A 6-Step Guide to Getting Your Health Insurance License | Word & Brown General Agency - Advice on buying the most economical car insurance

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how to get your insurance license (updated for 2022)

If you’re interested in becoming a health insurance agent, one of the first things you should do is take the licensing exam required by your state regulator. In California, that’s the California Department of Insurance (DOI). In Nevada, it’s the Nevada Division of Insurance (a part of the Department of Commerce and Industry).

Below are six steps to get you on the path to your new career.

Reading: How to get your health insurance license

step 1: decide which insurance license you want to obtain

You will need a license in each state in which you do business. you can choose a business entity or an individual license. In California, there are more than 30 types of license classifications issued by the Department of Insurance’s Bureau of Producer Licensing. If you’re going to sell health insurance, you’ll need either an Accident and Health (A&H) Agent License or a Full Life Agent License (which includes Life, Accident, and Health).

With a license from A&H, the authority in California is generally permitted to sell products that offer coverage for illness, bodily injury, or accidental death (which may include disability income benefits). the license holder can also arrange for 24-hour care coverage and long-term care insurance.

Important resource links:

types of insurance licenses in california
Complete List of California Grower License Types
in nevada, you can get a grower’s license, which is also available to individuals or legal entities.
nevada license details

Step 2: Complete the fingerprinting process

People applying for a license in many states must provide a complete set of fingerprints, which can be shared with law enforcement authorities, including a state criminal records repository and the federal bureau of investigation. California and Nevada require fingerprinting prior to taking the licensing exam, including before you submit your license application.

These are California’s fingerprinting guidelines: • If you wish to have your fingerprints taken prior to your license exam, you may schedule your fingerprints with California’s contracted fingerprint provider. the California Department of Insurance (CDI) by calling Precise Biometrics at (866) 361-9944, to find a fingerprint location near you. bring a completed live scan application, lic form 442-39a, with you when you go for your fingerprints. • At the time of taking the license exam at the designated site, you may also have your fingerprints taken. • Although subject to change, the current total processing fee for fingerprint impressions taken at the exam site is $58.30, which includes the $17.00 FBI processing fee, department of justice (doj) fee of $32.00 and the cdi mobile contractor fee of $9.30. An applicant may pay by money order, cashier’s check, personal check, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discovery Card). cash is not accepted. • At psi testing centers, the fingerprint provider will also have an authorized technician available to complete the fingerprinting requirement. at these facilities, the total processing fee for fingerprint impressions taken is $68.95, which includes the fbi processing fee of $17.00, the doj processing fee of $32.00, and an ongoing fee of $19.95. the $68.95 fee must be paid at the psi testing center. payment can be made by visa or mastercard or money order, cashier’s check or company check payable to psi. personal checks and cash are not accepted at psi test centers. • The DoJ maintains a list of authorized live fingerprint scanning providers available to California resident license applicants.

Applicants using a provider on this list will be required to pay a fingerprinting fee which covers the following services: $17.00 fbi processing fee, $32.00 doj processing fee, and an additional ongoing fee charged by the supplier authorized by the doj. The ongoing fee will vary by provider and is noted on the DOJ’s list of authorized live scan fingerprinting providers. License applicants are advised to contact the live scanning provider in advance to verify current hours of operation, location, fees, and acceptable payment method.

More information about fingerprinting for a California resident license can be found at the California Department of Insurance.

In Nevada, all persons applying for a green card must provide a complete set of fingerprints and attach a completed fingerprint record waiver to the application.

Applicants must pay a processing and agency fee for this service. Applicants may be fingerprinted by a law enforcement agency or authorized vendor.

livescan digital fingerprinting, also used in california, is the preferred resource for fingerprint processing. livescan digital fingerprinting services are also conveniently available through pearson vue, nevada’s resource for testing. (See below). Applicants can register to have their fingerprints taken at the same time they register for the Nevada State Examination. although subject to change, the current livescan fingerprinting fee is $36.25 plus the provider’s processing fee. Applicants will receive a receipt indicating the date the fingerprints were submitted to the Nevada Criminal Records Repository. The applicant must provide the receipt to the Nevada Division of Insurance upon request.

