Yes. Because this is an individual and not a group policy, the insurance carrier will medically underwrite your application. Your application may be approved, your premium may be adjusted or you may be declined based on this medical underwriting.

A quote is strictly a "base" premium based on the data (date of birth, city, etc.) given. Final rates are based on full medical underwriting, including an application. After the carrier receives the application, medical underwriting can include a phone interview, a urine specimen, a physical exam or some combination thereof. The majority of the underwriting lies in the application and phone interview. The carrier can also request full medical records from your provider. Based on all of this information, a final medical decision will be made -- i.e., approved as-is, approved at a higher rate, approved with a rider or declined.

Some of our carriers will consider covering preexisting conditions with an increase in your premium to cover ongoing medications or treatments. Keep in mind that with some carriers, preexisting conditions are normally not covered during the first 12 months of the policy. Other preexisting conditions cannot be covered. We will provide you with a list of these conditions as part of our quoting process.

The individual option requires full medical underwriting in all states where guarantee issue legislation has not been implemented. Consumers will be requested to fill out a full medically underwritten application and the carrier of choice can either accept as is, rate up, rider or deny coverage. The "guarantee issue" provision of the new health reform passage (for individuals) will not be implemented until 2014. With that said, a large percentage of the consumers today can still pass medical underwriting requirements.

YES! Based on the plan you choose, you can cover yourself, your children and your spouse as well. And you might find that you save money by switching.

YES! Our customer service representatives will be happy to walk you through the health insurance arena and the online resources can simplify the choices and conveniently compare rates and benefits to find the coverage that best fits your unique needs.

Yes. Most of our carriers offer this option.

Due to strict state legislation, most insurance carriers do not write new business in all states. Seabury & Smith is committed to bringing you the most competitive insurance products available, and will continue to explore other options where products are not currently available.

When you receive your application (by clicking on ‘Get Your Quotes Now!’ and completing steps 1, 2 and 3), please fill it out and submit online or return it to Seabury & Smith, HealthInsurance.com Application Processing, 540 W. Madison Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60661. The HealthInsurance.com application processing department will prescreen the application and then forward it to the carrier for further medical underwriting. Please do not cancel any coverage you may already have until a final offer is made and a policy number is issued.

The length of time needed for underwriting depends on the level of "preexisting conditions" that are identified on the application. Some applications are approved in a day while others may take 2-4 weeks depending if "medical records" are requested from your doctor. Keep in mind that while some doctors are quick to turn this information around, some are very slow, and this may affect the time it takes to approve your application.

A book of all participating doctors will be sent to you upon approval of your policy. Also, most PPO networks have a web site on which you can search for your current physicians. As you review plans on our site, you can click the "Provider Search" button to see a listing of the providers offered by a particular insurance carrier.

Seabury & Smith requires all its major medical carriers to be rated at least an "A-" by A.M. Best, an independent insurance-rating company