How To Shoot Yourself In The Foot...

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

The exact wording that Golden Rule uses on the app is "In the last 24 months, has any applicant participated in driving any type of motorcycle?"

Newby...I understand your point, but grammatically, the term "driving a motorcycle is not inaccurate. And yes...that is a double-negative.

One rides a motorcycle and "drives" it as well....just as you drive a car. Theoretically, the act of "riding" connotates sitting as opposed to directing.

The point? None. No need to lose sleep over it.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

And this is why client's don't fill out their own apps.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

In Ohio, GR requires the client to answer all medical questions themselves.

 

[somarco]

In Ohio, GR requires the client to answer all medical questions themselves

Many carriers do likewise.

Of course that does not preclude the agent from assisting.

With all online apps I start by having the client fill in a paper app & fax to me. I tell them this is for a "dry run" to see if there is missing information or if there are any areas not previously revealed that will cause delays in underwriting.

This also gives me a hard copy record in their writing of conditions they have admitted to.

Most of the online apps (including GR) allow the agent to start the process and then turn it over to the client for final review & submission. With GR I stop right before the payment info and email them the app. I tell them to review everything completely before entering payment data & submitting.

Of course this is not foolproof. I recently had to get a policy reissued (with Time) because the birth control Rx was made out in the wife's name and in this case the wife was listed as a male. The error was discovered when the pharmacy was not allowed to enter the Rx for repricing. Seems the PBM does not allow males to receive birth control pills.

Sure enough when I checked the online application I discovered that I had inadvertently performed a gender reassignment. A call to Time got the policy reissued but did not take the red out of my face.

My client was happy to know she could resume life as a female . . . at least as far as Time was concerned.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Admittedly, I do not have clients do a paper app before they do the online app. With this guy, I completed all of the basic stuff for him (name, address etc...) and then turned it over to him for the medical questions.

Here's another twist. Some companies (not GR) ask a question in the Agent's section regarding if we (the agent) know anything about the applicant that was not stated on the app. On life insurance applications, this is more common.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

I do all the online apps myself right from my agent website then the client gets the link to verify the info. We do that while on the phone, go over everything yet again, then they verify the app.

I have no idea how GR operates in Ohio. In MD I can do the entire app from my broker site and they get confirmation email.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

I believe it is the same here. I was alluding to the paper app in my earlier post about the applicant answering the questions.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

I like the extra step Assurant has requiring the client to sign and send back the offer to accept/attest. It's a paper version of the online app and fantastic CYA sytem.

 

[Slick]

As a consumer, I applied to Golden Rule, the app asked if I rode a motorcyce. I said "yes". They declined me. I looked it up and found the AMA had already fought this fight. I shared this information with GR and they reversed their decision. I didn't have a motorcycle license and I was a AMA member at the time.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Motorcycles are no longer a GR decline or rider. It's now just an increased premium.