Is buying health insurance online a good idea?

What has your experience been? Did you save money and still get good benefits and service?
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Of course I'm biased because that's what I do, BUT to be clear you're not saving any money buying from my website over sitting across the desk from me. Insurance is a regulated industry and it does not matter how you buy it and health insurance shouldn't be so complicated that you need to meet with anybody to do it. I have clients around the world and right down the street and even the ones that are close by handle everything via the phone and Internet. People buy from an Internet site because it's convenient. You want to make sure you're buying from someone that does what I do. Don't go to a big firm because then you're just dealing with a customer service representative and not building a lasting relationship with an advocate that can help you. To MAKE SURE you're buying from someone reputable look at the 'About Us' section of their web site. If you can't find a physical address then don't use them, call them on the phone as well and feel them out. Finally look around the site for information. MANY sites simply gather your information to sell to agents to call you. In that case you have no idea who you're dealing with. So, if the site doesn't provide much information about the products you're looking for then it's likely just a site to capture your information. Do business with a broker and do it online or over the phone if that works for you. Also, finally everything that's good online is available offline as well. There is NO difference in the products. It's just the easier way to transact the business. AND, make no mistake that applications done online WILL BE FASTER to the tune of at least two weeks off the underwriting time (of course that differs company to company). United Healthcare can underwrite an online application in as quick as 24-48 hours. If you mail in an application it won't even arrive in their mailbox that fast. Lastly make sure you're comparing multiple companies with someone you can trust. (PS I've never seen a Nigerian health insurance company....shaking head and rolling eyes....)
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