Health Insurance Agents Near Me: How To Become One
It’s tough to get by in the modern world without insurance. You need it for cars, homes, and particularly for health care.
Of course, while there are lots of buyers out there, someone must also sell that insurance. That’s where the approximately 422,000 insurance sales agents come into the picture.
It’s their job to help connect individuals with the right kind of health insurance policy. In fact, there’s a decent chance that you did a search for something like “health insurance agents near me” when you last got a new policy.
If you’re looking for a career change, keep reading to learn how to become a health insurance agent.
What Is a Health Insurance Agent?
As a general rule, a health insurance agent acts a middle-man for insurance companies. The agent helps clients select policies that fit their needs. They will often help clients manage insurance claims.
While becoming a health insurance agent can let you help people, it’s not all altruism. The median health insurance agent salary runs about $50,000. While it’s not earth-shattering money, one person can live comfortably on it in a lot of locations.
If you’re wondering about types of policies, you can learn more here. With that covered, let’s examine what it takes to become one.
Basic Education
The good news is that you don’t need a lot of advanced education to become a health insurance agent. As a general rule, you can become one with either a GED or a regular high school diploma.
Of course, a college degree in business won’t hurt your chances at all.
Background Checks
The requirements are not uniform across the nation, but most states will require some kind of background check on you. The background checks can include:
- Credit checks
- Criminal background checks
- Education checks
- Employment checks
You’ll need to look into the exact checks your state requires.
Licensing
The licensing process can get a bit complicated. It does typically follow a pattern similar to the following.
You start with a pre-licensing course that covers essential information for the major categories of insurance. Once you finish the pre-licensing course, you sit for the state insurance license exam. If you successfully pass the exam, you can get your license.
Getting Work
Most new health insurance agents find work with existing insurance agencies. So, freshen up your resume and keep an eye open for local openings on job sites.
Once you get hired, you’ll likely do some on-the-job training and may need additional certifications. Also, keeping your license current will require continuing education credits.
Health Insurance Agents Near Me – Joining Their Ranks
If you want your name to appear when people in your area search for health insurance agents near me, it’s achievable. It will take a bit of work, though.
You’ll need to get through a pre-licensing course and pass a state licensing exam, at least in most locations. After that, you can become a legitimate health insurance agent.
Looking for more business or career tips? Check out the posts over in our business section.
