contact us if you have questions, or need ongoing help at Covered California.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be valuable. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

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Covered California: “Certified Insurance Agent”

Today’s blog post is about Covered California’s “Certified Insurance Agents.” As you know, the new state health insurance marketplaces recently opened up for enrollment on October 1st, 2013. The marketplace in California is called Covered California.

With the opening of these marketplaces, a number of new ways to enroll in an individual health insurance plan emerged. One of those ways is finding the help of one of Covered California’s “Certified Insurance Agents.”

The “Certified Insurance Agent” training program allows licensed insurance agents in the state of California to assist the public in enrolling in the new state marketplace programs. Effectively, a “Certified Insurance Agent” becomes a guide for you. They can help you navigate the nation’s largest new insurance marketplace. Here is the official Covered California Certified Insurance Agent marketing badge. You will see it begin to appear on insurance brokerage websites, business cards, letterhead, etc:

CCCertified

If an agent in California is a “Certified Insurance Agent,” they have accomplished the following:

  • Obtained an insurance license to do business in California.
  • Are in good standing with the California Department of Insurance.
  • Have been through an in-person 8 hour Covered California training seminar.
  • Have completed 4 hours of Covered California self-study.
  • Have passed the “Covered California Certification Exam” with a score of 80% or better.
  • Registered and completed the agreement with Covered California to be a “Certified Insurance Agent.”

After completing each of the above requirements, a Covered California “Certified Insurance Agent” is then able to help the public navigate one of two programs at the exchange:

  1. The individual health insurance marketplace.
  2. SHOP (Small Business Health Options Program), for small business.

A Covered California “Certified Insurance Agent” can be a valuable asset for you in navigating the current healthcare reform conditions. They can also help you navigate the new insurance marketplace website, apply for coverage, and provide suggestions about which programs may fit best. Policy Advantage Insurance Services is a Certified Insurance Agent for Covered California. Please contact us with your questions today.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be valuable. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com