Applicants using paper fingerprint cards may experience delays due to the time required to manually process a paper submission. They must also provide a money order or cashier’s check in the amount of $36.25 made payable to the department of public safety (dps).

Printed copies must include name, signature, address, social security number, date of birth, place of birth, weight, height, gender, hair color, citizenship, and the home and business addresses of the person being fingerprinted. as well as the date of fingerprinting and the signature of the official who took the fingerprints.

nevada fingerprint reservations can be made by calling 1-866-761-8069. More information and a list of Nevada Resident License fingerprint providers can be found at the Nevada Division of Insurance

Step 3: Prepare for your insurance license test

California requires a minimum of 20 hours of approved study prior to licensing. a new resident applicant who had a current health and accident license in another state within the last 90 days and has a current nonresident license in california, or an applicant who has a life insurer training council (lutcf ), Chartered Life Insurer (clu ), Certified Insurance Counselor (cic), Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (cebs), Fellow, Life Management Institute (flmi), Health Insurance Associate (hia), Consultant Registered Employee Benefits (REBC) or Registered Health Insurer (RHU) Designation – Is exempt from the 20 hours of pre-licensing education.

California also requires 12 hours of prior approved code and ethics license.

nevada has a similar requirement. candidates must successfully complete an approved education course (20 hours) in each field of insurance for which they plan to be licensed.

Step 4: Take Your Insurance License Test

You must be at least 18 years of age and pass your state’s resident or non-resident licensing exam to obtain a license. The exam is multiple choice, closed book.

In California, psi services, llc, a california-based company that provides regulatory licensing services in the state, handles the scheduling of exams for individuals. People can schedule their exams with PSI either online or by phone. psi offers more than 20 sites throughout the state where individuals can take their qualifying license exam and provide required fingerprints. visit the california department of insurance to learn more about psi. Here are some frequently asked questions about the California application process that you may also have when starting out.

in nevada, pearson vue is the division of insurance’s only authorized testing provider. Appointments can be made up to one calendar day prior to the day you wish to test, subject to availability. You can review Pearson Vue’s Nevada scheduling options here. Test times vary from about two hours to about three and a half hours, depending on the license you are applying for.

On test day, you’ll want to arrive 20-30 minutes early and bring two forms of identification (ID) that include a signature. your name on the ID must exactly match the name on your registration. The primary ID must be a government-issued photo ID with a signature, and the secondary ID must also contain a valid signature. (ID must be in English.)

Acceptable and current primary IDs (with photo and signature) generally include: • government-issued driver’s license • us driver’s license. uu. state driver’s license department • u.s. learner’s permit (plastic card with photo and signature only) • national/state/country ID card • passport • passport card • military ID • military ID for spouses and dependents

Acceptable and current secondary IDs (with a signature) include: • u.s. social security card • debit (ATM) or credit card • any form of identification on the primary identification list above

step 5: obtain bonded/e&o coverage

After you’ve obtained your license, you’ll need to obtain professional liability insurance, also known as errors & coverage of omissions (e&o). This insurance protects you in your role as an advisor to your clients, in the event that a negligence claim is made in connection with your customer service. calsurance® offers affordable e&o to word & brown brokers, and it only takes a few minutes to apply. ask us for details, or go here for more information.

step 6: continuing education

after you get your license, you generally need to earn continuing education credits to maintain it. In California, you must successfully complete approved courses or programs of instruction or attend seminars equivalent to 24 hours of instruction during each two-year license period, including at least three hours of ethics training, before you can renew your license. p>

nevada requires 30 hours of continuing education credits every three years, including three hours of ethics courses.

word & Brown, our carrier partners, and state and regional health insurer associations offer a variety of CE courses throughout the year to help you meet mandatory license renewal requirements. For information on courses, recorded webinars, and events, visit the word & brown wording.

help is available

word & brown is committed to helping people who want to enter the exciting and ever-changing world of health insurance sales. To learn more about how you can get started, visit our Future Brokers webpage or contact any of our six regional offices in California and Nevada.

If you are interested in using an online course to prepare for your licensing exam, Word & Brown Offers 20% Discount Through Mike Russ Financial Education Centers; ask us for more details.