The American public struggles to make decisions on buying individual health insurance policies, mainly because health insurance has been supplied by employers for decades. The average worker is told by the company they are working for if you want health insurance, this is the way it is. Because a large portion of the employee rate is paid by the employer and because it's easy just to add your dependents, most people know very little about how health insurance works or the reason a lower deductible plan costs more. Not being knowledgeable about health insurance can cost you a lot of money. The time factor also makes purchasing health insurance an expensive venture. Because most people don't have the knowledge on how health insurance works (the amount of time needed for underwriting), they wait to the last minute to purchase protection.
First, you need to know there are different types of health insurance plans available to purchase. Major medical PPO plans for an individual has different guidelines than the group Major medical plan you have had for years. There are also Short term Medical plans and Mini medicals to consider. And on top of different products to consider there is a time factor, depending on your current health status, to speed up your selection process or be penalized with preexisting clauses. In less than two paragraphs I've probably mentioned five phrases that have no meaning to you whatsoever. It doesn't matter what your income is, with the price of everything going up, protecting your income needs to be a priority to survive in this economy.
Second, become familiar with your current policy. Understand the layers of protection in the group health insurance policy you have today. You may not be aware of your total liability only because you have been so healthy. When you look you'll see you have co pays for doctor visits and for your prescriptions. Anything at the hospital is subject to an annual deductible and coinsurance and an additional deductible per occurrence on some procedures. These types of limits are common in all policies, these are ways to keep the premium low enough for everyone to afford. When selecting an Individual Policy these levels of protection are normally higher.
Last but most important, hire a professional licensed agent to help you understand your options; agents' commission is already included in the premiums, this makes them part of buying a policy. Get in touch with a general agency on the internet; they represent multiple individual health insurance companies. They are not tied to one carrier; this will assure you are getting the best coverage for your needs. Once you have found an agent and an agency you are comfortable with, stay in contact with them, especially at renewal time. If you are not happy with what the insurance company is telling you about the increased costs at renewal, have your agent shop for a new carrier for you.
Occupation: Founder
The son of Cuban immigrants, Rene Luis was born in Puerto Rico in 1965. The oldest of seven children, he moved to Miami, Florida along with his family in 1974.
From an early age, Rene’s intellectual curiosity was apparent. As a child, Rene was always looking for answers to difficult questions. At the age of six, his father gave him a magnet set that he spent countless hours with, creating magnet-powered toy cars. Although life took him in a different direction, his desire as a child was always to be a scientist.
Early in college, Rene began creating small businesses out of his ideas, one of which was a manufacturing company for products that he himself invented, designed, and marketed. One such product was a shoe gadget that he marketed to children and athletes. An accounting major in college, the business was so successful that he considered leaving school and concentrating full-time on the company. After much thought, he decided to continue his education, rationalizing that his inventions would way until he finished college with a Bachelors in Accounting.
With a father and grandfather that both studied economics and accounting, Rene redevoted himself to his studies, and took great pride in his work. Although he decided to focus on his university career, the entrepreneurial bug apparent since childhood would serve him well later in life.
Once out of college, Rene went to work with a small accounting firm that specialized in forensic accounting. Formed by the previous partners of some of the biggest accounting firms in the country, Rene had the opportunity to work and learn from seasoned veterans, an experience he found at once challenging and rewarding.
After 4 years, Rene left to pursue new challenges at a larger accounting firm. It was there that he began to consult in healthcare and became immersed in researching the industry and gaining the knowledge that would later serve him at VitalOne.
As he researched health insurance and the industry, he became interested in how coverage reaches some, and fails to reach others. He worked to understand why insurance is needed and became a strong believer that consumers could be savvier about their healthcare if they approached it as they do every other industry. Fair market value is a common consideration in most industries, it should be no different when shopping for health insurance.
During that time, he also began to see how difficult it was for individuals and families to find affordable health insurance on their own. Whereas this type of information was readily available to businesses and corporations, it was not available to the individual and family. The time and effort weren’t invested to service this demographic. This, he thought, was not a problem, but an opportunity.
That is why VitalOne Health was created, to help consumers navigate the transition that is currently taking place from employer-based health coverage to individual coverage.
At VitalOne Health, Rene’s sole passion is to provide healthcare for everyone. Through education and consultation, VitalOne’s focus is to help consumers attain the health insurance coverage that is right for them.
Rene has now been working in health care for over fifteen years. His intention in forming VitalOne was to be able to better serve a growing market of individuals and families that have truly been underserved until now.
According to Rene, “Our opportunity is to better serve you honestly and effectively. Ultimately, we believe that the role of a health insurance agent will be ever more important in the future. Yet, with all of the technology and product offerings that we present, we must first earn each and every member’s trust and confidence.”
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