For agents, agencies, and individuals
Checking a network before anyone commits
The complaint that ends a client relationship is almost always about a doctor who turned out not to be covered.
Checking it properly
Why is a carrier name not enough?
One carrier can offer several plans with different networks in the same county. A doctor who takes the carrier may not take the specific plan, and that is the distinction that causes the bad phone call.
What should the client check, and how?
Each provider that matters to them, against the exact plan name, for the coverage year. Directories can be out of date, so a call to the practice asking about that plan by name is worth the five minutes.
Which providers get forgotten?
The ones people do not choose: the anaesthetist, the laboratory, the imaging centre, the hospital behind the surgeon. Households check their own doctor and are surprised by everyone else.
What if a key doctor is not in network?
Say it plainly before enrollment and let the household decide what it is worth. That conversation is uncomfortable for a minute; discovering it after a procedure is a different matter entirely.
Protecting yourself and the client
What should I record?
Which providers were checked, against which plan, and when. If a network changes later, the record shows what was true at the time you advised.
Do networks change mid-year?
They can, which is worth saying out loud at enrollment. A client who was told this in advance reacts very differently to it than one who was not.
Work with Safeguard and Associates
Share only general information in an inquiry. Never include health details, Social Security numbers or policy numbers.
Become an agent
Tell us your licence, your state and the products you want to write.
Become an agentSee what agents get
Market access, technology, training, compliance support and operational help.
Explore agent supportLet’s take the next step together