What happens after I submit my health insurance application?

So you’ve found a plan and submitted your application for individual/family health insurance. Now what happens?

At this point, the ball is in the health insurance company’s court. Your application will head to an underwriter who will review it. From there a few things might happen:

* If everything is very straightforward and “clean,” some carriers will instantly approve your application. That’s the best-case scenario.

* The underwriter might call you to ask a few follow-up questions related to information on your application. This is pretty common and it’s nothing to worry about. A result could come fairly soon, unless…

* The underwriter may decide he/she needs to see medical records from one or more doctors relating to information in your medical history. This may or may not be a big deal, but this will add significant time to the process. The ball is now in the medical provider’s court, and that can take a few weeks.

You and your insurance broker should both be notified each step of the way. Hopefully you’ll get a quick and positive answer!