Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
So much BS abounds in a situation like this. Some see opportunity while others want to hang black crepe.
I have no idea what the final outcome will be, but I do know this. I will still be in this business a year from now, 5 years from now, maybe even 10 years from now in some capacity.
Heck, I might even have to pay Frank to teach me what he knows about the med supp biz so I can adapt it to the "public plan" biz.
If Medicare was so grand why do folks like Frank and others make a good living selling supplemental plans? Why would anyone believe the govt can manage an even bigger plan any better?
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Originally Posted by the producer
the producers alliance is salivating at a mandate that may come down. They think it will increase their business exponentialy ..They are thinking that many if their agents will become multi millionaires. There team members may also become wealthy...They believe they have the best plans on earth-there agents are being instructed to build and set up call centers to take advantage of this once in lifetime oppurtuinity..
What was it that P.T. Barnum said about a sucker being born every minute...
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Originally Posted by somarco
So much BS abounds in a situation like this. Some see opportunity while others want to hang black crepe.
I have no idea what the final outcome will be, but I do know this. I will still be in this business a year from now, 5 years from now, maybe even 10 years from now in some capacity.
Even though I have zero respect for "somarco" and how he conducts his practice, I have to agree with him on this point (and none other, for the record.)
I know most of you are hoping that the idiot Winter and the ignoramus Freddie will be correct, but anyone with any maturity can read the political tea leaves and knows that some kind of legislation is going to pass both houses this fall.
For those of you who understand what insurance (any insurance) is all about, you will easily be able to transfer your skill-set to another sector of the market if you are put out of business... and as much as all of the right-wing whack jobs on this board would wish, I simply don't believe that their view will win the day and that in the end, most of you who sell health insurance will be thrown under the bus by the larger carriers... and will offer you a 5% commission to sell their plans.
Some of you will, but most of you who have more than half a brain... won't.
Yes, you can listen to the Winter's and Freddies and the Somarco's on this board and if that makes you feel better, by all means do so. But NOW is the time to start learning other products and transitioning to them.
Wave bye-bye to "somarco" and the others as you move onward. They will tell you that I'm full of s--t, but I'm probably close to twice their age... and I've seen this before... and listening to guys who have their both feet firmly planted in Alabama (or in "somarco's" case, Georga) of 1958 is simply not the best advice you could follow.
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Al, I'd say you need to learn to read the tea leaves as well. Right now Obama is that kid from down the street with a M80 and his dad's lighter. He's managed to light the M80, and if he doesn't manage to throw it away soon, he is going to lose a hand. The stumbling block to all health care reform is cost.
Fraud and waste is rampant in health care, and there is no effective way to reduce or eliminate it. And more importantly, people don't see health insurance as insurance. How many people have a client or know someone that as soon as they got their health insurance card, Medicare card, Medicaid care, Med Sup, etc. thought 'Oh boy, now I can go to the doctor!'. People can't wait to use their health insurance. I know, I've done it too when going onto a new group. People do not do that with their home, auto, life, DI, etc. They know if they use and abuse their home or auto, the company will jack their rates or drop them. Same with life or DI, you have to die or get sick or injuried to use it.
Not so with health, you can immediately run to your local doctor and have him do every test under the sun, with no real consequences. And your doctor will willingly go along, he's getting to bill the insurance company and heaven forbid you actually have something. A malpractice suit is just seconds away if he refuses to test you and later on they find something his test would have found. All the while, the cost of healthcare goes through the roof.
Until someone can design a system that can reign in this impulse, health care will stay broken. But, any system that would place limits on this is either 'immoral and elitist', or 'socialist' depending on your politics.
So sure, they will pass some legislation this year about health care reform. And odds are, it will just touch at the edges of the issue. They will manage to get the cost down into the hundreds of billions by not really doing anything or just marginally extending coverage. But, they will call it a victory and try to tell everyone how they have reformed the system and reigned in the greed of insurance companies. The other side will moan and groan about how now the system is broken, and meanwhile everyone will ignore the true problem, human nature.
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
I cannot figure out why anyone wants a system like other countries when theirs is just as "broken", if not more so than ours. In every situation where there is gov't run health care there is rationing. Some countries even prohibit the population from buying private insurance or even paying cash for treatment.
Any cost savings that will be achieved by their tinkering will be eroded in less than 2 years.
Medical care inflation is a big part but until someone figures out a way to reduce demand for medical services there will be no real savings.
5% of the population consumes 50% of the health care dollars. 20% consumer 80% of dollars. 70% of health care dollars are for chronic conditions and 80% of those are preventable or can be reversed with a healthier lifestyle.
Reduce demand for health care, primarily through a healthier lifestyle and watch for real savings. Beyond that you do nothing.
One way to reduce demand is to shift more of the cost of primary health care to the individual and away from the carrier. HDHP's have a way of turning a dumb consumer into a smart one real fast.
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
5% is not all that bad.. If you build a call center you could compete with the big boys..maybe hire some telemarketers from India.. Build a team of desperate agents to do the selling for you and watch $$$$&& money roll in .......!!!!
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Call Center's have extremely low retention rates.
Now if you want to have an office with 5 independent brokers, a few admin/telemarketers. And make sure you have all the options, and are offering the client the best product for their situation and not just GR or Assurant, cause of the comp....then you have the beginning of something that will work long term.
