U.S. Update News April 2003
The May 2003 disk update will be processed Friday, April 25th and Monday, April 28th.
Disks will be shipped Monday, April 28th. You should have the May Update in your office by Wednesday, April 30th. Unless you have made arrangements to purchase your diskettes, please return your March disks ONLY AFTER you have successfully installed this April 2003 Update. March disks are your backup in case you should have problems installing the April edition.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Subscribers who are receiving disks can save up to $80 per year by switching to updates by Internet. Please read the last part of this bulletin for full details.
During the testing of the new program we made some further changes to the original design. The biggest change is to the Smoking/Tobacco Use option under Health Analyzer.
For example, a number of companies will allow non-cigarette tobacco users to qualify for one or more of their non-smoking or non-tobacco categories, just as long as the insured doesn’t smoke cigarettes. A number of companies consider pipes and cigars to be non-smoking.
In another example some companies actually have a specific health class Šthey typically call “tobacco, not cigarettes”. If such a class exists Compulife includes it in our “non-smoking” category. This will not change unless you use Health Analyzer.
If you do use Health Analyzer, and select the “Smoking/Tobacco Use” option, and then indicate that the person engages in any of the tobacco options which follow, then your comparison will become a two pass, two part result.
On the first pass the system will go through the non-smoking categories and attempt to find any products which would qualify based upon the tobacco use that you have described in Health Analyzer. ONLY those non-smoking products which fall into the parameters specified for “Smoking/Tobacco Use” in Health Analyzer will be displayed in the first part of the comparison results. If the product has no health analysis information on which to base a tobacco use decision, it will not appear. This top part of the comparison results will be labeled “Non- Smoker”.
If all you examined with Health Analyzer was the Smoking/Tobacco Use, then all products appearing in the first section will have green checks. However, if you looked at any of the other factors, then it is possible the client may have been acceptable based upon tobacco use, but may have been rejected for some other reason (height/weight, BP or cholesterol). If the smoking was acceptable, but one of the other factors failed, then the product will appear with a red X next to the premium.
Once the non-smoking pass is completed, a second pass will then be made through the smoking categories. In this second section of the comparison ALL smoking related products will be quoted and the section will be labeled “smoker”. A green check mark will appear next to each premium which qualifies based upon the Health Analyzer results. A red X will appear next to each premium whose tobacco use or other health factors are outside the parameters entered. If there is no green check or red X box next to the products, these products are not defined in the health analyzer database.
Having said all this, IF YOU DO NOT USE HEALTH ANALYZER, the system will work just as it does now. And that’s particularly true for DOS users who will not have any Health Analyzer option.
Worse, typical nicotine tests are unlikely to pick up on the distinction. If a client says they smoke cigars, you would expect Šnicotine in the urine. That nicotine will not say cigars or cigarettes, it will simply say nicotine. If the client is a cigarette smoker, and says he only smokes cigars, the test is of little use. By comparison, if the client says they don’t smoke anything, but nicotine shows up, the company is going to have a closer look.
In any regard, Compulife brands cigar/pipe premium categories as “non- smoker” and we hope that that will give any consumer viewing such a quote a reason to pause and say, “but I smoke pipe” or “but I smoke cigars”. At that point the agent, NOT COMPULIFE, can explain why a product quotation which has been identified as for a “non-smoker” can be available to a “smoker”.
In the event Compulife is ever dragged into litigation about this we can truthfully say in the witness box that our quote was labeled “non- smoker”. We will be able to say it wasn’t us that told the consumer that it was OK to smoke something, it was the agent.
Keeping this in mind, if you double click on one of the plans in the “non-smoking” category, the single product display window will label the quote with the company name for the category, and “NS” in the short form category. Conversely, if you double click on one of the products in the smoking category, the product will come up with the company category name and the Compulife short form “SM” will be displayed.
On the other hand, it will work a little differently if you begin to file products to “Pick 12”. If you are filing products from the smoking category the header will identify the quote as “smoker”. If you file even one non-smoking product to Pick 5, the quote will become a non-smoker quote.
