Stupid Humana Tricks

[GreenSky]

I wish Humana would just come out and say that they have no respect for agents. They were the company that decided that our income needed to be limited by asking CMS to review our compensation.

Now, they've decided they own our clients.

We all know that PFFS will effectively be a plan of the past after 2010. But for some clients, they are still attractive, at least for the next year.

If we write OUR client in a Humana PFFS and for 2011 that same client accepts Humana's offer to move into a PPO or HMO, we are no longer the agent and will not receive renewal commission.

Yes, that's correct. We bring Humana a client and they remain with a Humana MA, but we will not longer be their agent.

The attachment says the only way an agent can retain the client is to complete a new application. Obviousy if the client calls Humana because the company sends them an "invitation" along with the notice their plan ends, we don't get the business. However, Humana is being quite nice in keeping us as the agent so long as they only change their plan (HMO to HMO, PDP to PDP, etc), but we're screwed if it's PFFS to PPO.

I can say this because in CA there isn't a Humana plan worth a damn, but I expect to never write another policy with that company. The only reason I even keep my contract is to retain my renewal commissions (temporarily).


Rick

 

[captain94]

Humana plan in Ohio is terrible.

 

[bobson]

Excellent thread title. Very witty. Bravo

 

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

I've only sold the HMO Plans here in Georgia. The only PFFS Plans I've sold are the Any Any Any Plans by Universal.

Could it be that they will be exiting the PFFS Market, and don't want to deal with chargebacks? (not taking their side, just asking)

Thanks for the info.

As for companies caring about us, none of them do. See Blue Cross Blue Shield, Conseco, United Health Care, Golden Rule, Guardian, etc.

 

[Yoda]

FANTASY:
Dont worry. Your not going to get your commissions stole by Humana! A guy in this forum told me just yesterday that hes been an agent for 16 years and has never been ripped off even once by these nice insurance companies!

REALITY:
This is the real world kids and in the real world people get ripped off every day and Humana is one of the meanest rottenest insurance companies to come down the pike in years. When the medicare drug plans came out Nov 15th 2005 by the time Jan 1 2006 came along I had already sold about 75 of my medicare clients the Humana drug plan. I could have sold 300 of those plans at 2 dollars a month premium but I had been told by many that Humana could be shitty with commissions so I decided to not sell any more Humana drug plans until I got paid for the 75 they owed me. My commish was about 50 bucks a plan so that meant they owed me over 3 thousand dollars. To make along story short it gets to be March of 2006 and I still have not seen a penny out of Humana. Then its May of 2006 and still no money. And when you call Humana to track down your commish you get some 10 dollar an hour flunky in a phone room somewhere in Tampa or Houston or Kentucky or Wisconsin or god knows where telling you that your money is coming in a few weeks. It got to mid June and finally I got my 3000 dollar check from Humana. They had still shorted me at least 5 or 6 hundred but it was a start and I began selling their plans again. 3 months later in October Humana drops the boom and tells all the agents that those 2 dollar plans are going up to 10 dollars in January. And then to put the icing on the cake good ole Humana tells all the agents selling only drug plans like myself that we are going to have to attent an 8 hour education course at the local hotel to get certified to sell their drug plans for 2007. Humanas blatantly obvious scam was they wanted to force all the agents only selling drug plans to become certified to sell their MA plans too. Right then and there me and Humana were done. There was no way in hell I was going to go sit all day through one of their bogus seminars promoting MA plans and not get paid anything for it. "We will give you free breakfast and lunch at the seminar" the lady from humana told me.....Oh boy I love eating lunch at the Marriott I told her. Not exactly!

 

[GreenSky]

Could it be that they will be exiting the PFFS Market, and don't want to deal with chargebacks? (not taking their side, just asking)

You missed the point entirely. When they cancel their PFFS and the same client then enrolls into a Humana PPO, the original agent is cut out.

If they lose the client, then no complaints. But in this case, they keep the client and screw the agent.

By the way, this is the opposite of how Anthem Blue Cross works. Once you write the client, they are yours as long as they stay with the company.

Seriously, is there a company that has done more to harm agents than Humana?

Rick

 

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

Blue Cross makes you pay to sell for them.

That aint ethical

 

[insurance0707]

Blue Cross of Mi just sent out an email stating that if your PFFS client joins their PPO plan for 2010 which their heavily promoting that you'll lose the commission and client.....not just a Humana - CA problem

 

[AJAX]

I wish Humana would just come out and say that they have no respect for agents. They were the company that decided that our income needed to be limited by asking CMS to review our compensation.

Now, they've decided they own our clients.

We all know that PFFS will effectively be a plan of the past after 2010. But for some clients, they are still attractive, at least for the next year.

If we write OUR client in a Humana PFFS and for 2011 that same client accepts Humana's offer to move into a PPO or HMO, we are no longer the agent and will not receive renewal commission.

Yes, that's correct. We bring Humana a client and they remain with a Humana MA, but we will not longer be their agent.

The attachment says the only way an agent can retain the client is to complete a new application. Obviousy if the client calls Humana because the company sends them an "invitation" along with the notice their plan ends, we don't get the business. However, Humana is being quite nice in keeping us as the agent so long as they only change their plan (HMO to HMO, PDP to PDP, etc), but we're screwed if it's PFFS to PPO.

I can say this because in CA there isn't a Humana plan worth a damn, but I expect to never write another policy with that company. The only reason I even keep my contract is to retain my renewal commissions (temporarily).


Rick

Can we file a complaint with the State Department of Insurance?

That's crazy, it sounds like they are the bully on the block, pushing people around and taking their lunch money (business).

Who defends Agents? We got the short end of the stick when our commissions were cut in half, actually by more then half.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

...sound like a lawsuit to me. If GR, Assurant, Aetna or any other carrier sent out a notification to all of my clients announcing a new plan and I lost anyone who signed up I'd sue - 100% guaranteed.