Q. I have never heard of some of the companies agents are pushing. I have called the Better Business Bureau but they don’t have any information either. What can I do?

A. The BBB does not regulate carriers and will not have any information that is useful if you are looking at health insurance plans. If you have been lured into a pitch about a discount plan, you may find some information, particularly if there have been numerous complaints about their sales tactics. You will also find information with the AG’s office.

Your best source for information, other than the agent you are considering, is your state DOI (Dept of Insurance). Another credible source is [1] NAIC.

Some states, GA in particular, allow you to see what kind of licensing and how long the agent has been licensed. You can also review the continuing ed courses the agent has taken.

In addition, use your own intuition. If the pitch the agent uses sounds too good to be true it probably is. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If the agent doesn’t have the answer, or sloughs it off, you probably don’t need to be dealing with him or her.

If people would simply take the time to investigate there wouldn’t be as many issues that have to be handled at consumer sites such as [2] Clark Howard.