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| How
To Get Your Health Insurance
Coverage In Place
The
Best Coverage, The Lowest Premiums, Easy And Guaranteed!
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Getting Health Insurance Rates and Applying for Coverage
At
ColoHealth, we offer
up to 305 different health insurance plans for our clients, depending on your
zip code. Companies we work with include Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield,
Humana, Golden Rule, UnitedHealthOne, Time/Assurant, and others. Our objective
is to help you find the best coverage, with financially strong companies, at
the lowest available premium.
Our
Instant Quote system will
show you rates for all available plans. Once you choose
a plan you like, you can apply online
or print out an application
and fax or mail it to us.
If
you are serious about purchasing a plan, and would like some assistance in choosing
a plan, my team and I are here to help. Let
us know your questions, or give us a call if you have some quick questions.
If you would like assistance in choosing a plan and applying for coverage, request
a telephone appointment. Before
the meeting we’ll do an initial analysis of your available options, so
that we’ll be more prepared to help you. You’ll meet with one
of our Personal Advisors - Paula Santamaria, Diane Dunning, Bob Daley, Tim Holt
or Chelsea Miller. We'll help you fully analyze all your options, let
you know the pros and cons of the various plans you are considering, and give
you our professional opinion as to which plans will best meet your needs.
We’ll then help you get enrolled with the plan you choose.
"You were the most helpful in guiding me through
the process of selecting what was right for me."
You
were very responsive when I first called, followed up
well, and were patient and helpful despite me taking so
long to make my decision. You were the most helpful
in guiding me through the process of selecting what was
right for me. In today's world of web-based and
long-distance business, your personal touch was and continues
to be important for me.
I
appreciate your willingness to work with the customers,
providing information online for the customers to peruse
before they buy, providing choices to the customers, and
assisting the customers in selecting from them.
Thanks
for continuing to follow up, you have been very helpful.
I would most definitely recommend you to others.
Murali
Gopalakrishnan
Computer Analyst
Superior, CO
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How
to Buy Health Insurance
Like
any purchase, choosing the right health insurance policy is a
matter of weighing the benefits and the cost. Most major
medical health insurance plans offer coverage in the hospital,
the emergency room, and at the doctor's office. They often
also have coverage for prescription drugs, and may have options
for additional accident benefits. Some companies offer maternity
coverage, or life insurance riders.
Get
an Instant Quote
The
first step in choosing a plan is to run
instant quotes. Our instant quote engine can rapidly
show you the available plans in your area, so that you can get
an overall feel of what premiums will be for the different plans.
You will typically see 150 – 200 options, or more.
Your
first decision is what type of coverage you want. The quote
engine shows co-pay plans and HSA plans. Almost all plans
have a PPO “network” – a list of doctors to choose
from. Most are very comprehensive – you can see the
PPO network for any company you’re considering by looking
at that company’s page on our website. Having access
to a PPO network can mean substantial discounts in what you pay
for your health care, even before you meet your deductible.
Indemnity plans are typically only chosen by people in very rural
areas.
After
deciding on the type of coverage, you can use the tabs at the
top of your quote results to filter your results further, allowing
you to compare deductibles and co-pays. If you then want
to see more details, you can download a company brochure or see
a synopsis of the plan on our website.
You
may want to consider choosing a higher deductible on your HSA
plan, and adding a $100 deductible accident policy. Stand-alone
accident plans that cover $5,000 or $10,000 after the $100 deductible
can be viewed on our Accident
Plans page.
Because
these accident plans are very inexpensive, you may be able to
keep your premiums lower while greatly reducing your exposure
for the type of claim you're most likely to need your health insurance
for - an accident.
