Local agency helps its clients find the best insurance company and plan to suit their needs
By Blake Ashley Frino-Gerl
Nathan Hedges started his insurance career in 1999 selling accident policies door to door. He soon realized that no one needs an accident policy, but they do need health insurance.
“The writing was on the wall,” Nathan explained. He knew he had to work for his family’s health insurance business, Hedges Health Insurance, in Atascadero. In 2000, while working with his dad, Michael Hedges, he learned a vast amount. They made the Blue Cross Top Producer list several times.
In 2010, Nathan started Morro Rock Insurance, specializing in health and life insurance. During that time, he married Allison King, a Morro Bay High School graduate and hairstylist at Rio Salon. Nathan started doing public speaking engagements on health plans available to senior citizens. To provide extra support as the business was growing, Allison earned her insurance license.
Serving mainly the coast, from San Simeon to San Luis Obispo, Nathan and Allison offer a variety of information that benefits clients, in terms of choosing an insurance company, changing plans, and knowing who to contact in times of variable insurance needs. “We gather the client’s info and prepare options with all the local carriers.” Their clients then pick which insurance company is most suitable to them — such as meeting their budget and medical criteria.
“Medicare is changing so much these days, it’s hard to keep up,” Nathan explains. “It is more important than ever to have someone local working for you when it comes to you and your Medicare.” As a local Medicare insurance agency, Morro Rock Insurance has helped thousands of Central Coast residents successfully work through the ever-changing insurance program.
Nathan explains that there is no extra cost for the consumer when purchasing through an insurance broker. “Whether you go directly through an insurance company or use an agency like ours, the price is exactly the same,” Nathan says. Insurance agents typically carry one product, while MRI offers over 30 plans to choose from. Morro Rock Insurance offers over 30 plans. They also provide assistance when clients need to make claims. Nathan doesn’t recollect a time where he couldn’t solve a claim issue.
He or Allison usually meet new and current clients in town — often at Dorn’s — or at their residence. “Morro Rock Insurance makes life easy by being mobile,” Nathan adds. They provide over-the-phone appointments, as well.
As a local business, they also have volunteered within the community. When their two daughters, now in junior high, were younger, the couple delivered Meals on Wheels from North Morro Bay to Cayucos for 10 years. “It was a blast,” Nathan remembers. “I recommend that community service to anyone looking to find some volunteer work.”
