The Price is Right - The Selling of Medicare. CA Health Advocates Report

[SeniorInsuranceGuy]

Google this: The price is right - the selling of medicare by callfornia health advocates

There is a 20 page Brief by the California Health Advocates group titled "New Marketing Rules Fail to Cure Problems in the Medicare Marketplace."

This site wouldn't let me post URL as I've not posted 15 posts yet. But it's worth the time to do it.

I've only read the first few pages of this before the blood pressure started going up. There are plenty of truisms in this piece but the authors are wrong in many areas as well.

 

[Mr. Bill]

here it is

http://www.cahealthadvocates.org/_pdf/advocacy/2008/CHA-PriceIsRight-Brief-2008-12.pdf

 

[SeniorInsuranceGuy]

Thank you. An earlier post commented on how Aetna is not retro-ing their 08 renewals. Healthnet is, to their credit. This will keep biz on their books. BUT....and this is a big BUTT.........CMS has already changed the rules, and thereby our commish contracts TWICE in the past few months. Do NOT be surprised to see them do it again and I doubt it will be to the agent's benefit. The thing is, the insurance companies are not taking less capitation while we are being paid less. One final gripe with regard to "churning": If company A has $5 copay for docs and specialists, $250 flat rate hospitalization, $10 generic and $35 brand with NO gap coverage and I move this person to company B (all other benefits being basically equal, <give or take a few things> to save space here) that features $0 to see docs and specialists, $0 for hospitalization, $5 generic and $35 brand WITH gap coverage. This is NOT churning. It is helping the client, sometimes dramatically, yet we are penalized. Now....in trying to see both sides, I can see where it would be an administrative nightmare for the accepting company, or Medicare, to tell the difference and thereby give us first year commissions.

 

[retread]

Google this: The price is right - the selling of medicare by callfornia health advocates

There is a 20 page Brief by the California Health Advocates group titled "New Marketing Rules Fail to Cure Problems in the Medicare Marketplace."

This site wouldn't let me post URL as I've not posted 15 posts yet. But it's worth the time to do it.

I've only read the first few pages of this before the blood pressure started going up. There are plenty of truisms in this piece but the authors are wrong in many areas as well.

This subject was already addressed in another thread yesterday by Melmunch....

The Price is Right-the Selling of Medicare