Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Why Insurance Companies Drop Policies

The Obama Administration has been demonizing insurance companies for dropping policies, much as it periodically picks on others in industry.

I was a senior banking and insurance analyst in the past and keep abreast of the industries. I wish top members of the administration were as informed.

A policyholder can have his or her policy dropped for a number of good, valid reasons:

One: Material lying about preexisting conditions. No one should be allowed to buy fire insurance while a fire is in progress.

Two: Fraud. Material misrepresentation, which is so basic that the company would otherwise not have accepted the risk

In one of the insurance companies independently studied, only 0.1% of policies, or 20,000 cancellations were made. It sounds like a lot when politicians talk, but it’s a study from millions of policies over a 5 year period.

On the other hand, our government does not tell you it cancels 6.8% of Medicare claims. Think of that the next time you consider truth in political advertising, especially when you hear about government health care.

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