Assurant Health States?

[CT Insure Guy]

Anyone have any idea which states are the most competitive for Assurant Health? I currently am appointed wih them in CT and Arizona but wondered what other areas they do well in/lack competition.

Any info would be appreciated...thanks.

 

[BKrocko]

They lack competition in CO. Hands down, they are the most expensive! I can only use them if maternity is needed - they do have the best coverage in that area.

 

[CT Insure Guy]

They lack competition in CO. Hands down, they are the most expensive! I can only use them if maternity is needed - they do have the best coverage in that area.

CO was a state I was considering...thanks.

I'm confused though...if they lack competition why do you only use them for clients that need maternity? Also, if they are pricey in CO but lack competitors, that's still good no?

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

They are HORRIBLE in Ohio. BC is often 40%-80% less. Same with UHC.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

None. Assurant's claim to fame is taking people other carriers won't take and issuing underwriting decisions other companies don't have.

Assurant is the only company that can raise the drug deductible from $500 up to $1,500. This means clients on a few meds can get covered without a rider which is important to some clients. They also issue condition specific deductibles instead of riders for a lot of conditions.

Some clients are simply not signing a rider. Period. It's a purely emotional decision - not financial. A mom could say "So my son would have no coverage at all for asthma?" You say "that's right" and in some cases that's your last phone call.

Bottom line is some clients would rather take a higher rate then block coverage for a condition and that's where Assurant comes into play. Lately, that's the only time they're coming into play.

 

[somarco]

While coverage & rates are state specific, there is no way to answer your question.

In GA for example, Time is not very competitive as a rule. But give me someone age 55+ and especially over 60 and they usually look very good.

There are other times, at other ages & combinations where Time looks good especially with the 3 yr rate guarantee. The hook is you may pay a bit more (but not much in some cases) but you don't have to worry about a rate increase for 3 years.

Other situations where you can't give them away.

And underwriting will vary from state to state as well. In some states they can use CSD's while in others (GA for example) they cannot.

As Barry mentioned, their maternity benefit is very good and in some cases can compete with BX or even KP. (Both of them have good maternity benefits but are not always a fit).

If you are marketing all over the country and selling based on price then I suggest you ask your RSD where they sell the most. Ask for specific zips and the type of policy they sell the most.

Here in GA their biggest seller is the Right Start. They sell more of that than any other policy.

RS is a product I would not offer to a cat.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Or if you want to sell in other states just start plugging in zip codes into your software and see for yourself. In general (and this is just general) Assurant is decent in the mid-atlantic and central states. Go south or west and the rates become horrible.

 

[CT Insure Guy]

Hey thanks for the Input...

I need to keep in mind that CT, where I live/work now, is a "non rider" state for Assurant and that other states won't be like that so I'll have to be careful with the apps I put through (though Golden Rule does it here in CT now).

For me, having spent over 10 years with Mega, the Assurant plans seem like a f**king dream...I will make sure I pay attention to competition in other states I hook up with them though. I might have been one of the very few Mega agents that actually tried to sell the better policies and explain what the customer was actually getting so it will be nice to be able to do that with plans that are actually better quality (and many times cheaper!)

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

I believe Blue Cross and Connecticare pretty much own the CT market.

 

[CT Insure Guy]

I believe Blue Cross and Connecticare pretty much own the CT market.

They have a nice chunk for sure!