The Fact That Surprises Everyone: Brokers Are Free
Health insurance premiums have broker commissions built into them whether or not you use a broker. Buy a plan alone on healthcare.gov and you pay the same premium as buying the identical plan through me — the carrier just keeps the difference. Using a broker doesn't add a fee, a markup, or a surcharge. It adds an advisor. This is regulated, standard, and verifiable: ask any carrier whether their premium changes with or without an agent of record. It doesn't.
Which means the real question isn't "is a broker worth the cost?" It's "why would anyone navigate this alone for the same price?"
Independent vs. Captive: The Distinction That Matters
A captive agent works for one insurance company. Whatever your situation, the answer will be that company's product — that's the job.
An independent broker holds appointments with many carriers across both the ACA marketplace and the private market. When I compare options for you, the comparison includes plans that pay me less, plans that pay me nothing (like helping you enroll in Medicaid or a spouse's employer plan when that's the honest answer), and everything in between. Independence doesn't make anyone a saint — but it removes the structural reason to steer you wrong.
What You Actually Get
- The full market, not one shelf. Marketplace plans with your exact subsidy calculated, off-marketplace ACA plans, and medically underwritten private coverage if your health qualifies — priced side by side.
- The network check nobody does. Before you enroll, I verify your doctors, your hospital, and your prescriptions against the specific plan's directory. This five-minute step prevents the single most common insurance regret.
- Tax coordination. The self-employed premium deduction, HSA strategy, and subsidy income-estimation interact — getting them right together is often worth thousands a year. I work alongside your CPA on this routinely.
- A human in February. When a claim gets denied or a bill looks wrong, you call me, not a carrier queue. Advocacy after the sale is most of what clients say they value — read the reviews.
- Year-round service. Life changes mid-year — income swings, moves, marriages, lost coverage. Special Enrollment Periods and private plans mean there's almost always a move available, and I know which one.
Who I Work With
My practice centers on people buying their own coverage: self-employed professionals and 1099 contractors, higher earners who don't qualify for subsidies, early retirees bridging to Medicare, and small business owners with 1–50 employees. I'm licensed in 21 states — Florida-based, working by phone and text nationwide.
How to Verify Me (or Any Agent) in 30 Seconds
Every licensed agent has a National Producer Number. Mine is NPN #22052447 — you can verify it through your state's insurance department or the national registry at nipr.com. Any agent who won't volunteer their NPN is telling you something. This should be the first thing you check about anyone who wants to discuss your coverage, including me.
What a First Call Looks Like
- 10 minutes on your situation: household, income, doctors you want to keep, medications, budget.
- The subsidy check: if you qualify for meaningful credits, the marketplace wins and I say so immediately.
- The comparison: your best marketplace option next to any private-market quote your health profile supports — real numbers, trade-offs named.
- Your decision, your timeline. Enroll on the call if it's right; take a week if you want. No follow-up barrage.