Don't Buy This !
Here is the latest scum bag health “insurance” company to try to rip you off. I am always in shock when I see this. Not because there are companies that do this, but because there is no government regulation to stop them. Why does the attourney general let this go on? Who is happy with their discount plan when it costs $200 per month?
Association for Lifestyle Reform is an interesting conundrum of a health insurance plan. One of their clients just left our offices as she wised up to the fact that she in fact did not have health insurance but had what you see above.
After researching the plans we found out that it is certainly not health insurance. Here is a brief sentence from the ALR regarding the fact that they needed to set up a Association for Lifestyle Reform fraud investigation unit.
“The Association for Lifestyle Reform, ALR, provides discounted benefits to its membership. Members benefit from the association purchasing benefits at group discounts. Although one of the many services include limited supplemental insurance benefits, the association does not sell or market health insurance.
What seems to be happening is that call centers are selling these plans on behalf of the ALR and marketing them as health insurance instead of supplemental insurance.
In any event she didn’t realize that the plan is not even a health insurance plan but in fact it is an indemnity plan or a discount plan. Though I am not certain which this
Then the company claims that health brokers are selling their policies as health insurance instead of the discount plans or whatever they are. As a point of fact it doesn’t matter what they are, it only matters that it is not health insurance and as such it is not necessary as a good health insurance doesn’t need a supplemental except for a plan like aflac. ALR is not aflac!
ALR is not even a respected discount plan. They are in fact a joke company that is in place to rip people off period. There is not even any good intentions with them, like many other health insurance companies that start out with good intentions and end up resorting to high exposure and coinsurance tricks. This usually occurs when they figure out that in the health insurance business it is impossible to compete with the established companies.
Dear Health Care provider:
Association for Lifestyle Reform is not an insurance company, nor have we ever claimed to be. ALR is a member-based association that provides educational information to its members and access for its members to a number of lifestyle benefits, discounted benefits as well as limited health plan benefits – such as the member above was enrolled with.
ALL of our members are sent fulfillment kits before their initial effective date to ensure they have all necessary information in front of them to review and contact us directly with any questions or concerns. ALL ALR members have access to many discount programs through our association. If the member chooses, they may also enroll in Limited Benefit Health Plans through our association as well. If after they receive and review their plan information and feel our benefits and services are not of interest to them, they may cancel their membership at any time.
ALR does not permit nor condone misrepresentation of benefits or any illegal marketing practices and will investigate and if necessary, terminate any marketing entity that does not comply with our policy.
For this reason, ALR set up our Special Investigation Department. This helps ALR track enrollment centers that may not abide by our policies as well as give our members piece of mind knowing that we take their issues and concerns seriously and follow up each complaint to achieve a satisfying resolution. Fortunately for us as well as our members, this department does NOT receive an abundance of complaints as you have suggested in your posting.
The plan the member above enrolled in is a Limited Benefit Plan. It is not major medical. It is good, basic coverage that many Americans find beneficial in today’s struggling economy when high health care costs are unaffordable and unattainable to so many. The plan may not work for everyone and we do not claim such. As stated above, this member received her fulfillment kit PRIOR to her effective date so that there was plenty of time for her to review the details of the plan and plenty of time for the member to make an informed decision regarding her membership.
What is truly distasteful and extremely unfair is that you would slander ALR with untruths such as “a joke company that is in place to rip people off” without any cause, justification or proof of such accusations. And sadly, there is no government regulation set up to either hold accountable or prohibit false statements such as yours from being posted on the internet.
The member above contacted our customer service department and let us know of her concerns as well as filed a complaint against the enrollment center which we have addressed on her behalf. The member has been refunded in full.
Should any member have further concerns, please contact our customer service department at (877) 378-9240.
Sincerely,
Management
I just can’t understand how a discount plan can cost $200. Go Blue a Florida discount plan is barely $30.
Do any of your employees or your executives have this plan? Is there ever a situation where this plan helps someone? What about the fact that this plan even though it is not “insurance” the situation where this plan could be sold is only when someone cannot obtain individual or group health insurance. But they also need to be ineligible for Medicaid or the government health assistance plans which are certainly better then the best discount plan. They also need to be unable to afford a one man group or two man group. The kind of person that would spend $200 on a discount plan is someone that makes too much for government assistance and too little to afford a group plan. This person is very rare in actuality and furthermore having a plan like the ALR discount plan or whatever they call it will in fact disqualify them from a proper government plan when they are finally able to qualify for one due to medical bills bankrupting them.
So who is this plan marketed to exactly?
Association for Lifestyle Reform Adds Fraud Investigation Division to Protect Its Members
Hotline set up for customers
Chino, CA – February 23, 2010 —The Association for Lifestyle Reform (ALR) recently added a Fraud Investigation Division for customers to contact if they believe they did not purchase what was originally promised by third-party marketers.
ALR is a membership-based organization that provides discounted services to its members, such as pre-paid legal services and discounts on vacations, auto rentals, and prescriptions. As a membership-based association, ALR is able to provide discounts on behalf of its members by obtaining group pricing, including limited supplemental insurance benefits.
ALR engages third-party marketing firms to sell memberships. The company carefully screens the marketing firms it works with and sets and provides guidelines when speaking with potential members; however, there have been instances where independent marketing firms deviated from ALR’s guidelines. It is ALR’s policy to ensure the security, privacy and satisfaction of its members. To that end, ALR has established a Fraud Investigation Division. The division will take customer complaints regarding the sales process and investigate the issues regarding the marketing firm involved.
“We are very excited about being able to offer our product to people, however, some members have experienced an inferior sales process,” said Brad Wessler, CEO of Association for Lifestyle Reform. “Under no circumstances will we tolerate bad sales practices from the marketing firms we work with. Therefore, we set up a division specifically for this purpose and a toll-free number for our members to call.”
About the Association for Lifestyle Reform
The Association for Lifestyle Reform, ALR, provides discounted benefits to its membership. Members benefit from the association purchasing benefits at group discounts. Although one of the many services include limited supplemental insurance benefits, the association does not sell or market health insurance.
Further information please contact: -
Joseph Scafa
joseph-scafa@alr-association.com