Decide
Which Type of Plan You Want
Though
there are many different types of health insurance plans available, most of
them can either be categorized as "Full-coverage Plans", “HSA-compatible
High-Deductible Health Plans“, "Catastrophic Plans", or "Low-cost
Limited Benefits Plans". Full-Coverage
Plans "Full-coverage"
plans have an annual deductible of anywhere from $500 to $5,000. This
is the part that you have to pay per year, before the major portion of the coverage
will begin paying. After the deductible, most plans will pay 80% of the
next $5000 - $10,000, and then 100% up to $1,000,000 to $8,000,000. If
you are hospitalized, you are responsible for the deductible, plus the 20% coinsurance,
until you meet your out-of-pocket limit. On most of these plans you do
not have to meet your deductible if you just go to the doctor, but instead you
pay a co-payment (usually $25 or $35). These plans also usually cover
prescription drugs with a co-payment typically ranging between $10 and $50.
Our most popular plans of this type currently are Anthem
Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna
and Humana. HSA
Plans An
HSA, or Health Savings Account,
is a tax-favored savings account, combined with a qualifying high-deductible
health insurance plan to provide lower-cost major medical protection, significant
premium savings, immediate tax-savings, and a long-term investment vehicle.
HSA plans have become the most popular plans we offer due to how much money
they can save most people. For more information, please see our Health
Savings Accounts page. If
you are choosing among the HSA plans, I recommend initially comparing premiums
on just the 100% plans. These plans pay 100% of covered expenses after
your deductible, and will allow you to make the maximum HSA contribution with
the minimum out-of-pocket exposure. This will quickly give you a feel
for which companies are most competitive in your area. In order to look
at just 100% plans, first run quotes. Then, on the Customize Search tab
at the top of the quotes results page, set "Your Coinsurance" to "
10%." Next,
decide if you want a plan that pays for outpatient charges, or if you want a
more catastrophic plan that only covers charges while you are hospitalized.
You can lower your premium by choosing a plan that covers only inpatient doctor
visits and prescription drug expenses.
You
can quickly see if the quote you're looking at covers these expenses by clicking
the Details link next to the instant quote result, and looking up Office Visits
and Prescription Drugs. The following plans cover outpatient doctor visits
and prescription drugs, subject to the deductible and coinsurance:
The
following plan limits outpatient prescription drug coverage
to $2,000 per year and total outpatient coverage to $15,000 per year, and is
less expensive than the plans above: These
two plans do NOT cover outpatient doctor visits or outpatient prescription
drugs, and are usually the least expensive HSA options.
Catastrophic
Plans The
catastrophic health insurance plans usually carry deductibles of $1,000 - $30,000
before paying for anything. These plans do not cover outpatient doctor
visits or prescriptions, but often offer some of the lowest premiums available.
The most popular plans of this type are Core
Med, available through Assurant,
and Saver 80,
available through UnitedHealthOne
(underwritten by Golden Rule). Other
Low Cost Options The
plans above offer some of the lowest rates, but there are a couple other options
you may want to consider to keep your premium down. A very good low-priced
option is the Humana
Monogram plan, which has a $5,000,000
lifetime benefit. If you choose the option that does not cover outpatient
doctor visits, and has a $500 deductible on prescriptions, it can sometimes
save you over $100 per month compared to a full-coverage plan. A
low-cost limited benefit option is a plan called RightStart,
offered by Time/Assurant (formerly known as Fortis). This plan has various
limitations, including an annual maximum of $50,000, $100,000, or $250,000,
but sometimes the rates are even lower than the Humana plan.
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Check
out the PPO Network
Most
plans, including the HSA plans, are associated with a PPO network that offers
discounted pricing. Even if you have not met your deductible, the savings
from a PPO can be significant. You can view the doctors and hospitals
in all the PPO networks. The most popular networks in Colorado are Sloans
Lake (utilized by Time insurance the state), PHCS
(utilized by Time), Choice
Plus (utilized by UnitedHealthOne throughout the state), the Anthem
Blue Cross Blue Shield network, and Humana's ChoiceCare
network.
