Advice for Online Health Insurance Shoppers
Protect Your Personal Information
Most of the easy-to-find health insurance websites operate with the same basic idea: They obtain your personal data (name, address, phone number, email, age, private health information, etc.), then they sell it to insurance agents.
For example -- You fill out a form at a health insurance website. Your personal information is immediately sold and transmitted. You're now a "hot lead."
Within minutes or hours you get phone calls from salesmen who know about your current prescription usage and recent gall bladder surgery. You went to the internet to avoid solicitors, but you got the opposite result.
In contrast, any information you provide at medplanaccess.com (and we don't ask for much) STAYS WITH US. We don't sell or distribute data on our site visitors.
Here are a few tips to make your health insurance search safer and more effective:
Check Website Privacy Practices
To protect your personal information, look for health insurance websites providing firm assurance that your private data will be safeguarded.
Health insurance websites that are serious about privacy obtain third party endorsement. For example, MedPlan Access is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. TRUSTe is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to build user's trust and confidence in the Internet by promoting the use of fair information practices.
Safety from Hackers
Provide sensitive information, such as your social security number, a credit card number, or personal medical details, only through a secure website page. By using encryption, a secure web page ensures that information you enter will not be intercepted by computer hackers.
- The web address begins with "https:", rather than "http:"
- A small padlock appears in a corner of your browser window.
Encryption security is only necessary on website pages that require you to enter personal information.
Don't Get too Personal
If a health insurance website asks for information like your occupation, your income or the names of your children, just leave. This personal data will almost certainly be sold.
Unless you're certain you're dealing with a trusted vendor, don't provide private health information. We never cease to be amazed at the masses of consumers who freely volunteer details of their health histories and prescription usage to websites that don't even display a phone number or mailing address.
Use commons sense to guard your private information.
Look for Business Address and Phone
If a health insurance website doesn't provide a business street address, or you can't find a phone number within a couple clicks -- you've likely encountered one of the many sleazy operations that only want to profit from your private information.
Independent Quality Standards
Trustworthy websites get independent credentialing. You can find examples at the bottom of this page.
For example, if you click the Better Business Bureau Online Reliability Program logo below, you'll get confirmation that MedPlan Access meets particular Better Business Bureau standards. This is one of several independent credentials we display.
Other respected credentialing organizations include TRUSTe, which reviews and endorses website privacy practices. Verisign and Thawte provide verification of security in communications between your computer and a website. The Health on the Net Foundation (HONcode) confirms responsible practices in website presentation of health-related information. ControlScan provides verification of multiple business practices and website characteristics.
Online Applications - Not Always Best
Online health insurance applications from major insurance companies are safe. However, even for the computer savvy, completing online health insurance applications can be frustrating. There's a remarkably high abandonment rate among persons who begin online applications.
As a general rule, the more complex your health history, the better served you'll be by using a paper application. With a paper form you can do things like write in the margin or include an extra sheet of paper for additional information you need to provide.
We maintain pdf files of application forms from the Illinois and Indiana health insurers we represent.
