Humana MA Running Infomercials?

healthagent · 10-31-2009, 11:55 AM

Unbelievable, channel flipping and landed on a Humana MA infomercial. They're promoting their MA plans and something called a "Silver Sneakers" programs.

They either call 800-710-6412 or go to Find affordable Medicare plans at Humana Medicare

HarryRenard · 10-31-2009, 12:30 PM

I have seen those too. The funny thing is they have priced themselves right out of the maryland market, but still spend so much advertising it here.

Dave020 · 10-31-2009, 01:07 PM

Anthem is doing the same thing in CA right now. Zero premium Medicare Advantage ads.

alphawave2k · 10-31-2009, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by healthagent

Unbelievable, channel flipping and landed on a Humana MA infomercial. They're promoting their MA plans and something called a "Silver Sneakers" programs.

Anthem is doing the same thing in CA right now. Zero premium Medicare Advantage ads.

Excuse my ignorance in this market segment...but how can a "zero premium" MA product be uncompetitive? I realize these MA plans are going to be extinct at some point, but until then?
I am looking at this market and have gotten all my certs, UHC, AARP, all products and Coventry's PDP. Frankly, I'm scared to sell anything given the complexity of this market. Thanks for enlightening me.
Alph-red-o

GreenSky · 10-31-2009, 07:04 PM

Zero premium can have $45 office visits and $230 a day hospital charges (making this up). A $20 premium can have $5 office vists and $50 per admission to the hospital.

Competitive is more than price.

Rick

Cenla Agent · 10-31-2009, 11:19 PM

I remember seeing them last year, and they may have been doing the informercials prior to that.

Yoda · 11-01-2009, 06:00 PM

HARRY RENARD SAID- "I have seen those too. The funny thing is they have priced themselves right out of the maryland market, but still spend so much advertising it here"
===============================================

Theres a very simple explanation for your question. Back in 2003 when congress passed the prescription drug bill they loaded that phone book sized bill down with gifts to the MA companies. One of the gifts to the MA companies was the government gave them billions of dollars to promote MA plans. Since MA plans were intended to save medicare the gov agreed to allocate billions of dollars to them for advertising these plans to get them off the ground. That explains where these insurance companies got all the money to waste and throw away on tv ads and pay amatuer insurance agents to stage buffet dinners for 50 people that only ended up yeilding 1 or 2 MA sales. The good news is that all those billions of dollars being given to the MA companies to waste on advertising is set to run out in 2010 and 2011. All those ads you see on TV and all those buffet dinners were paid for by you and I and the tax payers not the MA companies! Its a well known fact that the congressman who was at the head of the charge to run that drug plan legislation through congress is now the CEO of PHARMA which is a lobby for the drug companies, I think he makes about 200 to 300 million a year now if I remember right.

retread · 11-01-2009, 11:42 PM

Originally Posted by healthagent

Unbelievable, channel flipping and landed on a Humana MA infomercial. They're promoting their MA plans and something called a "Silver Sneakers" programs.

They either call 800-710-6412 or go to Find affordable Medicare plans at Humana Medicare

Humana spends a lot of marketing money on advertising, but pays as little as possible on agent commissions. They were exposed last year during the CMS commission debate when they argued that agents should be paid much less than what was being offered by their competition. Most of us will not forget that.... for a long time.

As for "Silver Sneakers", seniors love their free fitness programs... it is something for them to do rather than sit at home and watch TV. Coventry dropped all their Value Added services EXCEPT for Forever Fit (their competitive benefit)!