Check
out the Insurance Company Rating
Most
people will want to go with an insurance company that has a high
rating with the rating organizations (A.M. Best, Standard and
Poors, Moody's). These organizations independently rate
insurance companies based on their financial strength, thus giving
you some assurance that your insurance company will be there when
the claim needs to be paid. As an independent broker, ColoHealth
mostly deals with companies rated A- or higher, though we will
let you know if substantially lower rates are available with an
insurance company that has a lower rating.
Apply
for Coverage
Once
you decide on a plan, you can apply securely using online applications
with most of the insurance companies. If you do not see
that option, you may open and print out an application, and fax
or mail it to us. All applications are submitted under the
name of Wiley Long, the president of ColoHealth.
If you are working with one of our advisors, that person will
be noted on your record as your assigned contact.
We
highly recommend the online application process because it will
greatly speed up the turnaround time. Before beginning the
online application, we recommend that you have the following information
available in order to speed up the process:
- Your doctors’
names, addresses, and phone numbers
- Medications
you currently take or recently took, including dosage and frequency
- Dates of
hospitalization
- The name
of the plan for which you are applying
- Your requested
effective date
- Your credit
card information to cover the initial premium
As
soon as we receive your application, we will review it for completeness,
and forward it to the insurance company’s underwriting department.
The underwriters then make the decision on insurability, and issue
the policy. Approval sometimes occurs in as quick as a day,
while other times it can take two or three weeks or longer.
We’ll keep you informed the whole way, and let you know as
soon as you’ve been approved.
"I
would definitely recommend you to others because you have
made it very easy."
You
were able to give me a recommendation of plans that would
best suit me in one quick phone call. Once I read
a little further and understood what I needed from the
info you have available online, I was able to ask you
some final educated questions to make my decision.
I was surprised with how quickly you were able to get
back to me. I called late in the afternoon on a
Tuesday and was able to set up a phone appointment with
you the next morning. After you answered my questions,
I was able to apply on line that same day. I was
surprised to find out that I was approved in just 1 week.
It really was very easy.
I
would definitely recommend you to others because you have
made it very easy.
Jeanine
Pia
Loveland, CO
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Eligibility
Individual
health insurance applications in Colorado go through underwriting
as part of the approval process. Because health insurance
is designed primarily to cover you for the unexpected, a company
may put a waiver on pre-existing health conditions. If you
have cancer, heart disease, or other serious health conditions
you will likely be declined. Some companies also reserve
the right to rate the premium up to cover the cost of current
medications.
Insurance
companies also look at the application in regards to your height
and weight, and may charge an extra premium if you are over their
weight guidelines when you apply. The height and weight
criteria for each health insurance company is confidential to
their underwriting department, and we are not allowed to post
that information. But I have put together a Build
Chart that shows the maximum amount you can weigh and
still be confident that you will not be rated up
due to your weight with any company. If you weigh
over this amount, please contact
us and we can let you know which insurance company would
look at your situation most favorably, and what the likely rate-up
would be.
If
you have questions in regards to your eligibility for coverage
due to medical conditions you have been treated for in the last
ten years, please contact us
with your question and I or someone from my team will contact
you in regard to your best options.
Keeping
the premium low
Hospital
stays usually cost well over $1,000 per day, and serious illnesses
or injuries can run into the tens or hundreds of thousands of
dollars. So the main purpose of health insurance is to protect
your savings and assets should a major unexpected health expense
occur. Keeping this in mind, the following are methods of
keeping your premiums low.
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Managed
care:
Policies that allow you to go to any doctor of your choice
are inevitably more expensive than managed care policies in
which you choose from a list of doctors and hospitals.
Fortunately, most major PPOs are accepted at between 80-90%
of medical facilities nationwide, which does not restrict
your access to the providers of your choice very much at all.
In fact, having a PPO plan can save you a lot of money, even
if you don’t meet your deductible.
