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I just read through this entire ridiculous post. If you don't work for USHealth you have no frame of reference to debate their products. They do offer fixed indemnity guaranteed issue fixed benefit products. Why? Because people with pre-existing conditions who are ineligible for major medical coverage need as much coverage as they can afford. Considering that Obamacare has suspended PCIP both on the state and federal level, choosing a plan with built in ancillary products like accident coverage and critical illness coverage is a better option than one without.
For those of you hating on consumers choosing USHealth's comprehensive plan with a 3 year rate lock in lieu of a major med plan, I'll ask you this. How many major med plans will allow you to build in critical illness coverage, supplemental accident coverage, hospital confinement coverage, disability coverage, life insurance, dental in a plan that offers any kind of rate guarantee? The answer is none. How do I know? I know because I was a broker for years and was very successful. I came to USHealth because I recognized the climate of this business is changing. The commissions dwindled to nothing, and the one size fits all plans offered by major meds carriers don't meet the needs of consumers and the best major med option, an HSA, is going to fall through the cracks of Obamacare based on all we know.
For you brokers who reference 1/1/2014, you all should do some research on your exchanges. First off, there is still no clear explanation of all that has to be covered with a compliant plan. However, we do know two things. We know that the IRS has released a press release explaining that for a family of 5 the premium is expected to be $20,000 a year at the lowest, bronze, level of coverage. Humana is already quoting some compliant plans in TX. For a family of 4 the premium range is $1400-4000/mo. We also know that the architects of this bill have made everyone associated with it exempt from the coverage.
The issues that cause forums and threads like these are that people from different sales backgrounds come to USHealth thinking that they can sell anything, and they cram to get licensed but have no understanding or experience working with health insurance. They also underestimate the importance of that experience. That doesn't mean that the coverage isn't great, it means that the products are being misrepresented by some and people are sometimes being sold fixed indemnity plans because it is all the can qualify for or afford. The same scenario happens in the major med brokerage world everyday. Agents getting the sell and not explaining the coverage to the client. It's funny to listen to people hate on USHealth who have no idea what they're talking about and taking the position that a major med policy is always the best option.
If you don't think that carrying comprehensive coverage that covers you just as a major med plan does all the while limiting your financial liability by building in ancillaries into one plan, and stabilizing your premium for 3 years at time; just wait until 1/1/2014. What good is the greatest coverage if you can't afford the premium. That penalty is going to be a drop in the bucket compared to the savings on premiums alone. Wake up.
Here's the issue.
US Health Advisors seems to offer only indemnity plans and they have absolutely no easily accessible information on what their plans actually entail. The majority of us, on this forum, are insurance agents, and thus have our clients' best interests in mind when learning about new things.
When a company comes along and says "we're not subject to ACA mandates or regulation" and touts indemnity only products, we see them as another supplemental company (Aflac, Unum, Colonial, etc.).
So, unless you can direct us to current information, we're going to continue to be highly skeptical of anything you say.