Understand it first.
Then pick someone.

Health insurance covers doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, and preventive care. If you don't get it through an employer, you're buying it yourself — through the marketplace, directly from a carrier, or through an alternative like a health sharing plan.

The hard part isn't finding a plan. It's understanding what you're actually buying. Two plans with the same monthly premium can leave you thousands apart when something goes wrong.

Networks and drug lists are where plans really differ. A plan is only as good as the doctors and hospitals inside its network, and the prescriptions on its formulary. Two plans at the same price can treat the same medication completely differently.

GLP-1 coverage varies more than almost anything else. Some plans cover medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound for type 2 diabetes but not for weight loss. Some exclude them entirely. Some require prior authorisation or a documented history first. And some prescription benefit arrangements cover compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide at a fraction of brand cost. There is no way to tell from the plan name — someone has to check the formulary against your actual prescriptions.

The same is true for specialty drugs, biologics, mental health providers, and fertility treatment. If something specific matters to you, say so on the first call. An agent can check it against the plan’s real formulary and network before you enrol, rather than after.

Medicare starts at 65 for most people, and it's more complicated than it looks. Original Medicare (Parts A and B) covers hospital and medical care, but leaves gaps — no cap on what you can spend, and no prescription coverage. You fill those gaps one of two ways.

A Medicare Advantage plan replaces Original Medicare with a private plan that usually bundles drugs and extras like dental or vision, often at low or no monthly premium — but with a network and copays. A Medicare Supplement keeps Original Medicare and pays the gaps, letting you see any doctor who takes Medicare, but costs more monthly and needs a separate drug plan.

Life insurance replaces your income if you die while people still depend on it. Term covers a set number of years for a low premium and pays only if you die during the term — it's the most coverage per dollar, and it's what most families need. Permanent policies, including whole life and indexed universal life, cost considerably more but never expire and build cash value you can borrow against.

Indexed universal life ties that cash value to a market index with a floor that protects against losses and a cap that limits gains. It's a legitimate tool for the right situation. It is also frequently sold to people who'd be better served by term insurance and a retirement account — which is exactly why it's worth asking hard questions.

Final expense is a small permanent life policy — usually $5,000 to $25,000 — designed to cover a funeral, outstanding medical bills, and the odd costs a family faces in the weeks after a death. Premiums stay level, the coverage never expires as long as you pay, and approval is far easier than a full life policy. Many plans ask a few health questions and no medical exam.

The point isn't wealth transfer. It's making sure nobody has to open a fundraiser or put a funeral on a credit card. A funeral commonly runs eight to twelve thousand dollars, and it's due immediately.

Mortgage protection is life insurance sized to your home loan, so a surviving spouse or family keeps the house instead of being forced to sell. Most policies today also pay out if you're disabled or diagnosed with a critical illness — not only if you die — which matters, because losing your income to illness threatens the mortgage just as much.

It's usually term insurance with the term matched to your remaining loan. Some versions decrease as you pay the loan down; level policies keep the full benefit throughout and are often worth the small extra cost.

An annuity is a contract with an insurance company: you hand over a sum, and they pay you back over time — often for the rest of your life. It solves a specific problem that investments don't, which is the risk of living longer than your money lasts.

The category covers very different products. A fixed annuity pays a set rate, like a CD. A fixed indexed annuity ties growth to a market index with a floor against losses and a cap on gains. A variable annuity is invested in the market and can lose value. They vary enormously in cost, complexity, and how long your money is locked up.

Home and auto are the policies most people already have and least often read. Bundling them with one carrier usually earns a discount, but the bigger issue is whether the coverage limits still match reality. Building costs and car values have moved a long way in a few years; policies renewed on autopilot often haven't.

The two numbers worth knowing on your home policy are whether it pays replacement cost or actual cash value, and whether your dwelling limit would actually rebuild your house today. On auto, it's your liability limits — state minimums are far below what a serious accident costs.

We're still growing our Home & Auto bench — three Village agents currently write it. If none are licensed in your state yet, tell us and we'll let you know when that changes.

Business coverage runs from group health for your employees to the policies that keep a company standing if an owner dies. Key person insurance pays the business if someone whose knowledge or relationships hold it together is suddenly gone. A buy-sell agreement funded with life insurance means a surviving partner can buy out the family instead of ending up in business with them.

Group benefits are also a retention tool. For a small business competing with larger employers, health coverage is often the difference in whether good people stay.