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It is October 13, 2023 and I would like to celebrate the
boring sameness of health insurance. It
is a joy to enter The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period that begins
Sunday. And the Annual Open Enrollment
Period for individuals and families under age 65 who purchase their own
insurance will begin on November 1st. Agents across the country will be immersed
in something we know, love, and will be totally outside of the craziness around
us. It may seem selfish, but the
terrorism our friends and relatives in Israel are experiencing and the chaos of
the GOP run House of Representatives are taking a toll on even those of us who
are only peripherally involved. Try as I
might, I can’t understand the murderous hate of one or the blind incompetence
of the other. At least we will spend
our time with human traits we understand – greed and the insatiable desire to
get something for nothing.
Our phones are already ringing. At least once a week the caller asks, “Am I
getting all of the benefits I’m entitled to?”
My response is usually, “Ma’am, you are entitled to watch TV without any
misleading commercials.” Something for
nothing is big this year. We have
graduated from Free Dental to Free Rides
to the Doctor, to Free Bowling Balls and
even Free Golf Clubs. It is as if an entire generation has forgotten
the lesson that was pounded into us from a very young age – There is no such
thing as a free lunch.
Sure there is an element of greed with the providers and the
insurers. One of our local hospital
systems, famous for its fight-to-the-death negotiation style, is threatening
the Medicare Advantage contract of a well-known insurer. There will be nasty letters to the patients
from the hospital suggesting that they find a new insurer and equally shocking
letters from the insurer to its client suggesting that they find new
doctors. They will come to terms at the
last moment and all will be forgiven.
There is a rhythm to this. There
is seldom any need to panic.
Our Medicare clients, those on Original Medicare with a Part
D (Rx) plan and even those on a Medicare Advantage Plan, are happy. And we, their agents, are happy, too. Medicare is the best coverage many of our
clients have had in decades. It
certainly has been for me. Medicare Part
B will go up $9.80 per month to $174.70.
It is still a great deal. The
prescription coverage has also improved.
Helping our clients to understand and appreciate their coverage is
normally a positive experience. The vast
majority of my meetings, in my office over coffee, will be moments of calm for
us.
The first policies sold under the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) became effective
on January 1, 2024. It has been ten years. If you polled 5 agents you would get 8
opinions about Obamacare. We know people
who pay more for their coverage due to the law.
We know some who pay less. But
our job is to help people find health insurance, the way most Americans access
and pay for health care. Because of the
law we will never again tell the parent of a sick child that we can’t get their
family covered. The healthy and those of
you who aren’t agents will never fully appreciate the stress of dealing with pre-existing
conditions. And yes,
allowing the sick and injured to participate in our pool of business does have
some impact on premiums. That is the
price we pay to include everyone, even YOU should your luck run out next
week.
We are seeing insurers return to the under 65 market. They have figured out how to make this
profitable. As agents we are forever
hopeful, always believing that this next year’s products will be more
straightforward and consumer friendly.
We are seeing networks expand. We
are finding an element of flexibility. The
expansion of the Tax
Credit Subsidies is making coverage more affordable.
Your agent, wherever you are in the US, will be busy for the
next two months. Try not to be too
envious.
Dave
Picture – Blue Skies
– David L Cunix
