Getting a quote on Group Health Insurance seems pretty straightforward. You get a census from your client listing employees to be insured. You plug that data into your preferred carrier’s quote engine. You choose a plan. Presto, you generate a quote.
Why Quoting on Your Own Often Falls Short
But what if your client wants to compare coverage? What if they want to see HMO and PPO rates? What if they’re looking for plans from more than one carrier? What if they want to consider alternative funding options like self-funding or level-funding? Easy enough, you think. You log into a second (or third) carrier’s website, repeat the steps from your first effort, and you’re prepared. Right? Wrong!
What Happens When Your Client Wants Multi-Carrier, Multi-Plan Comparisons?
In today’s environment, where health insurance costs continue to climb, you need to think outside the box. You have to consider more than your standard one or two favorite carriers. It’s a waste of everyone’s time to walk into a meeting with just a couple of carrier and plan options. Plus, rates based on incomplete data can further undercut your efforts. It is better to go in with a comprehensive, multi-carrier, multi-product market analysis that covers every niche carrier and includes available creative funding solutions. Coming in with anything less makes you look unprepared.
Position yourself as the insurance professional we know you want to be. Do it by partnering with Word & Brown. Our team, including in-house underwriting experts – along with our updated, industry-leading WBQuote technology – can set you apart and help you better serve the interests of your customers.
You can quote on your own or we’ll run quotes for you.
Why Accurate Census Data Matters for Small Group Underwriting
As you know, any quote is only as good as its underlying data. Small group underwriting guidelines are notoriously complex – and change frequently. If you miss a subtle participation rule or submit an “un-scrubbed” census, a carrier’s automated system might kick out a quote that looks great initially. However, it could be changed later by the carrier underwriter. That means higher rates during enrollment, which puts you in an awkward position when you have to explain it to your client.
How Word & Brown’s In-House Underwriting Protects Your Quotes
Word & Brown helps you avoid that. We employ internal underwriting experts who will scrub your case before it ever hits the carrier’s desk. That helps ensure compliance with all carrier participation rules. We’ll help you lock in accurate, multi-carrier rates from day one.
And don’t overlook the other advantages of working with us – including:
- a team to review your sales strategy
- tech to shop the “full market”
- built-in WBQuote safeguards to prevent errors
- multilingual translations
- integrated provider search
- side-by-side comparisons with highlighted plan differences
- easy census updates, quote re-runs, and New Hire Worksheets
- enrollers who can work alongside you or in your place.
Ready to Quote Smarter? Partner With Word & Brown
Let us relieve you of many of your sales-related administrative tasks. Then you can focus on sales. Contact your Word & Brown rep today for details. If we’re not already working together, register today to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions About Quoting Group Health Insurance
What’s the difference between quoting group health insurance on your own vs. through a general agent?
Quoting on your own means logging into each carrier’s portal individually, which limits you to one or two plans at a time. Word & Brown gives you access to multi-carrier, multi-product quotes — including HMO, PPO, self-funded, and level-funded options — through WBQuote, plus underwriting support to catch errors before submission.
Why do group health insurance quotes change after enrollment?
Quotes often change when a census hasn’t been “scrubbed” for accuracy or when a subtle carrier participation rule is missed. Automated quote engines can generate rates that look good upfront but get revised by underwriters later, leading to higher costs at enrollment.
Can I quote on my own and still use a general agent for backup?
Yes. Brokers can run their own quotes using WBQuote, or have Word & Brown’s team run quotes for them — whichever fits their workflow and time constraints.
What does a general agency like Word & Brown actually do for brokers?
General agencies provide underwriting review, multi-carrier market analysis, census scrubbing, sales strategy support, and enrollment assistance, so brokers can focus on selling rather than administrative work.
Is it better to shop the full market or stick with one or two carriers when quoting group health insurance?
Presenting a comprehensive, multi-carrier analysis is generally stronger than limiting options to one or two carriers, since it gives clients a fuller picture of coverage and pricing, and helps brokers avoid looking unprepared with incomplete data.