Focus LTC · 11-02-2009, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by Yoda

HARRY RENARD SAID- "I have seen those too. The funny thing is they have priced themselves right out of the maryland market, but still spend so much advertising it here"
===============================================

Theres a very simple explanation for your question. Back in 2003 when congress passed the prescription drug bill they loaded that phone book sized bill down with gifts to the MA companies. One of the gifts to the MA companies was the government gave them billions of dollars to promote MA plans. Since MA plans were intended to save medicare the gov agreed to allocate billions of dollars to them for advertising these plans to get them off the ground. That explains where these insurance companies got all the money to waste and throw away on tv ads and pay amatuer insurance agents to stage buffet dinners for 50 people that only ended up yeilding 1 or 2 MA sales. The good news is that all those billions of dollars being given to the MA companies to waste on advertising is set to run out in 2010 and 2011. All those ads you see on TV and all those buffet dinners were paid for by you and I and the tax payers not the MA companies! Its a well known fact that the congressman who was at the head of the charge to run that drug plan legislation through congress is now the CEO of PHARMA which is a lobby for the drug companies, I think he makes about 200 to 300 million a year now if I remember right.

Don't believe everything you hear in a Michael Moore film. His work is pure fiction. He is king of the DOLTS.

Yoda · 11-02-2009, 03:29 PM

LTC FOCUS SAID- " Don't believe everything you hear in a Michael Moore film. His work is pure fiction. He is king of the DOLTS."
===============================================

I did not get my info from a Michael Moore movie. That being said for the most part I think Michael Moore is dead on. Michael Moore's first movie made 20 years ago was about how incompetent and greedy the ceo's and management of General Motors were. If you saw the movie you know that at the end he concluded that General Motors was fubar and destined to crash and burn. As we all know General Motors offically crashed and burned last year Michael Moore is on to something in his movies and you are just to damn dumb to figure it out. .......Why dont you drop a couple of fat bombs about Moore while you are at it and get it all out of your system .

G.Gordon · 11-02-2009, 03:56 PM

[quote=Yoda;200297]LTC FOCUS SAID- " Don't believe everything you hear in a Michael Moore film. His work is pure fiction. He is king of the DOLTS."
===============================================

Snip... That being said for the most part I think Michael Moore is dead on. ...snipquote]

Quoted for posterity.

I was 99% sure your were a doofus... Now... 100%.
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Originally Posted by Yoda

That being said for the most part I think Michael Moore is dead on. .

I just had to quote it again.

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Thanks for the sig line...

stormtracker · 11-03-2009, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by Yoda

LTC FOCUS SAID- " Don't believe everything you hear in a Michael Moore film. His work is pure fiction. He is king of the DOLTS."
===============================================

I did not get my info from a Michael Moore movie. That being said for the most part I think Michael Moore is dead on. Michael Moore's first movie made 20 years ago was about how incompetent and greedy the ceo's and management of General Motors were. If you saw the movie you know that at the end he concluded that General Motors was fubar and destined to crash and burn. As we all know General Motors offically crashed and burned last year Michael Moore is on to something in his movies and you are just to damn dumb to figure it out. .......Why dont you drop a couple of fat bombs about Moore while you are at it and get it all out of your system .

For the record, GM's incompetence goes back beyond Ross Perot. As a member of their Board, he tried to tell them that they were headed for disaster. What, in their arrogance, did they do? Bought him out and "amicably" parted ways. In those days, that corporate behavior was condoned and anyone who had a problem with it was encouraged to mind their own business. Now that the president has turned the spotlight on GM, they are making perhaps, their best product. Imagine that... Back to subject. Humana has had a bad reputation just about as long. Many healthcare workers will tell you of the terrible mismanagement in their facilities during the 90's. I flat won't sell their products after they back-stabbed us last year. I hope they too, become a slave to the government.

Tom Highway · 11-03-2009, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Yoda

LTC FOCUS SAID- " Don't believe everything you hear in a Michael Moore film. His work is pure fiction. He is king of the DOLTS."
===============================================

I did not get my info from a Michael Moore movie. That being said for the most part I think Michael Moore is dead on. Michael Moore's first movie made 20 years ago was about how incompetent and greedy the ceo's and management of General Motors were. If you saw the movie you know that at the end he concluded that General Motors was fubar and destined to crash and burn. As we all know General Motors offically crashed and burned last year Michael Moore is on to something in his movies and you are just to damn dumb to figure it out. .......Why dont you drop a couple of fat bombs about Moore while you are at it and get it all out of your system .

Yoda, is there anything at all that is not a conspiracy theory with you?