Is United American Insurance actually good health insurance. It seems a little too good to be true?

Question

I'm overweight and desperately need insurance. They're just about the only ones who have been willing to help me.

Answer 1

RUN from UAI. (Just my personal opinion...I'm an insurance broker). I have seen too many people hurt by lack of information and/or misguided agent.

Without knowing your age and depending on your weight and the reason you "desperately need insurance", an indemnity (not major coverage) type policy may be the only thing available to you. These policies are not meant to cover bills, but only assist with daily payments to help you pay for deductibles, daily living expenses, or however you chose, in the event of hospitalization. However if you just need a basic policy that will cover some doctor visits and pharmacy benefits there are some insurance policies that are "Guaranteed Issue." Assurant Health is coming out with a plan in Mid August. It will not cover hospital stays or major surgery. It is only meant to offer assistance with general doctor visits. You will be able to find information about the policy on their website (Time Insurance division). I don't know what area you live in, so I can't direct you to a specific broker, but if you decide to call a local agent, make sure they represent more than just one company -ideally 4 or 5.  

As a side note, some companies offer full benefits after 30 days or less. Citigroup call centers, for example, offer benefits FIRST day! Something like that may be an option to look into.

I wish I could be more helpful, but without being able to sit down with you and go over specifics, that is the best I can offer.

Answer 2

They are a hospital certificate; they are not major medical and they have many limitations, such as they'll only pay $400 per day if you go into the hospital. The average hospital stay in my area is around $3000 per day so guess who pays the rest - you do. They have a lot of complaints against them, but to be fair it's usually because people don't understand the strict limits to the policy. Most agents that sell the policy don't really explain these limitations.

Visit a local agent that works with all the major companies in your area. Some companies will write a major medical plan for people with a BMI up to 40. They may cost more but you'll be more satisfied with the plan. There is no extra charge using an agent.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

The hospital system I work for sees a fair share of United American patients.

Most of the patients end up owing tons of money on their bills.    Their United American policies pay only a set amount per day (or per incident, whatever the case may be), and the patient is liable for the rest of the charges.

I suppose one positive for the patient is that they get the benefit of the discounted pricing, so it does reduce their liability more than not having any insurance at all.

(Example - Billed charges for a service $10K.  United American might negotiate the total bill down to $7K.  United will still only pay their maximum, but the patient is only liable for the difference up to $7K vs. up to $10K.)

That being said, a patient could probably negotiate a comparable discount themselves directly with the hospital, as opposed to paying a premium to United American.

I'd probably have some reservations about purchasing one of their policies for myself, knowing that I could still get hit with a huge hospital bill anyhow.  

P.S. From a hospital employee's perspective, I will say that they are fairly reliable about paying the portion of the bill that they are supposed to pay.  (Its just that their portion is a fairly small chunk of the overall bill.)

Answer 5

You may be overweight, but that is not a reason for a company to decline your coverage. You will be rated, and if you are obese, they can decline your coverage. Assurant Health offers a Key Med plan that will cover your weight problem. You didn't specify any other health problems, but that plan is designed for people with major problems. The weight/height factors again depend on your age. See... www.assuranthealthsales.com

As a broker, I would recommend that you avoid United American. They do pay some, but nothing like what you would expect and too many doctors and hospitals won't take their insurance.