Marketplace Navigators Changing Clients Plans

[cadylou]

As I said, it is just a wag. Not sure you can get a true number. There are a handful of agents (including one that runs a telesales company) that wrote a lot of business.

Then you have folks like eHealth pushing Obamacrack.

The numbers (whatever they are) get cloudy because of applications started by agents that got "lost" in the system along the way with agent NPN's being knocked off the transcript.

Consumers as a whole have lost under Obamacrack. For all the talk about those who could never get or afford coverage there are 20 more that have suffered because of this law.

The goal of providing health insurance for all (which will not be achieved with Obamacrack) took a convoluted and wildly expensive track. The simplest and least costly approach would be to leave the prior system in place and shore it up with Medicaid expansion and a national risk pool.

Of course that would be too easy.

Well eHealth is posting record losses this year - something like $19 million was the figure I recall. They are blaming it on the compressed enrollment period and the fact that the "details" about policies are too confusing for people. The article I read about this indicated that once people got online - whether it was through the marketplace or an entity like eHealth, they chose to seek out the services of an agent.

Unfortunately, next year they may find we're not available. I'm doing some business planning as we speak to determine what cutting this segment loose will do to my business. If I keep individuals, it may only be "off exchange".

Someone here asked why some of us are dealing with subsidies at all, and I can say that in my case, many of these folks that I had were long time clients who were cancelled by the insurance company & had to go to ACA plans. If they could qualify for the subsidy, I encouraged them to get it since the price of the new policies were so high, it posed a hardship. I will feel badly if I have to let some of those people go, but I think I'm just going to have to draw the line at "if you get a subsidy, you're on your own". . . .

 

[FLM2]

Amen to that, I tell them what to do then it's up to them, I don't call for them or sit with them while calling mp, once they get their tax credit they are in obama's hand's. And talk about reaching out and touching someone, those hands jerk and slap that person around until they are

All of us want to get paid for our work so it's important to keep these policies in force. I will do as much as I reasonably can to make sure this occurs.

Beyond that, though, it's up to the client-if 10-15% of them drop off during the year that isn't an issue and they can easily be replaced next year by those who are more self sufficient but need my expertise and advice.

It's all a matter of balance-have a book of business in different segments (Off Exchange, On Exchange, Medicare, Life and Other) and keep those segments with reasonable balance (just like an Asset Allocation for investments).

 

[bill3173]

Consumers as a whole have lost under Obamacrack. For all the talk about those who could never get or afford coverage there are 20 more that have suffered because of this law.

Lies on top of lies, with nothing more than a pretense of accountability.

 

[sunkarma11]

You did a great job but the reality is that all of that time you spent just isn't worth it for the compensation received-an attorney would have probably billed out over $5K to obtain the same result.

While I care about clients getting what they are paying for I have reached the point where I am no longer willing to take anywhere near the responsibility I have in the past for making sure things are correct. Agents are being marginalized by a system that doesn't want us around so why even bother, there is little to be gained by it and very much to lose if things go wrong and the client (or carrier) throws you under the bus.

I absolutely agree! I stuck to my existing client base this year (though I cheated a bit by becoming an administrator...). The only new business I took was from referral... I simply couldn't bring myself to take on additional headaches... I never did get paid for that 10 month case btw... go figure.

I am currently working on writing a series of novels to be the next Harry Potter empire... I'll settle for 50 shades of whatever pays the bills...
then this all becomes a distant (and quickly forgotten) nightmare...

 

[MaryDallas]

I have people from 2014 that did not send in the requirements. Now, they are getting letters that they have 30 days to 'either' send in income verification or citizenship proof (whichever they are asking for) 'or' lose their Tax Credit and pay back for the year. The march is getting heavy now. I even send out monthly newsletters to try to keep people up to date on what they need to do. People are calling me with: "Will you do this for me?" "No."

And what about the 'click here and we won't bug you for 5 years' button? That doesn't work either. They have the tax returns; what more do they want? These people are just warting everyone to pieces for this Tax Credit. They pay for it in sheer aggravation.

 

[AllenChicago]

call the CMS regional offices.. I had a case last year that took 10 months to clear up...the marketplace escalation rep let slip about the CMS regional office oversight.

I tracked down the number for the regional office. I was able to get them to investigate, and they got her plan re-instated back to June using the payments already applied, got her meds (family took a ton of them) re-imbursed for having had to pay out of pocket, got her hubby's 60k ICU bill covered for her original 500 deductible/ 750 MOOP... call them... see how fast that gets fixed...

SunKarma11, thanks for taking the time to share with us the best method for resolving the toughest Marketplace-related problems. It's appreciated!
-ac

 

[FLM2]

I have people from 2014 that did not send in the requirements. Now, they are getting letters that they have 30 days to 'either' send in income verification or citizenship proof (whichever they are asking for) 'or' lose their Tax Credit and pay back for the year. The march is getting heavy now. I even send out monthly newsletters to try to keep people up to date on what they need to do. People are calling me with: "Will you do this for me?" "No."

And what about the 'click here and we won't bug you for 5 years' button? That doesn't work either. They have the tax returns; what more do they want? These people are just warting everyone to pieces for this Tax Credit. They pay for it in sheer aggravation.

Does everyone get a 30 day warning after the original deadline?

If so, that makes me feel much better about keeping stuff on the books and not overly stressing about getting this done by the deadline; it also takes me off the hook, so to speak, on reminding them to do this.

 

[MaryDallas]

Yes; clients get bombarded with letters from the marketplace. They get so much that they sometimes ignore. Many of these letters and notices are as if they are from the insurance carrier and they are not. These 30-day notices come after a year of trying to collect up data so I guess this is the 'final' notice. We'll see. It may be the final/final/final before 'the final'.

 

[somarco]

Unfortunately, next year they may find we're not available. I'm doing some business planning as we speak to determine what cutting this segment loose will do to my business. If I keep individuals, it may only be "off exchange".

Someone here asked why some of us are dealing with subsidies at all, and I can say that in my case, many of these folks that I had were long time clients who were cancelled by the insurance company & had to go to ACA plans. If they could qualify for the subsidy, I encouraged them to get it since the price of the new policies were so high, it posed a hardship. I will feel badly if I have to let some of those people go, but I think I'm just going to have to draw the line at "if you get a subsidy, you're on your own". . . .

I am a year ahead of you, cadylou.

No subsidy business at all.

Not soliciting new business but will take referrals, off exchange only.

Shifting focus to 100% Medicare.

Come 2016 I will accept renewals but won't write ANY new Obamacrack business, not even referrals.

 

[cadylou]

I am a year ahead of you, cadylou. No subsidy business at all. Not soliciting new business but will take referrals, off exchange only. Shifting focus to 100% Medicare. Come 2016 I will accept renewals but won't write ANY new Obamacrack business, not even referrals.

My thoughts exactly!!