Just How Bad is ....MEGA ?

[1manshow]

having the same issues most of you are...anything worse than a hangnail..and highmark sends a decline. I know some have said that MEGA has generous underwriting but I'm wondering how bad they are at everything else? and is the rumor about underwriting true?

 

[DS4]

Mega has generous underwriting because they don't pay out much in claims.

 

[Expat]

USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/insurance/2007-09-04-limited-coverage_N.htm

ABC News 7 Fort Myers/Naples
http://www.abc-7.com/articles/readnews.asp?articleid=13582&z=2&p


Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6847067

USA Today Delaware
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/regulation/2007-10-10-mega_N.htm

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=623970

Johns Hopkins University
http://www.jhu.edu/gro/gradnews/Archives/GradNews_2000/dec2000.PDF

Business Week Online
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_37/b3899076_mz021.htm

New Hampshire Business Review
http://www.nh.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/BUSINESSREVIEW05/61108026

Boston Globe 1.0
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2004/01/18/premium_deal_with_complications/

Boston Globe 2.0
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2006/10/31/low_cost_insurer_leaves_bills_and_a_bitter_taste/

Law.com
http://law.freeadvice.com/insurance_law/health_insurance/mega-life-bad-faith-attorney-interview.htm

Health Care for All
http://blog.hcfama.org/?p=617

Epinions.com
http://www99.epinions.com/content_4745896068

Selfemployedweb.com
http://www.selfemployedweb.com/mega-al.htm

PBS.com
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/050506_index.html

Healthcareshopper.com
http://www.healthcareshopper.com/blog/2006/11/mega_life_beats_another_fraud_case.html

Los Angeles Attorney
http://www.insurancefraud-gallegoslawfirm.com/

AttorneyPages.com
http://attorneypages.com/hot/purchase-mega-life-policy.htm

SteveShorr.com
http://www.steveshorr.com/nase_details.htm


Maine DOI
MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company to pay One Million Dollar Fine and $4.6M Restitution to Consumers plus Interest : Bureau of Insurance




There’s even a short PBS movie about them:

This is a 20 minute video from PBS on Mega:
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/050506_index.html#


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2004247661_mega28m.html Feb 2008 Seattle

This is from the TDI site.
The Mega Life and Health Insurance Company of North Richland Hills
Order Number: 090799
Date of Order: 9/25/2009
Order Final In: September
Action Taken: $500,000 fine; Must maintain a 98 percent or higher quarterly prompt pay compliance standard
Violation: Failed to pay clean claims in a timely manner; Failed to provide certain mandated coverages to insureds


Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee of North Richland Hills
Order Number: 090800
Date of Order: 9/11/2009
Order Final In: September
Action Taken: $100,000 fine; Must maintain a 98 percent or higher quarterly prompt pay compliance standard
Violation: Failed to pay clean claims in timely manner; Failed to provide certain mandated coverages to insureds

Other than these minor details they seem to be a fabulous company.

 

[GreenSky]

Sure, you can post all that. But what about PROOF?

Rick

 

[scrabble]

having the same issues most of you are...anything worse than a hangnail..and highmark sends a decline. I know some have said that MEGA has generous underwriting but I'm wondering how bad they are at everything else? and is the rumor about underwriting true?

I know a mega guy in my area, they now have UHC in their portfolio. If it's a UHC policy, then their underwriting is brutal. To top it off their rates have become even less competitive lately.

 

[dgoldenz]

I know a mega guy in my area, they now have UHC in their portfolio. If it's a UHC policy, then their underwriting is brutal. To top it off their rates have become even less competitive lately.

UHC's underwriting is pretty easy if they don't have any major conditions. They are always in the top 3 price-wise here in VA, obviously that varies by state.

 

[scrabble]

UHC's underwriting is pretty easy if they don't have any major conditions. They are always in the top 3 price-wise here in VA, obviously that varies by state.

True, they are in the top three here as well. As recent as this last quarter, their rates went from best for a 5k (family shared) deductible HSA to third behind Anthem and Humana. Maybe it was just in that particular zip code that it's spiked.

 

[dgoldenz]

True, they are in the top three here as well. As recent as this last quarter, their rates went from best for a 5k (family shared) deductible HSA to third behind Anthem and Humana. Maybe it was just in that particular zip code that it's spiked.

They are pretty dead even with Humana for the most part here, but they have a much better network both in VA and nationwide which is an easy selling point. I'm also not all that confident in Humana sticking around forever in Virginia. My Humana rep told me that I'm one of only 3 agents she has in Virginia. There may be some in other states that sell in VA, but really....3 agents? Anthem also caps Rx here to $5k or $7500 depending on plan. For those that care about Rx, another easy selling point.

Anthem kills everyone on rates for healthy people though and a lot of them just don't want to pay the higher rates (which can often be $200+ per month difference for same type of plan) to have a better Rx benefit. The rates between Anthem and everyone other company on people over 50 isn't even close. Anthem is literally half the price in most cases.

 

[1manshow]

Alrighty then, so what about Pa ? We already use Highmark, Aetna, Healthamerica and UHC...is there another "good" writer of individual health we're missing?

 

[compliance1]

That's strange I just found this thread. I had to call Mega yesterday for a client while he was sitting here. I asked them if he changed his policy (raised deductible) if he would fall out of grandfathered status under HCR? I was told Mega isn't making any changes to their policies one way or the other. I said what about the mandates taking effect 9/23/2010? Well the customer service person didn't know about any mandates. I got off the phone rolling in laughter, either these people get their employees from wino's on the streets or they are planning on pulling out of a lot of states or giving it up completely. I think they might as well give it up completely they have been nothing but scammers from day one.