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Higher deductibles:
The deductible is the amount you pay before the coverage kicks
in. By taking a higher deductible, you are taking on
some of the risk yourself, and can often save a large amount
on your premium. Most of our clients go with a $2,000
or higher deductible, figuring they can put that amount on
a credit card if an unexpected hospitalization occurs.
-
Higher copays for prescriptions and doctor visits:
Again, this is a way for a healthy person who does not go
to the doctor often to take on some of the risk. Or,
if you typically see a doctor no more than once or twice per
year, you may want to consider a plan that does not have a
co-payment for doctor visits. This does not mean that
your visits are not covered, or that they are free, it simply
means that you pay the cost of the visit yourself (less any
PPO discount, when using an in-network provider) and those
charges go towards satisfying your deductible.
When you consider the fact that a typical co-payment for a
doctor visit is $25 or $35, compared to an average of $65
when paying for the visit yourself at an in-network provider,
having a $25 co-payment may save you just $30 - $40 per visit.
If you are paying $25 per month to have this benefit on your
plan, you may have to visit the doctor 8 times or more during
the year just to break even, so you may be better off carrying
a plan without a copayment.
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Compare many policies,
or use an agent who represents many companies. Shopping
for health insurance is not fun, but finding the right company
can make a big difference.
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Stay
healthy:
Due to the way health insurance premiums are rated, premiums
always increase, and usually at an accelerating rate. Healthy
individuals can change policies when that becomes advantageous,
without having to worry about lack of coverage on pre-existing
conditions.
-
Investigate
HSA Plans:
Health Savings Accounts let you combine a low-cost high-deductible
health insurance policy with a savings account. Any
money you put in the account is tax-deductible, and can be
used to pay medical expenses. The low premiums combined
with the tax savings results in a very low net cost for your
insurance policy. More information can be found through
our partner company, HSA
for America.
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"I
truly appreciate that you are accessible and return calls
promptly."
I
just wanted to thank you for all of your efforts to successfully
resolve the administrative problem I was having with Anthem.
You had helped me switch from a PPO plan to an HSA plan,
when the billing got mixed up. It was no simple matter
and you managed to get through all of the red tape.
You
have been a terrific agent, always able to answer my questions
and having a thorough knowledge of your products.
And I truly appreciate that you are accessible and return
calls promptly.
Thank
you again for all of your hard work and diligence and not
to mention your personable demeanor.
Alaine
Ginocchio
Student
Boulder, CO
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Buyer Beware
Insurance
agents seem to have a reputation just above that of used-car salespeople,
and often for very good reason. Most insurance agents are
paid straight commission, and many struggle to make a living.
As a result, there is an extremely high turnover in the field,
and there is high incentive for someone to say whatever it takes
to make the sale. Some of the sales tactics you may want
to be suspicious of include:
-
Claims
that a policy is non-cancelable. By law, no health insurance
policies can be cancelled or rated up based on claims experience
of the individual.
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An
unwillingness to discuss any coverage without setting up a
face-to-face appointment.
-
Policies
that have set limits on room rates or surgical fees. Though
this type of coverage is better than nothing, it has the potential
to leave you seriously underinsured.
-
Policies
that pay for certain diseases, such as cancer. Though
these may be offered by financially solvent insurance companies,
they are usually not the best way to spend your insurance
dollar.
-
Online
agencies that do not tell you who they are. We have an A+ rating
with the Better
Business Bureau, and are proud of our longevity.
Choosing
an Agent
When
purchasing a health insurance plan, it is very important that
you choose the right place to buy it from.
Unfortunately,
most insurance agents are focused on only one thing: selling the
next policy. Here
is the typical experience of the average individual shopping for
health insurance. They send in their application, and then
wait. If they call the insurance agent and ask about the
status of their application, they typically get directed to call
the insurance company directly. The attitude of most agents
seems to be "Hey, I sold you the policy, my job is done."
