November is a time to be thankful for all the wonderful things in our lives like family, friends, and, above all, our health, which gives us more time with those we love.
Few people understand the value of health insurance better than licensed health insurance agent Cherie Jones. Her husband was young, healthy, and running his own business when he wondered whether health insurance was worth working into his budget. Jones thought it was. Years later, that decision proved more important than either of them could have anticipated.
"My husband was healthy, but he still hurt himself on a dirt bike," Jones says. “That was half a million dollars in claims. I’m glad we had insurance.”
Her husband recovered, but the experience shows how health insurance protects you against the things you never expect to happen.
“You don’t want to be calling around after you broke your leg, because by then it’s too late,” she says.
Jones has spent more than a decade helping people navigate those decisions, but her connection to the industry began long before she ever sold a policy.
Growing up, she watched both of her parents build careers in health insurance. Her father eventually transitioned to working with clients 65 and older, and Jones remembers seeing him develop relationships that went far beyond paperwork and policies.
“I remember him taking his clients to their doctor’s appointment and going to lunch with them in our small town,” she says. “That was the type of salespeople my parents were, and they gave me an example I wanted to emulate.”
Today, Jones takes a similarly personal approach. Instead of beginning a conversation with a particular insurance product in mind, she starts by asking questions.
“I listen to your story and then I advise from there,” she says. “Everybody’s story is different.”
One family, for example, came to Jones concerned about the cost of insuring a household with five children. Three boys participated in sports, their daughters were involved in gymnastics, and accidents were one of the parents’ biggest concerns.
After looking at their situation, Jones determined keeping much of the family on an employer-sponsored plan made sense. Instead of replacing their existing coverage, she helped them explore supplemental accident coverage to address the specific concern that brought them to her.
“It all ties back to what their concerns are, their story, and what their needs are,” Jones says. “If anything, you could consider me more of an advisor, because I’m going to advise you on the best product, even if I don’t sell it.”
That distinction is particularly important in a world where shopping for health insurance can quickly become overwhelming. Terms such as deductibles, provider networks, and supplemental coverage can make comparing plans difficult, and a lower monthly premium doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story.
Jones encourages people to understand not just what a plan costs, but what it actually covers before they need to use it.
She has spoken with people who believed they had adequate coverage only to discover later that their policy offered limited benefits for the care they needed. By then, their options were more limited than when they first purchased coverage.
Jones says that is one reason she encourages people to establish a relationship with an experienced professional before a medical emergency happens.
“Talk to somebody who is local, who cares about the community, who is a professional, and who knows the industry,” she says.
Those conversations don’t always happen because someone is sick or injured.
Jones often hears from parents whose adult children are about to turn 26 and leave the family’s health plan. Small-business owners and self-employed professionals contact her about their options. Increasingly, she also hears from people in their fifties and early sixties who are considering retirement but aren’t yet eligible for Medicare.
“Health insurance is the biggest concern,” Jones says of many early-retirement conversations. “I provide a sounding board for that. I’m able to help people brainstorm when it comes to the health insurance side of retirement.”
For Jones, helping someone may mean finding an option she offers. Other times, it may mean explaining why their existing coverage makes sense or directing them to a marketplace plan.
“I want my clients to feel comfortable calling me whenever they have a question or concern,” she says. “For me, it’s not about selling the policy. It’s about truly helping people get to the right place to get the right product.”
And that’s something to be thankful for.
To learn more connect with Cherie Jones, visit ushagent.com/cheriejones