Privacy Policy

About Next Step Health Partners

Next Step Health Partners is an independent insurance agency that provides educational information and consultation services relating to Medicare and insurance products.

Our website may provide general educational information about Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement Insurance, prescription drug coverage, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, and other insurance products.

Website information is provided for general educational purposes and should not be considered a guarantee of coverage, benefits, eligibility, enrollment, premiums, savings, or insurance availability.

Information We Collect

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide to us and information that may be collected automatically when you interact with our website.

Information You Provide

Depending on how you interact with us, information you provide may include:

• First and last name
• Telephone number
• Mobile telephone number
• Email address
• ZIP code
• State of residence
• Preferred method of communication
• Appointment information
• Information submitted through website forms
• Medicare-related information you voluntarily provide
• General insurance interests or preferences
• Information provided during a consultation
• Information contained in communications with us
• Other information you voluntarily provide

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by our website provider, hosting provider, analytics services, security services, or other technology providers.

• IP address
• Browser type
• Device type
• Operating system
• Pages viewed
• Date and time of visits
• Referring website
• Approximate location information
• Website interaction information
• Cookies and similar technologies

Sources of Information

Information about you may come from different sources, depending on how you interact with our business.

Information may be obtained from:

• You directly
• Your use of our website
• Appointment scheduling services
• Insurance companies or carriers
• Authorized insurance distribution partners
• Service providers assisting our business
• Lead-generation services, where applicable
• Publicly available sources, where permitted by law
• Other sources with your authorization or as permitted by law

We will not knowingly obtain information through a source in a manner that violates applicable law.

How We Use Information

We may use information we collect for legitimate business purposes, including:

• Responding to questions and inquiries
• Providing educational information
• Scheduling consultations
• Managing appointments
• Providing customer service
• Communicating about requested services
• Providing insurance information
• Assisting with insurance plan comparisons
• Assisting with requested insurance applications or enrollments
• Following up on inquiries
• Maintaining business records
• Improving our website
• Analyzing website usage
• Maintaining website and information security
• Preventing fraud, misuse, or unauthorized activity
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
• Protecting our legal rights and interests

Medicare and Insurance Information

Information you voluntarily provide may be used to understand your general Medicare or insurance interests and to assist you with educational or consultation services.

If you request assistance evaluating insurance options, information you provide may be used to identify or discuss insurance products, plans, or carriers that may be relevant to your stated needs and eligibility.

Insurance products and plans may have different benefits, premiums, cost-sharing requirements, provider networks, prescription drug coverage, eligibility requirements, underwriting requirements, service areas, and other terms.

Submitting information through this website does not automatically enroll you in an insurance plan.

Insurance coverage is subject to the applicable insurance company's approval, enrollment requirements, effective dates, plan or policy terms, and applicable law.

Sensitive and Health-Related Information

You may voluntarily provide information relating to your Medicare coverage, health-related circumstances, medications, eligibility, financial circumstances, or insurance needs.

If you voluntarily provide health-related or other sensitive information, we may use that information for the purpose for which it was provided, including responding to your request or assisting with an insurance consultation, subject to applicable law.

Next Step Health Partners is an insurance agency and is not a medical provider. Information provided through this website is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

How We Share Information

We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to provide requested services, operate our business, maintain security, or comply with applicable law.

Categories of recipients may include:

• Insurance companies and insurance carriers
• General agencies and insurance distribution partners
• Field marketing organizations, where applicable
• Customer relationship management providers
• Appointment scheduling providers
• Telephone and SMS providers
• Website hosting providers
• Analytics and technology providers
• Cybersecurity and fraud-prevention providers
• Professional service providers
• Government agencies and regulators
• Courts, law enforcement, or other legal authorities when required or permitted by law

We do not permit third parties to use your information for their own unrelated marketing purposes merely because you contacted Next Step Health Partners, except where you separately provide consent or applicable law otherwise permits the activity.

Insurance Companies and Business Partners

If you request assistance with an insurance product or carrier, information may need to be shared with the applicable insurance company, general agency, field marketing organization, or other authorized party involved in providing the requested service.

This may include information needed to:

• Determine eligibility
• Provide plan or product information
• Complete an application
• Process an enrollment
• Service an existing policy
• Respond to an insurance-related request
• Communicate regarding an application or enrollment

Information provided directly to an insurance company or other third party may also be governed by that organization's privacy policy and applicable legal requirements.

Third-Party Service Providers

We may use third-party companies and service providers to help operate our business and website.

These services may include:

• Website hosting
• Website design and functionality
• Appointment scheduling
• Customer relationship management
• Telephone services
• SMS and messaging services
• Email services
• Website analytics
• Advertising and marketing services
• Cybersecurity services
• Cloud storage and business software

Third-party providers may process information according to their own privacy policies, terms, contracts, and applicable law.

Appointment Scheduling

Our website may provide appointment scheduling through third-party services such as Calendly.

When you schedule an appointment through an external scheduling service, information you provide may be collected and processed by that provider according to its own privacy policy and terms.