Compulife to introduce “Health Analyzer” option
Early in 2003 Compulife intends to introduce a new option to our insurance comparison software. The option will be provided in the Windows based software which we market to insurance agents. The agent will enter a client’s information as they do now, selecting the existing smoking and preferred status of their client. If the new Health Analyzer option is not used, comparisons will continue to be based upon the basic client information, just as they are now.
To use the new option the agent will click a new button called “Health Analyzer“. This will allow the entry of additional details regarding the client. This additional information will be analyzed during the comparison process and products will be flagged “GO” or “NO GO” based upon the results. Š
IMPORTANT: The new information will not remove or eliminate products that are currently quoted based upon the smoking and preferred health information. As noted above, products will be flagged as “GO” or “NO GO“.
The initial health analysis areas will be:
Smoking/Tobacco Use
Height/Weight Tables
Blood Pressure
Cholesterol
Driving History
Family History
Hazardous Sports and Occupations (including pilot)
When the Health Analyzer button is selected the agent will be able to check any OR all of the above areas. The agent will then move on to the related questionnaires that will examine each area that was selected. Only those areas selected will be considered in the final “GO” or “NO GO” decision.
For example, if the agent wishes to locate policies that permit cigars, then they would simply invoke the “Smoking/Tobacco Use” option and answer just questions related to cigars.
Once the the selected questionnaires have been completed, the client entry screen will reappear. Providing that the client’s age, sex, smoking and preferred status are not altered after the client entry window is closed, the results of the questionnaire will be retained. Quotes run for that client will be the subject of the Health Analyzer option.
If Health Analyzer is selected, comparisons will display a new column next to the premium results. The new column will display one of three indicators:
1. A Green shaded circle with a check mark. This is a “GO“.
2. A Red shaded circle with an X. This is a “NO GO“.
3. Nothing. This indicates that we lack the company information needed to make a decision.
Green for “GO” – Premium and health categories that meet the additional criteria which was entered by the agent will be flagged green for “GO”. Based upon the information that was entered by the agent, and based upon the information on file for the company’s product and health category, the premium (for that health category) will be flagged green indicating the premium should be available for the client.
Red for “NO GO“. A red dot will indicate that one or more of the client’s health criteria were outside the company’s tables. The agent will be able to click on the red dot to discover what criteria caused the red dot to appear. If the agent has any questions they can contact the Home Office or General Agent. Š
No indication means that we do not have the company’s product and health category information. Because of that we cannot make a decision.
We do not expect that every company will cooperate in the provision of this health criteria information. For that reason we do not wish to eliminate a company’s result from the agent’s view. That is why premiums will still be quoted even though we cannot give a green or red indication.
Please understand that there has been a growing demand for a feature like this in our software. With the completion of many of the new options planned for our Windows software, we are in a position to tackle a significant new project like “Health Analyzer”.
Having given the issue significant consideration, we believe that this approach is the best way to meet the demand. Given that this demand does exist, we would encourage life companies to give serious consideration to providing us with their health (including smoking) criteria so that we can properly include the corresponding tables in our Health Analyzer database.
We believe that agents will appreciate having this additional information about your products. If an agent’s client has a health related issue that is less than perfect, we believe that products with green dots will attract the agent’s attention. For that reason, giving us your health requirement criteria will be a tangible way to attract an agent’s attention to your term products.
Please e-mail me your current health criteria / health category information at barneyrl@concentric.net. Alternately you can fax the material to me at (859) 885-3988.
If you should have any questions, comments or suggestions, I would appreciate hearing from you. Feel free to call me toll-free at (800) 798-3488.
Bob Barney
President
Compulife Software, Inc.
Smoking/Tobacco Use
Height/Weight Tables
Blood Pressure
ŠCholesterol
The second stage of the development will add the following areas:
Driving History
Family History
Hazardous Sports and Occupations (including pilot)
This will allow us to introduce the features much more quickly. The reason is that the first four areas of analysis are handled much more consistently by life companies. I am referring to the way that companies table and define that information. Building a data storage model for the first four areas is a relatively simple task and we can complete it quickly.
