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CHA Lifeguard

Independent insurance broker, Austin, Texas

Health insurance for Texans who buy their own.

Dagan Martinez-Vargas is an independent broker in Austin. He compares health, life, dental and supplemental plans across carriers, checks your doctors and prescriptions first, and handles the paperwork with you.

Book a consultationCall (512) 612-3226
Dagan Martinez-Vargas, independent insurance broker in Austin, TexasA real estate agent handing over house keysParents walking with their young daughterAn electrician working on wiringA woman working on a laptop at homeA man wearing glasses and a light jacket smiling outdoors

Coverage

What Dagan helps with.

Everything that covers a person directly. Plans are compared across carriers, checked against your doctors and prescriptions, and priced for the whole year.

  • A pharmacist in a white coat showing a prescription bottle to a customer

    Health insurance

    ACA Marketplace, PPO and HMO plans for individuals, families and the self-employed. Where most people start.

    Explore health insurance
  • Parents carrying their two children through a garden

    Life insurance

    Term, whole life, mortgage protection and final expense, matched to who depends on your income.

    Explore life insurance
  • A smiling caregiver in green scrubs leaning toward an older person seated in a chair

    Cancer, heart and accident insurance

    Cancer, heart attack, stroke and accident plans that pay cash to you, not to the hospital.

    Explore cancer, heart & accident
  • A dentist talking with a patient in a modern dental office

    Dental and vision insurance

    Standalone dental and vision plans that include your own dentist and eye doctor.

    Explore dental & vision
  • Four coworkers smiling around a laptop at a shared table

    Group health insurance

    Health benefits for small businesses, from a two-person shop to a fifty-person team.

    Explore group health insurance
  • A carpenter smiling while working on a piece of wood

    Disability insurance

    Replaces part of your income if illness or injury stops you from working.

    Explore disability insurance

Who calls

If this is you, you are in the right place.

Most of the people who book with CHA Lifeguard are between 35 and 55 and buy their own coverage. Dagan Martinez-Vargas has done this for them for years, and the first meeting is where the guessing stops.

  • You work for yourself.

    Realtors, consultants, contractors, anyone on a 1099. No benefits packet, and an income that moves. The plan has to be built around how you earn.

    Self-employed and 1099

  • You left a big employer.

    The plan you had at Dell, Amazon or Apple is not sold to individuals in Texas. What is sold can be compared properly, and the differences matter.

    Leaving corporate benefits

  • You cover a family.

    Each person has their own doctors and prescriptions. A plan that is right for one of you can be wrong for all of you, so every member is checked.

    Families

  • You run a small business.

    Your own coverage first, then benefits for the people who work for you, sized to the business as it grows.

    Small business owners

Choosing alone vs. with Dagan

Most mistakes happen before anyone gets sick.

None of these are rare. They are the normal outcome of choosing a health plan from a list with no one checking the details. Here is the same decision made with Dagan.
Choosing a plan
Sort by monthly premium and hope the rest works out.
Premium, deductible, copays and out-of-pocket maximum added up for the whole year, plan by plan.
Your doctors
Find out at the first appointment whether your doctor is in network.
Your doctors and prescriptions checked against each plan's network and drug list before you enroll.
Marketplace income estimate
Guess. A low estimate can mean paying part of the savings back at tax time.
An estimate built with you, and updated with HealthCare.gov when your income changes.
Deadlines
Miss the window and wait for next year, unless a life event qualifies you.
Someone who knows the Open Enrollment and Special Enrollment rules and tells you where you stand.
Paperwork
Applications, documents and follow-ups on your own time.
Applications and paperwork handled with you.
After you enroll
A carrier hotline.
Dagan's phone number, year-round, for changes and claim questions.

Plan availability, benefits and costs vary by carrier, county and plan year. Marketplace savings depend on the household income you report to HealthCare.gov.

