A rant about tardy Medicare carrier commission payments

[glrocky]

Medicare health insurance agents are obviously at the bottom of the food chain.

I know this isn't a suprise to veteran agents...

Secure Horizons recently moved their commission processing inhouse. Supposedly this would result in increased efficiencies.

My FMO (A_A in Anaheim California) screwed up the submission of 2 applications to the carrier (transposed the writing number). After 2 weeks of phone calls to the carrier, they finally realized the error. They expedited it to their wonderfully staffed (3 person) commission exception department. That was 2 weeks ago. Broker support doesen't know when the backlogged department will be able to get around to correcting the error. Even if they correct the error, they claim that it could take me up to 2 payments cycles to be paid.

This is bad, but I've had the carriers take up to 3 months to correct payment errors.

As I've said, we're at the bottom of the food chain.

 

[GreenSky]

Medicare health insurance agents are obviously at the bottom of the food chain.

I know this isn't a suprise to veteran agents...

Secure Horizons recently moved their commission processing inhouse. Supposedly this would result in increased efficiencies.

My FMO (A_A in Anaheim California) screwed up the submission of 2 applications to the carrier (transposed the writing number). After 2 weeks of phone calls to the carrier, they finally realized the error. They expedited it to their wonderfully staffed (3 person) commission exception department. That was 2 weeks ago. Broker support doesen't know when the backlogged department will be able to get around to correcting the error. Even if they correct the error, they claim that it could take me up to 2 payments cycles to be paid.

This is bad, but I've had the carriers take up to 3 months to correct payment errors.

As I've said, we're at the bottom of the food chain.

...

 

[glrocky]

After coming off my first Medicare annual/open enrollment season, I'm also at the stage where commissions (?) will soon (?) be kicking in, but this problem is a screwup caused by a data entry issue, and only compounded by the carrier.

I have misgivings about the FMO, and I'll be closely monitoring their performance. Unfortunately, I have recently submitted AARP applications. The only good news here is that United Health will pay me directly.

 

[The Rabbi]

They have growing pains. Get used to it. Yesterday I gave up trying to get them on the phone they were so busy.

Companies don't usually hold sales producers in high esteem. Seems backwards but the business community is sort of backwards in their thinking about what or who is important.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Companies don't usually hold sales producers in high esteem. Seems backwards but the business community is sort of backwards in their thinking about what or who is important.

An excellent point. Most of these companies think that their products are so fantastic that they could send a trained chimp out to sell them.

Doesn't work that way.

 

[mcday]

I feel like a "trained Chimp" when I'm selling these MA plans!

 

[Slim]

Maybe [email protected] is an email to check out. If you have a
commission question and are independent . I do not have email addy in front of me . Call 888-381-8581 if you are indi. Get address from them. Get info from them on phone if you want. On email the limit of clients they may search is not a problem I think . I have heard of commission being paid since change to paying in house, as quick as before. I feel your pain.

 

[theinuranceguy]

I had a rather large charge back from SH totally out of the blue. I rarely get chargebacks for my MA business...

I called to see my clients to see why they canceled, NONE OF THEM DID.

I called up SH and they said they would look into it...

That took 4 weeks...

I got an email saying, that I had recieved a physical check in the mail for these clients and had gotten paid twice?

My commissions have always been direct deposit, and the only physical check I have ever recieved was for a bonus...

I told them that and they said they would look into it. Another 3 weeks later I get a list of the clients I got a check mailed out for...

Best Part:

They say I recieved the check in Jan. 2008 for these clients but 100% of the clients I wrote up where in the month of July 2008...

I told the lady on the other line that its impossible to get a commission check for these clients when they were written 6 months later...

I mean advanced commissions are great, but this was awesome!

They are still looking into it, and continue to blame it on them merging commission departments.

Sheesh