Individual & Family Health Insurance
Our goal is to make health insurance easy and understandable. We help you compare plans, enroll, and use your coverage well, at no cost to you.
Coverage When You Do Not Have a Plan Through Work
An individual or family health plan is what you buy on your own when you do not get coverage through an employer. That includes people who are self employed, retired before 65, working part time, or between jobs, and it includes covering a spouse and children.
We are a local Santa Barbara agency. We compare the plans available in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties, we tell you what the differences actually mean, and we handle the enrollment paperwork with you.
How we help
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We compare the plans available to you side by side, on and off Covered California.
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We check whether you qualify for a premium subsidy before you pick a plan.
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We check that your doctors are in the network and your prescriptions are on the drug list.
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We complete the application with you, whether it goes through Covered California or directly to a carrier.
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After you enroll we stay your advocate for claims questions, plan changes, and annual reviews.
Our Help Is Free to You
There is no extra cost to work with a licensed local agent. Your premium is the same whether you enroll through us, call the insurance company directly, or sign up on Covered California by yourself.
We are paid by the insurance carriers, not by you. What you get for it is someone local who knows the Central Coast networks and who picks up the phone when something goes wrong.
What that means for you
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Your premium does not go up because you used an agent.
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You get a person to call instead of an 800 number when a claim is denied or a bill looks wrong.
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If you already enrolled on Covered California on your own, you can name us as your agent at no charge.
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We keep track of plan and rate changes each year and tell you when a switch is worth making.
Our Education and Enrollment Guide
If you read the LEARN section and follow our recommendations, you will always have the plan that offers the best value for your needs and budget. We are available at every step to answer questions and help you enroll or change plans.
LEARN
Start with what changed this year, then answer the two questions that decide almost everything about which plan is right for you: do you qualify for a subsidy, and how do you prefer to pay for routine care.
APPLY
Applying for health insurance is done online now. We do it with you so nothing gets missed, and there is no charge for that help.
Open enrollment runs November 1 to January 31
This is the annual window when anyone can enroll for the first time or change plans. Apply between November 1 and December 31 and your new plan starts January 1. Apply in January and your coverage starts February 1.
Outside that window you need a qualifying event
Losing job based coverage, marriage, having a baby, adopting, or a move that gives you access to new plans can open a special enrollment period. A divorce or legal separation opens one only when it causes someone to lose coverage or to lose their status as a dependent, so it does not qualify on its own. Call us as soon as one of these happens, because these windows are short.
Where your application goes
If you qualify for a subsidy, your application goes through Covered California, the state insurance exchange. If you do not, you can apply directly to a carrier such as Anthem Blue Cross or Blue Shield of California, where you may also see plans that are not sold on the exchange.
AFTER YOU APPLY
Enrolling is not the last step. Six things need to happen after you apply so that your plan takes effect, stays in force, and does what you expect when you use it. Most claims and billing problems we see come from one of these six being skipped.
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Pay your initial or binder premium.
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Sign up for auto pay.
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Set up a username and password on the insurance company website.
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Read your policy, especially the section on what is covered.
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Verify your providers are in network.
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Learn where to find your claims and Explanation of Benefits.
The one that matters most
Pay your first premium. Your plan does not go into effect until the first month has been paid, no matter how complete your application was.
Two Things People Ask Us First
California has its own coverage requirement
California expects most residents to carry health coverage for the year and to report that coverage on their state tax return. There are exemptions, and your tax preparer is the right person to confirm how the requirement applies to you. From our side, the practical point is simple: do not let a year go by uninsured on the assumption that nothing happens if you do.
We also handle Medicare, group, and life
If you are turning 65, if you own a business and are looking at covering employees, or if you need life insurance, those are all part of what we do. Our services page has an overview of each.
Not Sure Which Plan Fits?
Tell us who needs coverage, who your doctors are, and what you take. We will do the comparing and walk you through the enrollment.