Book a health insurance call

How it works

Three steps, and the third one does not end

Insurance paperwork is a chore for most people. The point of working with an independent broker is that you do not do it alone, before or after you enroll. Your part is step one.
  1. 01

    Book the right meeting (two minutes)

    Pick the meeting that matches your question: health insurance, life or disability, cancer, heart and accident plans, or group benefits. Most are held over Zoom, so there is nowhere to drive.

  2. 02

    Dagan does the comparing

    Bring your doctor list, your prescriptions and, for Marketplace plans, an income estimate. He checks plans from multiple carriers against them and against the total yearly cost, not just the premium.

  3. 03

    Enroll, then keep his number

    He helps with the application and paperwork. When something changes mid-year, or a claim needs a follow-up, you call him, not a carrier hotline.

Your broker

Dagan Martinez-Vargas

Born and raised in Austin. Studied biology, so medical terms, pre-existing conditions and drug formularies are familiar ground. Eagle Scout. Ran Central Texas for Jack Daniel's before founding his own brokerage. Author of Play The Room and a professional speaker, which is why he explains insurance in plain words.

“Insurance paperwork sucks for most people. That's why I do it with them.”
Licensed broker
NPN 18465670
Works with
Multiple carriers
Meets
Over Zoom, across Texas
Book a consultationRead his full background

Before you book

Questions people ask first.

CHA Lifeguard is an independent insurance brokerage in Austin, Texas, founded by insurance broker Dagan Martinez-Vargas (National Producer Number 18465670). Instead of representing a single insurance company, Dagan compares plans from multiple carriers. He helps individuals, families, self-employed people and small businesses with health insurance (including ACA Marketplace plans through HealthCare.gov), life insurance, supplemental cancer, heart and accident plans, dental and vision insurance, group benefits and disability insurance. Consultations are booked online, and most meeting types are held over Zoom.

What is CHA Lifeguard?
CHA Lifeguard is an independent insurance brokerage in Austin, Texas, run by broker Dagan Martinez-Vargas, who compares plans from multiple carriers for individuals, families, the self-employed and small businesses.
What insurance does CHA Lifeguard help with?
Health insurance (including ACA Marketplace plans), life insurance, supplemental cancer, heart and accident plans, dental and vision insurance, group benefits and disability insurance.
Where is CHA Lifeguard located?
CHA Lifeguard is based in Austin, Texas, and most consultations are held over Zoom, so Dagan works with clients across the state.
How do I get started?
Book a consultation online and pick the meeting type that matches your need (health, life or disability, supplemental, or group benefits), or call (512) 612-3226.
Can I keep my current doctors?
That depends on the plan, which is why Dagan checks your doctors and prescriptions against each plan's network and drug list before you choose, not after. Networks change from year to year, so the check is repeated at every renewal.
I already have a plan. Is a review still worth it?
Usually yes. Plans, networks, drug lists and prices change every plan year, and so do your income and your doctors. A review compares what you have against what is available now, and if your current plan is still the best fit, that is the answer you get.

More answers in the insurance FAQ.

From the blog

Plain-language guides.

All articles
Tax forms, a pen and a coffee mug laid out on a dark desk

Health insurance

Open Enrollment Checklist for Self-Employed Texans

If you work for yourself, Open Enrollment is the one window each year when you can choose or switch a Marketplace plan without a qualifying life event. Here is what to have in hand before you compare plans.

3 min read

Two people reviewing printed documents together at a table

Health insurance

PPO or HMO? Decide With Your Own Doctor List

Most people choose between PPO and HMO plans by price. A better starting point is the list of doctors and medications you already have. Here is how to use it.

2 min read

Papers and a pen on a wooden table

Supplemental insurance

What "Cash Benefits Paid to You" Actually Means

Supplemental cancer, heart and accident plans describe themselves as paying cash benefits directly to you. That phrase is doing a lot of work. Here is what it means and what to check.

2 min read

Talk to Dagan

Start with a conversation.

Pick a time, bring your doctor list and your current plan if you have one, and leave with your options compared side by side.

Book a consultationCall (512) 612-3226