As part of our ongoing "Getting to Know Your Local Businesses" series,
this week we sat down with Holly Ojeda, owner of Lateral North Health Insurance.
Tell us a bit about your business: What does your business offer and how long have you been
around? Lateral North Health Insurance is a brokerage for "open access" PPO private health insurance policies,
medicare,
home health care, cancer and heart attack indemnities and hospital
indemnities. Lateral North is in the first year of building business in
Texas, transferring in from Colorado as of September 2021.
How did you decide to get involved in this line of work? How did the business get started?I
chose to go into health insurance after going through some major
obstacles in my own world, when we were not insured. My daughter had 4
brain surgeries before she was 2 year old, I had skin cancer at age 26
and my husband had a heart attack at 46, transplanted at 47 and passed
away at age 48. ALL of these happened when we were not insured and it
was so hard to backtrack to get the help we needed. Lateral North was a
name and logo my husband designed for me but was never put in motion
until after he passed. To say I'm honored to use his work is an
understatement!
Tell us a couple things you are proud of about your business. What are you known for? What separates you from the competition?I'm
proud to offer a customizable plan! So many times you run into a
situation where it's "here's your package, take it or leave it". What if
you don't want to be covered in everything the person beside you would
choose? That's where I come in! I can take out the things that aren't
important for you now, and put in the coverage you are most at risk
for. Being an "open access" PPO network is huge for my clients. You can
use your own doctors and your coverage travels with you when you leave
the state. No crazy high deductibles and best of all, having the option
to blanket your plan with indemnities will only give you the peace of
mind that the goal would be to walk away with as little to no bill as
possible. And who doesn't want to get paid if cancer or heart attack
ever become your reality? I can only WISH I had that when my husband was
diagnosed. Someone will be caregiving, and many times one income ends
up getting cut due to the care needed.
What is your favorite part of running this business?Meeting the community and building relationships with people around me!
Who is your target market or ideal customer/client?I
focus mostly on self-employed individuals/small businesses. Group
coverage isn't available for this community and private insurance CAN be
an affordable option for the whole family.
Can you tell us something about yourself as the business owner? What is your background?I
come from a Business Administration background, but if I could workout
for a living, I would! Health and fitness are my number one passions and
I am so intrigued with the human body and it's ability to withstand all
we do to it. (Hence the interest in insurance, we are getting hit with
health issues younger and younger!) I'm a born and raised Hoosier, and
have lived in 4 states throughout my adult life. I love to sing and am
proud to say I'm a child of GOD!
Is there any other information you'd like your potential customers/clients to know about your
business?Even
if you currently have insurance but are wondering if there is a better
fit, having a conversation about it won't hurt! We have no open
enrollment period and if it saves you money or you are adding something
extra for the peace of mind you need, why not inquire?
How do you see your business growing and improving over the next couple of years?I
see Lateral North Health Insurance growing in the Porter/New Caney and
Kingwood area as I continue to help those who have no insurance or are
wanting a different option. It doesn't have to be a crazy hit monthly
premium and you only need to pay for the coverage you want. I hope I can
help the community find a great fit in their health coverage needs and
not be stuck in the same situation I was in when those hard things hit
our family.
