Monday, March 03, 2008

Third Time Lucky? Please??

I really need to vent; even though I've already bitched about my health insurance company here once before.

A couple weeks ago, I let one telemarketing call slide through because they were offering Health Insurance plans and mentioned the State of Oklahoma's new program to help small businesses provide (and pay for) coverage for employees. I gave 'em my information, a guy called back and scheduled a time to come see me about checkin' out a couple insurance plans. I bought a new plan and cancelled that crummy one that never paid for anything. The salesman gave the impression that it was a "state approved plan" and that the fantastic new "Oh-Eh-Pick" (sorry, had to Go0gle-proof that, just don't want involved) program would help pay for it.

The salesman, whom I thought was an insurance Agent, was apparently puttin' on the ol' "Speak their language, just get 'em in the car" routine. He made his sale and once that was done, nothin' else mattered, and if I wanted to look into "Oh-Eh-Pick," I should call them direct and then get back with him afterward.

"Oh-Eh-Pick" will not help pay for individual plans. "Oh-Eh-Pick" will not transfer my new policy into an employer-provided plan because the rules do not consider this particular small business a "group" because being a "group" requires 70% employee participation -- I, as one of four, would work out to 25%.

As if that's not enough, "Oh-Eh-Pick" doesn't really even want to talk to me as an individual, they say to "contact an agent," which is something an Agent would've known, and that's the number one clue that I had been dealing with a Salesman and not an Agent.

When I called the Salesman back, he gave me a phone number for "a good buddy of his who knew a lot about Oh-Eh-Pick," and said I should call him.

So, after calling the other number and talking to Salesman's "good buddy" (who did seem to know his ass from a hole in the ground, but did not have any idea who Salesman was), I am about to apply for yet another health insurance plan.

To make a long story short (as if I ever make a long story short), I have once again learned the hard way that it's better to just dig a little deeper into information found ever so easily on the magical internets instead of spending precious seconds on the phone with a telemarketer.

"Good Buddy," who actually worked for the state, was notably friendly and easy to talk to, and he also knew his stuff well enough to tell me what I needed to know without sending me on to some other phone number. He certainly was able to talk me down from that stressed-out hissy fit that had me ready to pinch somebody's head off.

I just wish the people who handle my Car Insurance would take up Health Insurance -- My car insurance is a great deal (can ya beat $321 for six months, covering two cars?), they're Oklahoma-based, they're hassle-free, and when I needed 'em, they took good care of me without jackin' up the rates or makin' me do all the work.

I've resolved to save the pinching off of heads for the next wave of telemarketers...

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