Hertz Hurts - How NOT to do Customer Service
According to its Mission Statement, Hertz strives to be the "most customer focused rental company in every market [they] serve." Recently, FoIB Bill M had the opportunity to put this to the test.Hertz failed. Miserably:"On March 3, my daughter rented a car from Hertz in Lafayette, IN.  Upon renting she asked about adding me (her father) as a driver.  She was told (in this technology age) that she and I would have to be there at the same time (inconvenient as I live in Ohio).  When she was informed of this, the Hertz rep assured my daughter that we could stop at any Hertz together and they could take care of ...
Source: InsureBlog - March 19, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Harry's $407,000 Bind: Liar or Victim
On the one hand, we know that Harry Reid considers all reports of ObamaTax problems to be lies.On the other, there's this little problem for Harry:"Basich, 62, bought a plan through the state’s Nevada Health Link insurance exchange in the fall ... Yet the Las Vegan is stranded in a no-man’s-land where no carrier claims him"Mt B claims that he attempted to sign up for a new ObamaPlan on October 1, but that it took him until mid-November to enroll in a plan that would become effective January 1.Except: the folks that run the Silver State's Exchange, Xerox, claim his plan was really effective as of March 1. Which wouldn't...
Source: InsureBlog - March 18, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Help is on the Way [UPDATED]
Are you confused about your #Obamacare options? Is healthcare.flub a mystery? Have questions? Where do you turn? No fear.Dumbed down navigators will be there to guide you.Obamacare has taken a formerly confusing product and turned it into a simple Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum choice. Insurance agents with years of training, licensing requirements, errors and omission insurance and accountability are no longer necessary.Consumers will be encouraged to rely on guidance from people with little or no education, no accountability, and almost no training to guide them through the process of finding and purchasing healt...
Source: InsureBlog - March 18, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Cliff, Kathy and PCIP
As we've remarked on numerous occasions, the PCIP (Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan) was actually a pretty great idea, and one of the very few pieces of the ObamaTax that was well-executed. And it's been scheduled to be executed for some time now: first, at the end of 2013, then the end of March, and now, well:"Enrollees in the federally-run [PCIP], who have not yet found new health insurance coverage through the Marketplace, can purchase an additional month of PCIP coverage through April 30, 2014, while they continue their search."That helpful news popped up on their site last Friday (the 14th), to little immediate f...
Source: InsureBlog - March 18, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

ObamaTax Logic
In 1,000 words:[Hat Tip: FoIB Jeff M]Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 17, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Isolated incident? Meaningless anecdote? I wonder.
Yeah, an anecdote is not data, it's just . . . an anecdote.  But anecdotes can make one wonder.Like this anecdote from New Zealand:"But at the start of May the couple were told they must leave as Albert’s health was no longer acceptable . . . [Immigration New Zealand's] medical assessors have to consider to what extent there might be indications of future high-cost and high-need demand for health services."This anecdote suggests New Zealand is deporting people it considers health risks, as a tactic to manage costs within its socialized medical program.   Who knows if INZ uses this tactic a lot? Or for that...
Source: InsureBlog - March 17, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Bigger better?
This is interesting:"An unnamed Silicon Valley billionaire has purchased the world's most valuable life insurance policy."First, Mazel Tov to the anonymous buyer for his foresight, and to Dovi Frances, the agent who put the deal together. The premiums for the $201 million of coverage apparently run into the "low ... millions of dollars," which is actually a pretty good deal: even $5 or $6 million (what most would consider the high end of the low end), represents a very small fraction of the total amount at risk.I do take exception to the characterization "most valuable," however: perhaps "the biggest" or "the largest face ...
Source: InsureBlog - March 16, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

March Madness
Down by at least a few million late in the 4th quarter and HHS is looking for a miracle. So they go to LeBron. They were shooting for a slam dunk. Instead it is a full court heave that will come up way short. Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 14, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Folsom Blues
This just in . . .  A Folsom company says it enrolled its employees in an insurance plan through Covered California, but they don’t have any access to their health insurance.“If I call Covered California, they don’t talk to me. They tell me to go to my broker,” said Paul Curry, “but my broker says they aren’t talking to him.”It’s a helpless and frustrating feeling for Curry as he followed all of the steps to get health coverage for his four full-time employees. But after three months, Covered California has still not activated the health plans.“We’ve paid each month, and none of my employees have c...
Source: InsureBlog - March 14, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

The Most Transparent Administration in History
Campaign slogans are like the morning mist. Once the person is elected political Alzheimer's sets in.  On the heels of the resignation of Gary Cohen comes the announcement that David Wright will be leaving.Most of the public probably has no idea  who either of these individuals are. Gary Cohen was director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. That is government speak for an agency that was responsible for creating Obamacare regulations.Mr. Cohen's boss, Marilyn Tavenner (CMS chief) had this to say.“Under his leadership, CCIIO established the rules which have made the promise...
Source: InsureBlog - March 14, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Cavalcade of Risk #204: Call for submissions
Van Mayhall hosts next week's Cav. Entries are due by Monday (the 17th - Happy St Patrick's Day!).To submit your risk-related post, just click here to email it.You'll need to provide:■ Your post's url and title■ Your blog's url and name■ Your name and email■ A (brief) summary of the postPLEASE remember: ONLY posts that relate to risk (not personal finance tips and the like). And please only submit if you are willing to link back to the carnival if your submission is accepted. Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 14, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

ACA fun...
My week so far...■ One client called. Her daughter has cystic fibrosis.  In 2013, two of her meds had a 30% copay, with a $200 cap per Rx.  In 2014, the cap was eliminated and the price went to $3600 when she went to fill it.  She can't afford them and her daughter hasn't had her meds since early January.  Appeals to Blue Shield for reclassification of her meds outside of Tier 4 had been declined.  I (finally) found out that the Genentech and Novartis discount programs weren't being applied correctly.■ Four hours were spent on-hold at Anthem; three at Blue Shield.  CoveredCA has a "we're t...
Source: InsureBlog - March 13, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

On Carriers and Service
Believe it or not, I don't really expect perfection from carriers. I do expect a level of service commensurate with their overall reputation; that is, I generally expect a carrier with an excellent reputation to provide excellent service. And, for the most part, this has been my experience.Sometimes, though, even the best carriers fail to live up to that lofty goal, as was recently the case with John Hancock, specifically their Long Term Care insurance arm:Some 20 years ago, I sold a policy to a very nice gentleman who eventually moved to another state, and who has been on claim for several years. The plan had two "buckets...
Source: InsureBlog - March 13, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

Health Wonk Review: A Cold & Muddy Spring is up
Brad Wright presents this week's eclectic collection of health policy posts. Come for the pics, stay for the interesting links.Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - March 13, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs

More Lies About O'Care
The Honorable Harry Reid (D-NV) says "There's plenty of horror stories being told. All of them are untrue. But in those tales turned out to be just that. Tales. Stories made up from whole cloth. Lies distorted by Republicans to grab headlines or make political advertisements."What, then, to make of this whopper from The Big Apple's Annette Frey:"At the heart of her maze of problems is the fact that the plan she signed up for on the New York exchange listed doctors she needed as "in network" -- she later found out they were not"No, no, no. The President promised that "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor." And ...
Source: InsureBlog - March 12, 2014 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs