The Stepford Clients

April 19, 2006 by bob.

Most insurance buyers are not perfect. Not even close. They start out on a trek into uncharted (to them at least) waters without a clue about how to navigate from A to B. Along the way they will be distracted, not only by the overwhelming amount of data to parse and digest, but other things in life that come their way.

Things like . . .

Work at home that need attention.

Work at work that need attention.

Work on the care that need attention.

Work on the kids that need attention.

Then of course there is play time. Everyone needs time to decompress so there are movies, sports and shopping to do. All important, but not as important as protecting your financial future.

Usually what happens is this. Something comes along to rock their world. The wage earner loses their job and the health insurance that was previously taken for granted suddenly becomes an item to budget in the midst of a lost paycheck. Or they may have been notified of an increase in their monthly outlay for health insurance. Either their employer decided to pass more of the cost of coverage along, or the private coverage has just sent them a renewal rate increase.

Sometimes the change is brought about by a health crisis and one who is without health insurance suddenly decides to seek cover.

These are usually the most vulnerable buyers and the ones open to major frustration and disappointment.

They are sucked in by promises of no health questions, no deductible, no annual or lifetime maximum benefit. All of these plans are not insurance and the tip off should be the come-on sales pitch and the fact the price is half of the cost for real health insurance.

And there are those who do shun the cheesy pitch but settle for something with a bit more substance but still buy on price or settle with a “name” carrier.

These are the people who, more often than not, are destined to complain. They will complain when their claim is not paid the way they think it should be, or even worse, when the claim is inexplicably (to them at least) denied. They will complain about renewal rate increases. They will complain when they discover a procedure is not a covered item.

In the end they will wander aimlessly, constantly in search of the perfect plan which is of course, something that does not exist.

Contrast these individuals to the Stepford Clients. These are people who recognize the world of insurance is confusing at best and can be frustrating even to those of us who have toiled in the field for over 30 years.

The Stepford Clients instead provide full details of their medical history so a proper carrier can be matched with their needs. They also have a solid and realistic idea of how much risk they can afford and how much they can transfer to a carrier. The Stepford Clients are also realistic in their budget and are open to suggestion.

The Stepford Clients are mostly satisfied with my recommendations, at least as satisfied as one can be when paying several hundred dollars each month for an item they hope they never have to use. They know which claims will be paid, which ones won’t and discover ways to maximize their coverage. They do get renewal increases just like everyone else but they discover the adjustments are not anywhere close to those of the general population.

The Stepford Clients do complain from time to time but not as often or as loudly as the general population. They tend to stay with the same plan, and the same carrier, year after year.

Most importantly, to me at least, is the Stepford Clients tell their friends about how nice it is to be a Stepford Client and how much more they accomplish now than would be the case if they were lost in the insurance maze.

Stepford Clients are happy clients, and that makes the insurance world a safer place.

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »