Question 1

Does using a broker cost me anything?

Accepted Answer

No. Our consultations, plan comparisons, enrollment help, and ongoing support are free for individuals, families, and businesses. The carrier that issues your policy pays us a commission — your premium, your coverage, and your out-of-pocket costs are exactly the same whether you use DRMA or go direct. If you want to verify, take the plan we recommend to the carrier yourself and price it that way.

Question 2

What does my premium actually pay for?

Accepted Answer

Your monthly premium is the carrier’s price for the risk pool you’re joining — it covers the medical claims the insurer expects from a group of enrollees with a profile like yours, plus the carrier’s administrative cost. Premium is separate from your deductible (what you pay before the carrier starts sharing costs) and your out-of-pocket maximum (the cap on what you’ll spend in a year on covered care). Lower premium usually means higher deductible and richer network limits; higher premium usually means the inverse. We don’t pick on sticker price — we rank on total expected annual cost given your actual use.

Question 3

How do you pick which carrier to recommend?

Accepted Answer

We start with three concrete inputs: your doctors (names and clinics), your prescriptions (drug + dose + frequency), and your realistic budget (what you can absorb monthly and in a sudden expense). Then we run an apples-to-apples comparison across the carriers we’re appointed with — for individual and family, that’s ACA Marketplace options; for Medicare-eligible clients, the Medicare Advantage and Supplement panel — and rank on total expected annual cost, not on commission tier or carrier preference. Because DRMA is independent, no carrier is “house” — the recommendation is whichever carrier actually fits your inputs.

Question 4

How quickly can my coverage start?

Accepted Answer

For ACA Marketplace plans, coverage starts on the 1st of the month after you enroll — most applicants during Open Enrollment can target a January 1 start for the coming year. Outside Open Enrollment, a Qualifying Life Event opens a Special Enrollment Period, typically 60 days from the event, and coverage effective dates run the same 1st-of-the-month pattern. For Medicare Advantage, AEP applications can target January 1, and ICEP / SEP rules layer in for newly-eligible clients. For small-group business plans, the carrier and effective date are negotiated together — most groups can target a 30–60 day timeline from a clean census. Tell us your situation and we’ll figure out the date math.

Question 5

How do I find coverage for my state?

Accepted Answer

DRMA currently focuses on California, Florida, and Texas — three of the highest-volume health insurance markets in the country. Our coverage pages for each state walk through carrier availability, regional network notes, and the regulatory details that vary by state (Medicaid expansion, marketplace carrier mix, plan-type availability). If you’re in a state outside these three, call us — we maintain a referral network and can usually point you to a licensed broker for your specific market.

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