Even when an employer offers health insurance, you've got decisions to make which can be confusing.
But when you have to find your own health insurance, either because your employer doesn't offer it, you work for yourself, or any other circumstances, the confusion only grows.
You may be hit with a plethora of questions, from where I start to how much I should be paying to what kind of coverage should I have.
Luckily, many health insurance companies work on their own marketing so they're already doing some of the work for you. For this reason, it's important for insurers to have a strong marketing pitch.
Here are some smart things they are doing out there….
Create an easy to navigate website
If you hear of a company and want to check it out, the first thing you'll do is go to their website, right?
If it's easy to navigate and chock full of valuable information, you may put them on the table for consideration. If the website is bare, garbled or confusing, you knock them off the list.
Among the things to focus in on with various health insurance websites when choosing a health insurance plan is finding pertinent information for different plans offered and requesting insurance quotes. Make sure you also check into the company’s customer service record, seeing if there are any red flags that might steer you to another provider.
Have a storefront or hook up with urgent care centers
Some of the larger health insurance companies are actually opening storefronts where they offer wellness visits as well as consultations about their companies. You may begin to see these in strip malls or grocery stores.
Others are teaming up with urgent care centers, and though you don't have to be insured by the company to go, you'll see logos and marketing efforts inside.
Hit up the younger population
As decisions on healthcare become more personal, the younger end of the working population, those entering the workforce and perhaps running their own business or more in the mindset to shop around, will be making health insurance decisions.
Many companies are aiming to market to this population in hopes of winning them over. Because they're not accustomed already to have their insurance taken care of through work, they may be more apt to choose their own insurance.
Just like shopping for any large purchase, be it a car or mobile phone service, people are taking on more of the ownership for insurance.
Health insurance companies see this and are spreading their marketing efforts to make their names well known not just to gain the business of large corporations, but also individuals.
Social media is a great avenue to turn to, seeing which health insurance providers are best marketing themselves through social networking. Visit their Facebook fan pages, Twitter feeds etc. to see about their offerings, any deals, how they interact with the public etc.
Choosing a health insurance plan comes with questions and confusion, but the strong companies are making it easier for their prospective clients with bold new marketing efforts.