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Here I sit, mind reeling in amazement as I consider what I'm about to type. Before this article goes on it is important to clarify a few basic understandings. First, I'm an entrepreneur to the bone and I don't like to spend my time whining anywhere, let alone in this format. Second, I had an insurance office for 7 years and while many hate insurance companies I have some basic understanding of the business. Third, I have personal interest in a rather nice assisted living community. Lastly, I'm responsible for (own, partner in, or manage) about 18 businesses. That said, I'll get to why my mind is reeling.
This story is about the assisted living community, a senior resident, an insurance company, and a company called "Asset Protection Unit". It is a simple yet amazing story about how an insurance company sells a policy then contracts with an outside service provider to see how much of that money the insurance company can get back by having the contracted service provider "guilt" clients into sending premium back. You heard that correctly, guilt.
Here is what happened. A client purchased a long term care policy from Bankers Life and Casualty. The senior ages to the point they need help with activities of daily living and much to our joy chose our assisted living community. She moves in and fills out the necessary paperwork to claim the benefit she has long paid for and is now entitled to.
Life continues along happily until one day when a caller from a company called Asset Protection unit contacts the community. This unknown company has somehow decided that their client Bankers Life and Casualty has overpaid the benefit. They are aggressive and without hesitation start the communication by telling our manager that we, the assisted living community, owe the insurance company a refund since benefits were assigned to us.
The manager is scared half to death. We've never had any issue like this come up since we opened. We take great pride in being very accurate and professional in all of our dealings everyone no matter who they are and today we have someone claiming we owe them over $18,000 and they want paid now!
The manager tries to take care of it on her own. She asks questions and asks for documentation but it all comes back to some basic facts. We are charging what we should charge. We are billing what we should bill. The family agrees. And all agree that the paperwork is accurate and everything is working exactly like it is supposed to. Bankers Life and Casualty is even still paying the same amount they always have been.
Now let's fast forward to the point. It seems Bankers Life and Casualty has contracted with Asset Protection Unit to look into clients claims and see if there are possible overpayments and to collect those overpayments on behalf of the insurance company. Now things get interesting.
I'm in the accounting office in our central office. I'm standing at the CFO's desk visiting with her about other business when she takes a call. It is from a woman at the Asset Protection Unit. I'm listening to the conversation. It is the first I've heard of this. Seems the manager chose to send the collection agent to our CFO. The call ends. The CFO who by the way used to be a senior vice president at Aegon looks at me and shares the story. Before she is done the phone rings for her again. This time it is a "senior recovery specialist", Brandon De Leon. He tells the CFO that his agent was treated rudely and he didn't appreciate it. What?! I was standing there. Our CFO is one of those sweet as honey types who everyone loves. In addition I listened to the whole conversation and there wasn't even a hint of disrespect or negative tone. Now I'm on point.
Once the phone hangs up I get the story. "Give me the guy's number." I said. Then I call him, only to get voice mail. I leave my email address and the story starts to steam up.
Now to cut to the chase, it seems this guy is likely commission agent who gets paid on a % of the claims he can get paid back to the company. He works for a company that contracts with insurers to recoup money. Pretty simple business plan. It gets more interesting when I find the company web site.
The company web site clearly shares the system of using guilt as a tool to get money paid back from insureds and their service providers. I think that is called extortion. The web site also goes on to state that it has never received a customer service complaint or had legal action taken against it.
Ok. I'll submit a complaint. But there is a problem. After asking Senior Recovery Specialist, Brandon De Leon to share the contact information necessary to do so twice I learn he has no intention to share it. His simply ignores the request and continues to threaten other action will have to be taken. I ask for the owners names or the board members names. No answer. I ask for the contact information to lodge a complaint. No answer.
So here I am, at my computer at 9:00 at night sharing the story so others might avoid the mess by simply not dealing with Bankers Life and Casualty or others like it.
For the record, if anyone were to assume that this blog posting is the beginning or the end of my efforts, you would be wrong. The other initiatives will garner a lot more attention than this blog. More later!
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