Cheapest States For Assurant, Aetna??

[Crabcake Johnny]

I'm with you - hardly ever sell a copay plan. The goal is simple; get the cheapest rate while still having a comprehensive plan. I've petitioned Aetna to offer plans without the copay option. IMHO their fixed copay will eventually drive them out of the market.

That copay is an incredible con. The last bill I got for a doctor visit was $55. The copay would be been $35. The difference in rate if I went on a copay plan would be $220 a month. The difference between $55 and $35 is $20. That means I'd need to see a doctor 11 times a month to come out even on a copay plan.

And the biggest con of all is outpatient lab testing for all insurance companies is deductible and coinsurance anway.

 

[somarco]

Aetna has a lot of drawbacks, and the copay is way down on my list. The biggest deal killer is the $5k cap on Rx. Only one plan (in GA) has an unlimited Rx and that is the only one I offer.

They introduced a Hospital & Preventive care plan in GA a few months back. Why, I dont know. No coverage for OV (other than annual well check), no Rx coverage. Rate isn't that good for what they are stripping out.

I suppose someone will buy it.

Just not my clients.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Well, this just happened a few minutes ago. Called a lead - husband on wife on GR's HSA. Great, but they declined the son - age 8 who was born with mild spina bifida. It was surgically corrected at age 1 and full recovery. Son's on the crappy state plan. Now here's the wrench - they're moving to South Carolina later this year. Well, there goes the son's MHIP coverage.

Not with Assurant - son will be on the plan so the whole family will be on the HSA.

Nice. And why would GR decline a surgically corrected condition done 7 years ago?

 

[somarco]

Spina bifida (or any other paralysis) can have residual & long term effects. Time is the only carrier I have run across that will CONSIDER a spina bifida case.

A guy I talked to last year had SB. He was mid 50's and a truck driver. Walks with a limp and wears braces. Takes pain meds. Every one else said no. Time said yes but with a full back waiver.

He said no.

He is going without coverage because of stupidity.

Sometimes it scares me when one lone carrier says yes while others say no.

Just found out last week that Aetna will consider Type II diabetics.

No one else will touch them. Blue used to but then figured they were the only one picking up Type II folks and stopped over a year ago.

I have yet to find one carrier that is really any smarter than the rest. When everyone is heading east and one carrier goes west it is usually for all the wrong reasons.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Assurant would not have touched this kid if he was currently on meds or was having any type of problem. In this specific case it was a mild case and fully corrected at age 1. The kid's 8 now and zero problems for 7 years. He's bouncing off the walls and playing sports. You just need underwriting with the flexability to view each individual case and judge it on it's own merits. GR doesn't do that. Just the word "spina bifida" is a flat decline.

I also agree with Aetna and they take non-insulin diet-controlled diabetics in MD where no other carrier will touch them. Kinda scary. I don't have great predictions for Aetna in the individual market over the next 10 years. Low as-earned commissions paired with inflexible plans and rate increases spells disaster.

 

[somarco]

Aetna has bigger issues than the commission structure.

Their products are (mostly) non-competitive in GA. You can write them on risks that others either don't want, or are charging more.

No load for smokers. Go figure.

No waivers, only rate up or decline.

Family rates assume 2 kids. Guess what they get? Families with 3+ kids. I had one with 5 kids and they smoked everyone else on rate.

So . . . they charge more than most everyone else on the good risks and less than everyone else on the poorer risks.

How long do you think that will keep up?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

After the recent rate hike, family age 45 to 49 is $693 per month. Pass. Even if they're smokers I can beat it with GR or Assurant.