Did BCBS Declare No Comm in Tex

[taterpeeler]

who is the *** ding bat that sent you that email sam

 

[SamIam]

I think her name was Edith Bunker.

 

[AllenChicago]

It's one thing to lower or eliminate commissions but I don't see how they can change commission on business that has always been written already.

Sam, a couple of our BCBS-IL plans are going away for 2017. Those clients cannot "renew". They will be New Business and we'll be paid accordingly.

Plus, we'll have to see what the BCBS rules will be on what counts as renewals next year. In past years, we continued to be paid on "passive" renewals. Some companies cut the agent out of the equation at passive-renewal time. I'm hoping that BCBS-IL doesn't adopt that method, to get around paying agent renewals.

 

[wehotex]

here was a email that was forwarded to me.


Lantex insurance alert!!!
Client news (sept 2016)
re: Agent commissions eliminated
for texas individual/family plans
all individual & family policies effected

dear friends, this email is to all of lantex’s personal policy holders…
you may not know this, but all of the major health insurance companies in texas (and other states, too) have essentially eliminated agents from representing them for their individual/family policies. To accomplish this they have lowered agent commissions to zero or next to zero. Most did it right after last year’s open enrollment period; the rest made their announcements this week in advance of policies to be written during this year’s open enrollment for 1/1/17 and effects policies written for a 1/1/17 effective date. As follows…
agent commissions
aetna...$1/person/month
blue cross blue shield of texas…$0*
humana…$0
scott & white…1% open enrollment period, 0% special enrollment periods
united…$0

· bcbs currently allows 4% commissions on renewals if there are no changes.
However, we believe bcbs will shortly follow others and eliminate renewal commissions as well.

The health insurance companies are increasing their internal gross margins with the 5%-6% that agent commissions represented. Keep this in mind as you suffer the burden of the premium increases predicted to take effect january 1, 2017.
Back before 2010 some of you may recall our relating the health insurance premium levels of those days for a family of four to an auto lease; in the range of $200-$400 per month for a family of four. Today we make a similar analogy, but it now involves $1,800-$2,200 per month for a family of four and we now relate that to a 90%/30yr mortgage on a $500,000 home ($2,010/mo @3.5%). Before obamacare we had to make a decision between a car and health insurance; bad enough, right? Apparently, not even close.
Yes, that is what obamacare has done “to make health insurance more affordable” for you since it passed in 2010. Now it has facilitated the demise of another private enterprise market, and a chunk of my family’s income.
So, this email is to give you a heads up…you will be on your own for your health insurance this coming renewal period...and beyond.
If your current insurance company asks for a big rate increase or radically changes the benefit packages for your 2017 renewal as blue cross did both last year, you will be able to go online to a carrier’s website and get quotes. We advise, unless you think you are eligible for an obamacare subsidy, stay off the so-called “exchange” or “marketplace” by ignoring or answering “no” to questions related to your finances. That way you will stay on the insurance company’s website and not be linked over to the obamacare exchange. After you get proposals, if you want to call and get some advice, we would be glad to hear from you. We consider every one of you a friend and would do our best to help you make a good decision for yourself and your families, pro bono...
Ps…we refer you back to our lantex email to you of august 13, 2015 as we prepared you for last year’s open enrollment, to refresh your memory as to how obamacare impacted your health insurance last year.

Pps. If you don’t like how health insurance has turned out for you and your family these past six years, this november 8th is the last and only opportunity you have to do anything about it.

who is john galt?

 

[TwoLabs]

Texas commission rates are tiered based upon 2015 open enrollment number of policies in force.


Commissions will be tiered year as follows:


100 and over 5 / 2.5
25 to 99 4 / 2
1 to 24 3 / 1.5

 

[Pancur]

Is it official?

 

[TwoLabs]

I don't think it's official yet, but this was passed on to me by my MGA who was in a meeting with them last week.

 

[AllenChicago]

Hcsc is supposed to post the 2017 schedule to the bcbs agent portals today.. 10-10-2016. The schedule from twolabs is whats being floated in 2017 seminars.