Small businesses will often go through an agent or a broker for a health plan. Haugh cautions them to do a little digging first to uncover the agent's motives. If an agent recommends a particular company, be sure to ask what percentage of business he or she places with that company, and why. Haugh warns that going to more than one agent at a time can get messy, though, since your company's information may be submitted more than once to an insurer. Be sure to use your local department of insurance as a resource as well.
Some states have health plan shopper's guides.
And every state should be able to tell you whether an agent, broker, or insurance company has had any complaints filed against them. Many employers will do business only with accredited health plans. While accreditation status can be important, it's not necessarily a foolproof way of determining quality of care. The accreditation process itself is still fairly new and often requires health plans to compile a large amount of data. Health plans with deep pockets are more likely to be able to spend the money on computer tracking systems necessary for the accreditation process.