Personal Finance Tips

Ask any auto insurance agent or broker about their business and they will tell you that there’s nothing like the competition you face in this domain. Forget about the good old days when only a couple of agents could work with an entire town, giving everyone the type of insurance they need. Today there could be a hundred of insurance agents fiercely competing for clients even in a smaller town, not to say a big city. The economic recession has made its adjustments in the insurance business too, forcing a large part of insurance agents to work twice as hard in order to make a living out of insurance. Having such a large number of providers and such a few customers willing to purchase insurance, how can an insurance agent stay afloat?

The answer is quite simple – having multiple car insurance leads at your disposal. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds, taking the simple fact that you’ll need some time after advertising will take effect and people will start calling you. But you will still need leads to sell policies. Luckily for most agents, the things aren’t that bad as they may look. There are millions of drivers out there on the road and almost all of them need insurance. They are looking for auto insurance quotes on a regular basis and this means that they still want to purchase new policies or switch companies for better rates.

So the smartest thing for an insurance agent to do is to get in touch with those drivers who are looking intensively for insurance rates. That’s what leads are all about, and the more of them there are on an agent’s desk the higher is the chance that he or she will have a good number of sales to makes the ends meet. And just like buyers look for auto insurance quotes with different services, there are services for insurance agents to get their customer leads, based on the information on who was searching for auto insurance quotes both online and through other means.

So keep in mind that every time you submit a quote inquiry in order to get quotes on the vehicle you want to insure, this information may end up at your local car insurance agent’s desk. Which is not a bad thing either, because you can receive any services without even bothering about contacting the insurance provider. It’s a win-win situation for both the customers and insurance agents. Buyers receive qualified assistance from an experienced agent who needs more deals to stay afloat. And agents give the buyers the right insurance quotes from providers they were searching for online.

Of course, this may sound like invasion of privacy to some, but there’s nothing illegal about it. Insurance agents and brokers were using this scheme well since the days there was no Internet to search for insurance quotes. You just didn’t know about it. So the next time you search for quotes online get ready to be called by an insurance agent in a short time and who knows, maybe you’ll find just the right policy for insuring your vehicle this way. Does it really matter how you will get a good policy?

One of the more annoying features of modern life is this alphabet soup. You are expected to know what all these letters stand for, iykwim. Even those who are into texting and SMSing can get caught out when it comes to insurance jargon. So here is a simple explanation of the differences between a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) with guidelines to suggest which to buy. Both employers and the private health insurers offer this choice. An HMO is a network of healthcare providers that enters into a contract with insurance companies to provide medical services at a fixed price. This network will include hospitals, clinics and a range of professionals. Usually they are grouped together in a particular part of a city or rural area, offering a spread of coverage across the major medical specialties to all the people living within that area. Because the insurers can bring a guaranteed volume of business to the network, they are able to negotiate quite good prices for the different services. These savings are passed on to you as lower premiums. Even more importantly, service within the network can be free or with only low copayments. But the majority of plans have quite restrictive terms. When you sign up, you have to choose one doctor to be your primary care physician. This person must be an existing member of the network. If your current doctor is not a member, you will have to change. This physician acts as the gatekeeper and he or she must refer you on to specialists within the network. Because the insurers pay bottom dollar, the gatekeepers tend not to refer on unless the problem is really serious. Further, because the network is for-profit, it must see more patients in a day to earn a reasonable profit. You may therefore expect little opportunity to discuss your treatment or explore options. You have only a few minutes and must make the most of that limited opportunity.

PPOs also negotiate contracts with the insurers but the organization of the network tends to be loose. Unlike an HMO, the PPO does not limit you to a single physician. You can see anyone within the network at the standard price. If you go outside the network for specialty advice, you will have to make out-of-pocket payments. So, this gives you more control over the medical care you buy but, as a result, costs more.

So the choice comes down to two key factors. How much can you afford? You will save money if you opt for an HMO. There are fewer copayments and out-of-pocket expenses to cover, but you have less control over your treatment. Secondly, how well do you get on with your current doctor? If you have a good relationship, but he or she is not a member of the relevant HMO, do you want to loose this trusted physician? If not, go with a PPO. Obviously, as a private buyer, you need to get health insurance quotes from as many insurers as possible. Only then can you see which represents the best value for money. But do not forget that health insurance quotes are just ballpark numbers. You will need to read the small print on the plans offered before you can make the overall decision.