Finding an affordable health insurance quote online has become par for the course; article after article speaks of the new ability of consumers to seek out their own quotes online and find deals that are far better than those that could be offered by brokers or other more "traditional" methods. But while the Internet represents a bold new frontier in the world of health insurance quotes, not all quotes online are created in the same fashion as those done by health insurance agents. What this means for consumers can vary based on the type of care they need as well as the price they are willing to pay, but there are a number of reasons that quotes online and those delivered by agents are often not the same.

Health insurance agents can take one of two forms; they can be "captive" or "non-captive", which means that they will either work for one specific insurance provider or on behalf of several. For this exclusivity, a provider will often give an agent access to information about their pricing and policy structure that is not available online as well as giving them leeway to arrange for policy deals that are not described online. Thanks to the "human" factor involved, agents are able to speak with individuals and families and get a sense of what they need, then tailor a quote to match. While these quotes will not always be as cheap as those that are found online, they will be able to speak directly to the needs that a family has and provide care that will target their health issues, rather than care that will never be used.

An affordable health insurance quote found online, meanwhile, is a different animal altogether. These quotes are meant to appeal to the masses and thus will come with the broadest possible appeal. They will not include specialized services and may be "deal of the week" type of quotes that change on a regular basis. These can often be a great deal for families that do not have the money to pay for an agent's services or that are simply looking for a quick and viable solution to their immediate health care needs. As with many things on the Internet, these quotes are meant to be a "now" solution, not one that has been crafted over time with an individual's needs in mind.

Quotes from health insurance agents and those found online offer two different perspectives on the health care industry as well as different prices and features. Consumers would do well to know the strengths in each before choosing which method to use for finding their next health care policy.