Wellcare PDP Class Action Suit

[axeman462]

Obamacare is a disaster for anyone who isn't within 10% of the poverty line limit, too, financially. The coverage only gets worse as you pay more money. Makes absolutely no logical sense and needs to massively change.

I got so tired of delivering people bad news that I just stopped working the exchange years ago. I didn't do it much anyway, but it's just a disaster.

It also makes us as brokers look bad, too, because people are coming to us for help, when they need insurance, and then we have to tell them they're gonna pay $800/month for a plan with a $7,500 deductible.

It's not good for business/ receiving referrals. When someone isn't happy, they aren't gonna give you more business.

They're gonna go...."Yea, I went to that guy you mentioned and he quoted me a terrible plan for an outrageous price!"

And even if they do give you referrals, if they are happy, it's just gonna be more people like them....people that are only out of work for a few months before they find a new job with insurance coverage.

You just end up doing a TON of work for $40, and then they're gone for good. Not worth it.

They don't understand that we have no control over these plans and prices. 80-90% of plans are not good.

As far as I can't tell it seems you are right.

I recently started offering U65 insurance for two reasons.
1) to attempt to get myself decent insurance at an affordable price. - I accomplished the latter somewhat, since I can collect the commission now
2) I got tired of referring the spouse of a client to unreliable agents.

I don't intend to make U65 my main product, but if I can make a few hundred bucks a month, and secure my business a little more at the same time I don't see the reason not to.

Hopefully the next administration can offer some solutions to the U65 market. I like my HSA, but my plan's network is horrible. I sometimes envy my MAPD clients

 

[Midlevel]

Obamacare pays 100% of my rent and overhead so Medicare is 100% profit. Don't agree with farmers that own 5 million worth of land getting free insurance but at least I'm getting paid.

 

[Chazm]

As far as I can't tell it seems you are right.

I recently started offering U65 insurance for two reasons.
1) to attempt to get myself decent insurance at an affordable price. - I accomplished the latter somewhat, since I can collect the commission now
2) I got tired of referring the spouse of a client to unreliable agents.

I don't intend to make U65 my main product, but if I can make a few hundred bucks a month, and secure my business a little more at the same time I don't see the reason not to.

Hopefully the next administration can offer some solutions to the U65 market. I like my HSA, but my plan's network is horrible. I sometimes envy my MAPD clients

It's really not hard. And of course insurance is expensive for you and I but believe me, you will talk to plenty of people who can get a plan for $50 with a $1k moop.
The people who have to pay a lot aren't pissed. It's the ones who have to pay $200-300 that are oddly pissed. I then tell them I pay over $1600 for a family of 3 with a $5k ded. You'll live

I don't sell it often, maybe 20 total clients but that's an extra $500/month. I need to double it this OEP to make up for WellCare.

 

[kgmom219]

I have a few

Probably 50 a year age into Medicare, it's home grown referrals.

In my perfect world, my income is in thirds: group, individual, Medicare. Medicare is taking over and now it's at 50/25/25

If the government or WellCare throws me a curve ball, I'm in great shape. I can pivot with no problem.

ACA has its own challenges but what else is new?

 

[WiscBroker]

It's really not hard. And of course insurance is expensive for you and I but believe me, you will talk to plenty of people who can get a plan for $50 with a $1k moop.
The people who have to pay a lot aren't pissed. It's the ones who have to pay $200-300 that are oddly pissed. I then tell them I pay over $1600 for a family of 3 with a $5k ded. You'll live

I don't sell it often, maybe 20 total clients but that's an extra $500/month. I need to double it this OEP to make up for WellCare.

My people who pay a lot ARE pissed, but they have no choice so they pay. They may not always outright express their anger or unhappiness, but you can tell. I hear the sighs, I sense the frustration, and many outright vent.
What I can tell you is I've had both depressed people in my office since the election but a lot of optimistic people hoping the new administration can right the ship and make things better.

 

[Evan]

I'm 80/20 ACA-Short Term to Medicare. The unhappiness on the ACA dwarfs the Medicare side especially this year. Its even more frustating as a carrier can be priced well one year and do a 180 the next year. Guess who then has to move everyone.

And don't even get me started on self employed people estimating their income. Its never correct. Why open enrollment is not during June/July when people have a grasp of their financial year is beyond me.

 

[Duaine]

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

View attachment 15541

Literally the absolute dumbest system in existence. I tell people straight out this is a very dumb process the government makes us go through. Just try your best. Get the government OUT of insurance!!!

 

[Central1980]

Like many here I will be losing a good amount of money if Wellcare does not pay my commissions on my clients that will auto-renew. I have asked Wellcare management to qualify whether the non-payment of renewals means for PDP clients that happen to move to Wellcare this year, or does it target my existing book renewals? I have not seen any written communications from Wellcare on the subject.

If indeed they are cutting the existing-client renewal commisions, is anyone working on a class action lawsuit ? I know that other people have negative opinions about class actions, but this one would not be typical. In this case the damages are easy to quantify, and the aggrieved pool is easy to identify and qualify. A case like this one should be just actual damages, plus legal fees plus legal expenses . With 6 million members, even if only half are agent sold, Wellcare is taking some $150 million from agents. I think these numbers are suffcient to interest decent attorneys.

I know many will be reluctant to do anything, preferring to bellyache and retaliate against Wellcare, however, we should be clear that if one carrier does this and gets away with it, the rest of them will sit up, take notice, and see such a strategy as a way to improve the bottom line in difficult times. What if some decide that regular MAPD's are also targetable? This could be an industry destroyer if we do not respond. At my age, I am just not ready to re-invent myself for what would be about the fifth time.

If someone else has some process started, I will be happy to join. If not, then I will start talking to some attorneys and see if there is any interest.

I agree this is absolute disrespect to the agent community, we kill ourselves each year managing this stupid part d benefit for barely any compensation, they then want to sucker all the business from us by offering zero premium pdp plans, we move all our existing blocks from good carriers like humana, Cigna, blue cross. They then screw us out of renewals and ability to write new business. Screw this company, they should have a class action suit that spins their heads. I will never contract with them again I don't care if their plans are free or not. this just shows you how easily these companies can screw over the agent we have no value to them whatsoever.

 

[christinal]

I have been Wellcare agent for 20 years. Number one producer for years. I was "captive" and then Wellcare got rid of captives so I now am a broker. new contract signed may 2024. Wellcare/Centene took full advantage of my loyalty and NOW STUPIDITY
as strong worker. I had MAPD plan ending NC so I was losing my book of business around 750 people. I did plan changes from MAPD To MAPD and I do NOT get commissions for plan changes under Wellcare. I only got renewal monthly. I was loyal to Wellcare did the plan changes and they terminated my contract Dec 8th the day after AEP. Now I am frantic for OEP and am forced to do all the work twice to other carriers in my area.