which company is best

[agent4sail]

I recently attended a dinner party as one of 12 guests. The only person who knew I am an agent was my friend hosting the dinner. One topic discussed was the coming election and what each diner was hoping would evolve from the new administration.

Each had very different opinions of what universal health care would mean for the consumer? Each was telling of their personal horror story with their insurance company. Not one of the couples has the same provider; yet each complained about their provider not paying what they thought their carrier obligations should be. They complained about their premium costs and their still having to pay for everything out of pocket, as they "never meet their annual deductibles". They also seemed to believe universal health services will solve this problem.

Two things concern me,
Assuming the agent/agency that sold the client their policy did explain the benefits adequately, and the provider company did a follow up to insure the information submitted was correct and verified the client understood the policy benefits and limitations......

Did these seemingly intelligent, well educated, business professionals, not listen, not hear, or not understand what they purchased? How do we, as the agent, ascertain whether our client actually understands the policy we sell them?

After that dinner I wonder what my clients say about my services, when dining with their friends.

Referencing health insurance companies:

What company do you think has the LEAST issues?
What company has the best and most respected client relations?
Which company has the best product for the best premium?

 

[midwestbroker]

Insurance is like autos in that matter...

Some people I know would never own a Ford, others would never own a Chevy, etc.

Any carrier is going to have bad and good stories.

Respond to Universal Healthcare...do you want a HMO written by the IRS?

 

[somarco]

People are basically brain dead and lazy when it comes to insurance, and especially health insurance.

They feel they are ENTITLED to health insurance at no cost . . . either from their employer or the government. If they pay more than $10 for a doc visit or Rx they feel gypped.

In their mind, health insurance is all copays. Introduce a deductible and they go crazy.

They never bother to read their policy, even after the claim, much less before.

They don't understand the difference in par and non-par providers.

They don't understand medical necessity.

They don't keep bills and cross-reference against EOB's. Then they complain when they get a collection notice.

Most of the people at the dinner probably had insurance through an employer. There was no agent to explain benefits. They were hired and given a booklet describing their benefits. They looked at the copays and that was the last time they picked it up.

They hear only the success stories about the health care delivery system in other countries and none of the bad.

They hear only stories of failure of health care here and none of the good.

So what about fair and balanced?

Doesn't exist.

If you want an education in the issues of government run health care, here and in other countries, spend some time here. Taxpayer funded, government run health care is a popular topic.

InsureBlog

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

So....carriers have never engaged in a little dirty pool? Employees have never been paid to say - deny a claim?

 

[Winter_123]

I recently attended a dinner party as one of 12 guests. The only person who knew I am an agent was my friend hosting the dinner. One topic discussed was the coming election and what each diner was hoping would evolve from the new administration.

Each had very different opinions of what universal health care would mean for the consumer? Each was telling of their personal horror story with their insurance company. Not one of the couples has the same provider; yet each complained about their provider not paying what they thought their carrier obligations should be. They complained about their premium costs and their still having to pay for everything out of pocket, as they "never meet their annual deductibles". They also seemed to believe universal health services will solve this problem.

Two things concern me,
Assuming the agent/agency that sold the client their policy did explain the benefits adequately, and the provider company did a follow up to insure the information submitted was correct and verified the client understood the policy benefits and limitations......

Did these seemingly intelligent, well educated, business professionals, not listen, not hear, or not understand what they purchased? How do we, as the agent, ascertain whether our client actually understands the policy we sell them?

After that dinner I wonder what my clients say about my services, when dining with their friends.

Referencing health insurance companies:

What company do you think has the LEAST issues?
What company has the best and most respected client relations?
Which company has the best product for the best premium?

It is good to represent the best companies - ones that do not have deep, pervasive pattern of abusing their clients. However, you are wasting your time and energy if you think that you can take the steam out of the shorts of the folks at the dinner party by just working with better companies.

Many of you ask or wonder what it is like to work in a guaranteed issue state. One of the things that happens incrementally, as a result of the sky-high costs, is that you think you doing a good job by finding them the best price and saving them a couple hundred a month. In reality when costs and expectations and premiums and actual coverage get to be so wacked out, your clients end out hating you for not being able to show them anything better and they become convinced that everything and everyone in the background is a rip-off. There may be companies to avoid but even with the best companies you cannot avoid that environment. The esteem and professional joy that you get from being the go-to guy who has all the best carriers and can show the best options disappears. So the grumblings at the dinner party will only get worse as the reality sets in that cure may end out being worse than the disease. The worst is yet to come and there is no amount of disclosure or explanation that will stick when people want to believe otherwise or are convinced that insurance companies and non-disclosing agents are the villains and if you just shoot the villains everything will be okay.

Don't get too emotionally invested in piling sandbags against the tide. A good agent can do the best for a client but cannot change the collective picture here. My view anyway. I live in a state where almost all of the (non-Mega) health agents left the health insurance business so my comments may be jaundiced or they may be insight of what is to come elsewhere. Don't know.

Winter