Most business owners have no idea if they're paying a fair price for health insurance. They know what their bill is. They don't know if that bill is reasonable.

Here's how to know.

Most HR professionals start planning open enrollment 30 days out. That's about 60 days too late.

By the time you're at 30 days, your options are already shrinking. Carriers that take time to underwrite are out of the picture. Benefit guides and portals aren't built. And you're going to spend the next four weeks in a full sprint with no margin for anything to go wrong.

Most business owners delay offering health insurance because they think the setup process is going to be a nightmare. They picture months of paperwork, confused employees, and constant back-and-forth with carriers.

Here's what actually happens.

I tell my clients it's a small marathon. Yes, it's a lot of work. But we guide you through every step of it. And a lot of that work? It lands on us, not on you.

Most brokers don't bring up compliance. It's not technically within the scope of placing your insurance, so a lot of them leave the rest alone. You get your enrollment handled, you get your ID cards, and whatever you're supposed to be doing on the compliance side is your problem to figure out.

I don't do it that way.

There's a version of coverage most Houston business owners don't know exists.

Your employees can see any doctor, any specialist, no referral required. It runs on one of the strongest networks in Houston. And it doesn't cost what you think PPO coverage costs.

Here's how it actually works.

Here's a question worth sitting with: when's the last time your broker told you something you didn't already know?

If you're having to think about it, that's your answer.

A lot of HR professionals accept a bad broker relationship because they don't know what a good one looks like. They're not being served. They just don't know the standard is higher.

Here are five signs your broker isn't doing the job.