We all know how social media has made it so easy for us to connect with each other while also entertaining and informing us. Thanks to sites like Facebook and GooglePlus, we can find like-minded people and hang out with them, keep track of those areas of interest near and dear to us, and, most importantly, never run out of amusing cat videos.
But are you aware that social media could help you find health insurance? It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, really, considering how easy it is to find anything online. Here’s how you can use social media to find the right health insurance coverage.
Visit Company Pages
Just doing a simple search on Facebook, for instance, will yield a treasure trove of insurance companies that have an established Facebook presence. You can get similar results with GooglePlus as well. Any health insurance provider worth their salt will be represented in the vast world of social media. A well-done page will provide you with a general overview of the company, an outline of the services they offer, and how you can reach them. Even in cases where they don’t go into that much detail, they should at least provide a company link to get you pointed in the right direction.
Search For Related Groups/Discussions
In addition to the plethora of health insurance providers online, there are countless groups of users who discuss their experiences with health insurance, which includes giving recommendations or answering questions. One of the coolest thing about groups like this is that the people who frequent these pages and discussions are neutral, third-party types who will give you unbiased reviews and recommendations minus the corporate propaganda.
Try Yelp!
Sure, you can use Yelp for finding out about a particular restaurant, bed and breakfast, or tourist attraction, but are you aware that you can also use it to find a health insurance agent or broker? And the beauty of using something like Yelp is that you’ll get reviews, operating hours, location, and other useful information.
Find Apps
Naturally, apps have to make an appearance here, right? According to this infographic, almost 20% of smart phone owners have at least one health-related app on their phones, with exercise, weight, and diet being the main subjects.
Why This Is Important
According to surveys done by Mediabistro, over 40% of consumers surveyed said that information they found on social media affects the way that they deal with their health. Furthermore, people in the 18-24 year old range are twice as likely as people in the 45-54 year old age group to discuss health matters via social media. It stands to reason that the younger age demographic would have concerns about what kind of insurance options are available, especially as they begin striking off on their own. “Student Health Care Insurance” is a good resource for 18-24 year olds, especially since it deals with health plans that are especially designed for students and is a less expensive alternative to traditional health care coverage.
And finally, 31% of health care professionals use social media for professional networking. It seems that the entire health-care industry, whether it’s the providers or the insurers, are finding their way online and making themselves known on social media.
Health insurance often times is a confusing, overwhelming subject, and the more information you can have at your disposal, the easier it is to choose your best option. Since social media helps people to acquire and disseminate information, it should be your chief go-to when you want to shop around. Now all you need to do is decide which social media platforms to use. Then you can use the article “These Tools Will Save Your Social Media Sanity” to help you manage all of your networks!