By contrast the information related to the second group is handled less consistently. Some companies have complex information and criteria while others have simple information and criteria. In each case the challenge is to come up with a comprehensive questionnaire and database to encompass all possibilities. With respect to the second group of categories, we will need a much larger sample of different companies’ data before we finalize the design. That means we will need time for more companies to become involved which adds a natural delay to the process. By leaving this to the second stage, it allow us to get you the first stage more quickly.
Currently Pick 12 allows the premiums for only one person. When the next step is completed Pick 12 will have the ability to display the total premiums for two people. You will also be able to view and print the individual premiums for each of the two people.
Effectively this will give you a comparison of multiple companies using the multi-life function, where each of the multiple companies has the exact combination of premium categories that you believe each person can qualify for.
These features will appear in next new version of the Windows program. We have no intention of implementing any of these improvements into the DOS program. Once again, while we have no plans to eliminate our DOS software, and will keep it compatible with our database, the DOS program is falling further and further behind the Windows software in capability. That will also hold true for the new Health Analyzer option.
Compulife has introduced a new Internet-based quotation system for agents. The system is currently marketed through two of our authorized Internet providers. For full details about the service and fees, please visit the www.compulife.com website. Details are in the September 2002 monthly bulletin.
One of the things that we have been hearing from agencies, who want to provide quotation and comparison services on-line, is that they would also like to have a library of life company applications and forms. One of Compulife’s authorized web providers, “Insurance Squared”, is anxious to provide that “forms” service. Unfortunately initial requests to life companies have met with less than an enthusiastic response. That’s where this special offer can help you if you can help Insurance Squared.
We believe that MGA’s have more power of persuasion when it comes to this issue. Therefore, if your agency is the first to assist Insurance Squared in obtaining the applications and forms for 6 life companies, your agency will receive a free year of the new Internet comparison service for your agents.
A second agency can also qualify for a free year of service. If the second agency can provide forms for an additional 6 life companies, that agency will also receive a free year of the new Internet comparison service for agents. (NOTE: If the first agency is first to provide 12, it will receive a 2 year free subscription to the on-line system).
A third free year of service will also be awarded to the third agency which can add 6 more unique companies to the forms library. (NOTE: If the first agency is first to provide 18, it will receive a three year free subscription to the on-line agent system. If the second agency is first to provide 12, it will receive a two year free subscription to Šthe on-line agent system).
To qualify Insurance Squared needs more than just the .PDF forms. Insurance Squared needs the forms provided by the Home Office with the understanding that the Home Office will keep Insurance Squared updated with new forms when they change. Alternately, the Home Office can provide Insurance Squared with access to the life companies forms library with the understanding that the forms can be downloaded and saved to the Insurance Squared website.
While this may entail some effort by the Home Office, we believe that the benefits are clear for the life company, the agency and the agent. We believe it will take a pro-active MGA to get that message across.
If you would like to see Compulife’s new on-line quotation system for agents, give Bob Barney a call at (800) 798-3488. If you would like to discuss providing forms and qualifying, please call Glenn Cooke at Insurance Squared, (866) 662-5433.
For those doing monthly updates by Internet, we rely on three other websites to supply monthly updates. These are automatically checked and used by our automatic Internet update software.
1. Switch to obtaining monthly updates by Internet.
Not only will you eliminate the expense and hassle of returning disks, you will save $80 per year in subscription fees.
To switch to Internet monthly updates, go to our webpage www.compulife.com and select the last menu choice “Forms, applications, instruction tutorials, etc.” Under the section “License Agreements”, the third license is the “Internet Update Endorsement”. Print the endorsement. Once you have it, please read it carefully, especially the part where you agree that you have successfully downloaded and processed our “mid-month updates”. If you haven’t done that before, call us and we’ll be happy to take you through the procedure. It’s easy.
2. Disk Purchase Program
The other way to avoid returning the disks and the disk box each month is to pre-purchase them for $21 per year ($1.75 per month). Once you do that you can keep them for future reference, throw them away or return them for a credit (once each year) when you are invoiced for the following year. $21 costs you less than mailing back disks each month.
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