We recommend reviewing the applicable third-party privacy policy before submitting information through an external scheduling service.

Telephone Communications

If you provide a telephone number, we may use it to respond to your inquiry, communicate about a requested consultation, confirm or manage appointments, provide customer service, or communicate about services you have requested.

Telephone communications may use automated or non-automated technology where permitted by applicable law.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website and certain third-party providers may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, analytics tools, or similar technologies.

These technologies may be used to:

• Operate website functions
• Remember preferences
• Measure website traffic
• Understand website usage
• Improve website functionality
• Maintain security
• Detect fraud or unauthorized activity
• Measure advertising or marketing performance, where applicable

You may be able to control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

Analytics and Advertising

We may use analytics or advertising technologies to understand how visitors interact with our website and to measure the effectiveness of our marketing efforts.

Depending on the services we use, these providers may collect information such as device information, IP address, browser information, pages visited, referring websites, and website interaction information.

We do not knowingly authorize advertising providers to sell your personal information merely because you visit our website.

Third-Party Websites and Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including Medicare resources, insurance company websites, appointment scheduling services, social media platforms, and other resources.

When you leave our website, this Privacy Policy may no longer apply.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of any third-party website before providing information.

Next Step Health Partners is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, content, or policies of independent third-party websites.

Information Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect information under our control.

These measures may include limiting access to information to individuals or service providers who have a legitimate business need to access it, maintaining appropriate security practices, and using reasonable safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information.

No website, electronic communication system, database, or method of transmitting information over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You should use caution when submitting sensitive information electronically.

Financial and Insurance Information

When you request insurance products or services, certain information may be considered nonpublic personal information under applicable financial privacy laws.

We may collect information provided in connection with insurance inquiries, applications, policies, transactions, or other requested services.

We may disclose such information to insurance companies, service providers, business partners, or other parties as necessary to process or administer requested insurance services, perform business functions, prevent fraud, comply with law, or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.

Where applicable, privacy notices and consumer choices required under federal or state financial privacy laws will be provided in accordance with those requirements.

Data Retention

We may retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Provide requested services
• Maintain business and insurance records
• Respond to inquiries
• Manage customer relationships
• Process or service insurance transactions
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• Resolve disputes
• Enforce agreements
• Protect legal rights and interests

Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information, the purpose for which it was collected, and applicable legal or contractual requirements.

Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live and whether applicable privacy laws apply to your information, you may have certain privacy rights.

These may include rights to:

• Request access to certain personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of certain information
• Opt out of certain communications
• Withdraw certain consent
• Opt out of SMS communications by replying STOP
• Request information about certain categories of information collected or shared
• Exercise other rights provided by applicable law

Some rights are subject to exceptions, limitations, verification requirements, or other conditions established by applicable law.

How to Exercise Privacy Rights

To submit a privacy-related request, you may contact Next Step Health Partners using the contact information provided below.

We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests in order to protect your information and prevent unauthorized access.

If your request is denied where applicable law provides a right to appeal, you may request review of the decision by contacting us through the same contact method.

We will process privacy requests in accordance with applicable law and within applicable legal timeframes.

State-Specific Privacy Rights

Certain states provide residents with additional privacy rights. These rights may vary depending on the applicable law, the nature of the information collected, and whether the business is subject to the applicable statute.

Where required by applicable law, we will provide additional notices, rights, disclosures, or methods for exercising privacy rights.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit rights that you may have under applicable federal, state, or local law.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident and a California privacy law applies to Next Step Health Partners and your information, you may have additional rights regarding your personal information.

Depending on applicability, these rights may include the right to know, access, correct, delete, or opt out of certain uses or disclosures of personal information, as well as other rights provided by California law.

California residents may contact us using the information below to request information regarding applicable privacy rights.

We do not sell personal information to third parties for their independent marketing purposes.

Where a legally required notice at collection applies, the notice will be provided at or before the point at which applicable personal information is collected.

Marketing Communications

If you provide contact information and any required consent, we may communicate with you about products, services, educational information, consultations, appointments, or other information related to your request.

You may request that we stop certain marketing communications.

Opting out of one communication method does not necessarily opt you out of all communication methods.

For example, unsubscribing from email does not necessarily withdraw consent for separately authorized SMS communications.

Children's Privacy

This website is intended primarily for adults seeking Medicare and insurance information.

We do not knowingly solicit personal information from children under 13 years of age.

If you believe a child has provided personal information through our website, please contact us so that we can evaluate and address the situation as appropriate.

Do Not Track

Some browsers may provide "Do Not Track" or similar privacy signals.

Because there is not a universally accepted standard for responding to every browser-based signal, our website may not respond to all such signals.

Business Changes

If Next Step Health Partners undergoes a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, change in ownership, or similar business transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Any successor organization will be expected to handle information according to applicable legal requirements.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business, website, technology, services, legal requirements, or privacy practices.

When changes are made, we may update the "Effective Date" or "Last Updated" date at the beginning of this Privacy Policy.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.