------------------------------------
Mark
"Corner Bar"---Independent Agent Anthem
My credit score's fallen like the New York Mets
There ain't a debt collector that ain't called yet
They say, "Money don't talk, it only swears"
And got me cussing in my underwear
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Al, I'd say you need to learn to read the tea leaves as well. Right now Obama is that kid from down the street with a M80 and his dad's lighter. He's managed to light the M80, and if he doesn't manage to throw it away soon, he is going to lose a hand. The stumbling block to all health care reform is cost.
Fraud and waste is rampant in health care, and there is no effective way to reduce or eliminate it. And more importantly, people don't see health insurance as insurance. How many people have a client or know someone that as soon as they got their health insurance card, Medicare card, Medicaid care, Med Sup, etc. thought 'Oh boy, now I can go to the doctor!'. People can't wait to use their health insurance. I know, I've done it too when going onto a new group. People do not do that with their home, auto, life, DI, etc. They know if they use and abuse their home or auto, the company will jack their rates or drop them. Same with life or DI, you have to die or get sick or injuried to use it.
Not so with health, you can immediately run to your local doctor and have him do every test under the sun, with no real consequences. And your doctor will willingly go along, he's getting to bill the insurance company and heaven forbid you actually have something. A malpractice suit is just seconds away if he refuses to test you and later on they find something his test would have found. All the while, the cost of healthcare goes through the roof.
Until someone can design a system that can reign in this impulse, health care will stay broken. But, any system that would place limits on this is either 'immoral and elitist', or 'socialist' depending on your politics.
So sure, they will pass some legislation this year about health care reform. And odds are, it will just touch at the edges of the issue. They will manage to get the cost down into the hundreds of billions by not really doing anything or just marginally extending coverage. But, they will call it a victory and try to tell everyone how they have reformed the system and reigned in the greed of insurance companies. The other side will moan and groan about how now the system is broken, and meanwhile everyone will ignore the true problem, human nature.
-----------------------
True, you can't fix stupid, but you can go after client's with half a brain.
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Originally Posted by somarco
I cannot figure out why anyone wants a system like other countries when theirs is just as "broken", if not more so than ours. In every situation where there is gov't run health care there is rationing. Some countries even prohibit the population from buying private insurance or even paying cash for treatment.
Any cost savings that will be achieved by their tinkering will be eroded in less than 2 years.
Medical care inflation is a big part but until someone figures out a way to reduce demand for medical services there will be no real savings.
5% of the population consumes 50% of the health care dollars. 20% consumer 80% of dollars. 70% of health care dollars are for chronic conditions and 80% of those are preventable or can be reversed with a healthier lifestyle.
Reduce demand for health care, primarily through a healthier lifestyle and watch for real savings. Beyond that you do nothing.
One way to reduce demand is to shift more of the cost of primary health care to the individual and away from the carrier. HDHP's have a way of turning a dumb consumer into a smart one real fast.
You're preaching to the choir. My wife and I are both on a HDHP because I'm good at math. We're both fairly healthy and it just makes sense to take on part of the risk ourselves and bank the extra money in an HSA. But most people live pay day to pay day and want every nickle and dime covered. So it's hard to get them to swallow a HDHP.
Now playing devil's advocate I do see some serious flaws with the private health care system now, but it doesn't mean we need to throw the baby out with the bath water. My biggest complaint is the portability and the fact of health insurance being tied so much to an employer. Here is a typical case I run into all the time.
Let's say you have a guy that has been working for a big company the past 25 to 30 years and has paid 50% of his health premiums the entire time and his employer the other 50%. Now he decides to go out on his own and start his own company but it's just him and his wife and no employees. His wife has developed some health issues though. So he's thinking not a problem, my health insurance is portable right? Or is it? He quits his job and his old company offers him COBRA which would be twice the normal rate since his company had paying half, plus the 2% administrative charge. But he wants to get his own health insurance so he goes to one of the agents to buy a policy. The agent finds out the wife has some health issues like weight, maybe some meds for high blood pressure, cholestoral, and mild depression, and lets say she smokes too. He's thinks she's healthy with the meds she's taking and he just wants to get his good health insurance rate. Now comes the question he wasn't expecting. Oh by the way, Mr. prospect, since you have had continuous coverage for the past 18 months would you like to have our highest priced policy with no medical questions required, or would you like to try to qualify for a normal rate like anyone else and go through underwriting? So he goes through underwritting and the company denies his wife coverage or they pay the jacked up rates. Not a great choice and not really portable in my opinion. To me the higher rate is the dirty little secret no one seems to talk about. What about in extreme cases like cancer on one of the spouses? Does the guy have to stay locked into a job just to keep his health insurance? Is he bound forever never to be ablet to go on his own?
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Portability is not an issue thanks to COBRA and HIPAA conversion. Anyone leaving an employer plan is entitled to COBRA and when that expires, all states have HIPAA conversion plans. Additionally, 36 states (believe that is correct) have risk pools, a hand full have guaranteed issue and a few more have open enrollment.
Thanks to Obamaman giving us ARRA, employees who lost coverage due to job loss are eligible for up to 9 months of subsidy from their employer. In many situations, the subsidy will pay a higher percentage of the premium than was paid when they were employed.
And here is a nice benefit. If you had an HSA before you can use the HSA funds to pay your share of COBRA premiums.
Are there problems with the current system? Yes, but show me a better one.
Re: The Producers Alliance Says Bring on Gov't Health PlanGo to Top
Great discussion guys I enjoyed the updated education about the health industry. Currently my business is primarily Life products, DI, LTC and med supps I am keeping my eyes and ears open, very interested in seeing how things will play out.
How to sell after obama
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