Is Empire Blue Cross Of New York QuittingThe Business? Empire Blue Cross Of New York notified NY small business health insurance reps it’s reducing the amount of health insurance programs it offers to little groups starting April 1, 2011.
However Empire Blue Cross Of New York additionally told NY small business health insurance agents that is is cutting their commissions significantly. While Empire Blue Cross Of New York has stated they are not getting out of the NY small business health insurance market, they do exactly that.
Effective April 1, 2011 Empire Blue Cross Of New York is ending the Empire EPO Stepped, Empire EPO Essential Options 1 “9, Empire Point of Service, Empire PPO Plus, Empire Total Blue PPO with Health Savings Account, Empire Prism EPO and Value EPO.
This isn’t the first time an insurance company has dropped coverage for the small market. Earlier this year Emblem Health dropped its HSA product. Read the NY small business health insurance article.
Aside from chopping the amount of NY small business health insurance plans that Empire offers, Empire Blue Cross Of New York is cutting the insurance agent’s commission from 4% to a set fee of $5 for each member per month.
It seems that insurance companies can’t make any cash in the NY small business health insurance market. Since 2006, a number of insurance companies have dropped out of the NY small business health insurance market. With other companies have similar issues, how long will it be before other insurance companies also start chopping plans and lowering commissions?
Lowering commissions appears like an excellent idea as it would save the insurance company money and that savings may be passed on to the consumer in the shape of premium reductions. However rather than attempting to stay competitive in the market, companies like Empire Blue Cross Of New York are lowering commissions and raising costs. Corporate gluttony at its best.
With Empire Blue Cross Of New York no longer desiring to be competitive, this leaves NY small businesses with only three plans; Oxford, Emblem, and Aetna. Finally you will wake up in the morning and have only 1 option in the New York market. I speculate what it’s going to be?
If you suspect this is a problem that’s confined to the New York health insurance market, you are sadly mistaken. Chopping plans and raising costs is coming to a health plan near you.
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