Complaint Review: esurance - Internet

Kevin-- I completely get what you're saying and why you're frustrated as a consumer. However, the insurer in this case appears to be required to have specific documentation in order to meet the law requirements of your state. Your ID card doesn't provide adequate documentation, apparently. In Florida, for example, if a new policyholder wants to get a discount for having prior insurance on their auto, they must provide the new insurer a copy of the prior policy declarations page (a detailed breakdown of prior coverage; coverage dates; and showing names of those insured on the policy). If this isn't provided, the discount is removed or not applied at all. It's unfortunate that you have trouble getting the information from Blue Cross.

I still think the beef is with the law requiring the insurer to document your health coverage so benefits can be coordinated. I doubt this practice of needing proper documentation only applies to Esurance. Good luck to you, in any case!

The counterarguments to my ripoff report seem to hinge on Esurance's obligation to honor Michigan state law concerning PIP and health insurance coverage. I am disputing this state law. Rather, the handling of this situation by Esurance is an obvious attempt to block the client from providing proof of this coverage, in order to inappropriately drive up the price by 150%. 

It is a rip-off because Esurance does not want you to comply with the law, they would rather use it as an excuse to drive up profits. 

Esurance is not asking for something reasonable, such as a faxed copy of your insurance card and number to confirm your insurance as countless dental and medical offices do for you around the country. This is not, "thanks for your card, we confirm insurance". Rather, they want a detailed explanation of benefits on company letterhead. This is outrageous. I can't even get a hold of Blue Cross let alone get a statement on company letterhead about me.

Then, they pretend to want to confirm the health insurance. They even offered to conduct conference calls to get a recording of Blue Cross confirming my insurance. I made 3 separate attempts on 3 separate days through Esurance to Blue Cross to try this, and each time, and each time we mysteriously received the "office is currently closed" message even though I knew for a fact that Blue cross was open (they are open until 5:30 Eastern Standard time) every day. It is quite clear that Esurance does not want me to reach Blue Cross, nor do they want me to be able to confirm health insurance.

I admit that this rip-off report is a more nuanced scenario, subtle but insidious, and that understanding just how Esurance is manipulating this new situation requires a more invested thought process than is ordinarily required by the reports on Ripoff-report.com. But here is the gist of it: I proved my health insurance through my ID card and number, something any ordinary doctor's office can confirm. But they want an explicit statement from the health carrier explaining in legal terminology on company letterhead that they would cover in the event of auto injury. This is absurd, this is impossible to acquire, and to ask this of a client is to say, in essence, "we don't want you to prove it, we would rather use this opportunity to screw you."

I don't live in Michigan but, a quick look on google and I learned you do have some requirements for Personal Injury Protection in your state. Here's a link to a consumer guide you may find helpful: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/cis_ofis_ip202_25083_7.pdf From what I read, Esurance may need the health insurance information in order to determine coordination of benefits because there are some options to the levels of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) they must, by law, provide you.

I don't see the rip off here. It seems to me the company is doing what they're required to do, per the laws of your state. I would suggest you contact your states Department of Insurance and address your concerns to them so they can better explain how the law works and applies in your case.

http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-35299_10555---,00.html

Please cite this alleged Michigan state law which requires "proof" to exclude insurance carriers from liability they are already, through their own written policy, excluded from. Your counter-argument is not founded in evidence, it is a carefully constructed and deliberately confusing piece of misleading non-information. By confusing readers, you cast doubt on the original argument, without offering any valid counter-argument.

It is not wrong for an insurance company to ask for a copy of your health care cards. Every person in MI must pay for a coverage by law called Medical Payments. This is a law required by the commisioner of insurance. Medical payments pays 2 different ways it pays out. It pays either excess (or your health care pays first in an accident and the insurance company pays second) or primary (your insurance company pays first). Excess is cheaper than primary because the insurance companies risk is less that they will have to pay. Unless the insurance company can show proof of you having your own insurance they will mark Medical Payments as primary I.E raise in premium.