Many believe that the ability of consumers to find health insurance online will spell the death of agent services in the industry, and represent a change to a fully self-service form of insurance. Online health quotes have certainly gained popularity since their debut online several years ago, with more and more consumers choosing to use an online option to seek out better health care deals and options that fit their family's needs. Gone are the days when a provider would tell a family what they needed and what they were going to pay - now, consumers are largely able to call the shots and tell providers what they want, what they would like to pay for it, and what it should do for them. But does this consumer empowerment mean the end of agent services?

For some, the answer is yes. They see the agent as a relic from a time when health insurance online was just a fantasy. Insurance checks for premiums were sent in the mail, and the notion of instant access to information about doctors, coverage rates and healthcare options was unheard of. In a world where data is at the fingertips of consumers, many worry that the need for human interaction will decrease and clients will only buy their insurance online and from Web sites, not people, that they trust. Agents, they say, are an artifact from a dying era and one that will not be around for much longer.

For others, an agent is still an essential part of the insurance equation. While many will use the internet to find quotes, there is still a certain trepidation in buying something as important and far-reaching as health insurance online, and while online health quotes can provide cold, hard data, they cannot give an honest opinion about services or standards. In many cases, the voice of an agent and the use of their knowledge is what help to make a decision, as well as the fact that many agents still receive discounts from companies that they choose to work for - often some of the largest and most successful in the country. Agents can offer the security of a face-to-face agreement, along with the ability to personally deal with any problems that may arise.

Finding health insurance online so simply may yet spell the end of agents as a whole, but so far that has not been the case. With access to information about the industry as a whole, and often reduced rates to offer customers who choose to use certain providers, many agents are still earning trust and earning their way in the health insurance industry at large.