In
our free report, Colorado Health
Insurance Made Easy: How To Choose The Best Plan And Get Covered
Quickly and Easily, you’ll learn how to choose a
good broker, and you’ll even get a check list of the six
questions you should ask any broker before doing business with
them. Get your health insurance at the right place, and
you’ll benefit in many ways. If you get coverage from
ColoHealth,
here are some of the benefits you’ll receive:
- Direct
and regular communication on the status of your application
while it is in the approval process, so you’re never
left wondering what’s going on.
- Our personal
assistance in appealing any unexpected waivers or exclusions
on your policy. We are quite good at getting risk adverse
insurance companies to remove exclusions that should not be
on your policy.
- Our Annual
Comprehensive Policy Review. Each year we’ll
offer to review your coverage against what else is available,
and let you know if it might make sense to change plans.
This will save you thousands of dollars over the coming years.
- Many
insurance plans to choose from, so you can find the best value
now, and have a choice of plans to switch to if your plan
ever has a large rate increase
- Help
with claims or any other questions or problems you may have
with the insurance company, anytime now or in the future
- Access
to a true expert who can answer your questions and help you
choose the best plan, and answer questions you may have now
or in the future (not a phone bank with 150 operators taking
orders!)
When
you get your coverage from ColoHealth,
you get very knowledgeable and personal service from your own
Personal Advisor, who you’ll be able to reach any time, now
or in the future. You’ll also get access to the lowest
rates available anywhere. This is what Kelly Mason, a client
from Colorado Springs had to say:
"Personalized emails that were applicable to ME and
being able to reach someone by phone without having to
go through 15 minutes of "press 1 for..." has
been amazing!"
I
chose to go through your agency because I was recommended
to try it by a good friend! My friend told me that
he found it easy to find a good policy and that the
process was made clear and easy to understand.
When I visited the website, I found it to be so.
The
best part about my experience has been the personal attention
that I received. Personalized emails that were applicable
to ME and being able to reach someone by phone without
having to go through 15 minutes of "press 1 for..."
has been amazing!
The
personal approach has been key. By phone or email,
I was dealt with in a friendly and helpful manner.
I also found the website and paperwork to be straightforward
and easy to understand.
I
am getting my masters in Community Counseling through
the University of Northern Colorado, and I have recommended
this service to some of my classmates in my masters program
who are looking for insurance.
Thanks
so much for the great service!
Kelly
Mason
Colorado Springs, CO
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We
provide this high level of service to everyone who does business
with us. Sign up for coverage today, and see for yourself.
If you have questions you may submit them through this website,
or give us a call. If you would like our assistance in choosing
a plan and need to speak for more than just a minute or two, please
call our office and tell the receptionist you would like to set
up a phone appointment. She will then take some information
that will enable us to do some preliminary research before we
meet. Read more about our Consultation
Services.
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My
Personal No-Risk Totally-Thrilled Money Back Guarantee
As
President of ColoHealth, I want you to know that you can do business with ColoHealth
with complete confidence. We have been in the health insurance business
since 1986, we are a member of the Better
Business Bureau, and we are of course licensed with the Colorado
Department of Insurance. If you purchase a health insurance plan
from ColoHealth and
are not totally blown away by the service you receive from us before you apply,
while your application is in the approval process, or up to 10 days after
you receive your policy, you may cancel and receive a 100% refund. We
are so confident that doing business with us will save you time, money, and
frustration, that we also offer this unheard-of guarantee: If you are
unhappy with our service any time in the future, we will also personally assist
you in finding coverage through a different insurance agency, at absolutely
no cost to you. This is a service guarantee offered by ColoHealth
and not by any broker. It is not binding on any carrier, and it is separate
and distinct from any legal or contractual rights the customer may have. There
are NO questions, NO forms to fill out, NO flaming hoops to jump through, and
NO explanations required. Simply put, if you do not believe that we are
saving you money and making your life easier, then you should not do business
with us.
Wiley Long
President
ColoHealth
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