Anyone Else Having Commission Problems with Anthem Blue Cross?

[xb29bomber]

Since Anthem BC (in California) recently started forcing Medigap agents to take 9-month advanced commission payments on all new sales, I've found that their monthly commission statements are a mess and really difficult and time-consuming to track for accuracy. Was wondering if anyone else is having similar problems with Anthem? It's really annoying that Anthem does not allow Medigap agents to opt-out of advanced commission payments!

 

[somarco]

Can't say I have a problem . . . maybe I do and I just don't take the time to go over statements with a fine tooth comb every month.

Like you, I tried to opt out of the advance and was told that I cannot, so I moved on.

My ongoing gripe about commissions is trying to guess when I will get paid and how much. I was fine with the original arrangement . . . once a month, 2nd Wednesday, no advance. Now it is all over the boards and some months makes it difficult to make commissions work with my bills . . . especially in April when I have a butt load of taxes to pay.

 

[xb29bomber]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, it's definitely more difficult to plan and budget with advanced commissions. I work with most of the major carriers, and Anthem is the only carrier that forces agents to take advanced commissions. My other pet peeve is that I get multiple entries per client, such as 36 debits and credits per client, which is also a bookkeeping nightmare. There should only be one entry per client per statement, but not with Anthem.

 

[somarco]

My other pet peeve is that I get multiple entries per client, such as 36 debits and credits per client, which is also a bookkeeping nightmare. There should only be one entry per client per statement, but not with Anthem.

I don't pay attention to that since I decided long ago to avoid auditing commission statements from any carrier.

A few years ago I was alerted to the fact that Aetna was not paying commissions for months on some clients, and then would catch up with a 5 month deposit . . . then return to missing months followed by catch up.

I also got calls from clients who stated Aetna was not drafting their bank regularly and then would draft 4 months or more at one time causing their account to overdraft. Doesn't anyone bother to balance their checkbook? Or at least glance at it a few times per month to see if it looks about right?

Fortunately I only had a few clients with them, maybe 30 or so, which made it easy. About that time Aetna had a regional meeting for agents that included the district manager and a home office VP. During Q&A I asked about the loopy bank draft/commission payment issue which left the Aetna staff with open mouths. They professed this was the first they had heard of this issue. About a dozen other agents chimed in to say they had the same experience.

Back to Anthem . . . I have a client picked up last year who called after I submitted his app to say he needed the effective date to be a month later, 30 days after A &B were effective.

With most any other carrier, delaying the effective date is an administrative function that requires the applicant to sign a policy endorsement acknowledging the change.

Not Anthem . . .

You would think I was threatening to ask their mother if they wet the bed.

It took almost 2 months to get is settled and in the interim they decided to change the premium from a monthly bank draft to a quarterly direct billed plan. My client is livid and threatened to move to another carrier if I could not fix the problem. He was still in his IEP (and has some health concerns that DQ him if he is underwritten) so I ran some rates and told him he would have to pay at least $18 per month more and go with a 2nd tier carrier (rock solid but not a household name) or $30+ to get another name brand.

He decided to stay where he was and I still get emails every few months asking me why they can't get his billing correct.

 

[xb29bomber]

Thanks for your comments! I never used to pay close attention to my commission statements, but after Anthem switched over to forcing agents to take 9-month advances, it seemed like my monthly commissions dropped significantly. I started checking and realized that the new agency I get paid through for Anthem had "overlooked" paying me for 18 of my clients for months! Since then, I've been paying closer attention to Anthem's commission statements because they definitely have been problematic. Not sure about Georgia because I write primarily in California, but Anthem and Blue Shield both give a $25 per month "Welcome to Medicare" discount for the first 12 months when someone is new to Medicare.

 

[somarco]

after Anthem switched over to forcing agents to take 9-month advances, it seemed like my monthly commissions dropped significantly.

FWIW, mine dropped slightly for maybe 3 months then increased. Qualifying for bonus money probably helped.

No Welcome to Medicare discount here that I am aware of. If they offer it they are keeping it a secret.

I am direct to Anthem (no agency middleman) . . . same for all the carriers I use except one. I don't have any need for a go-between.