[comp.org.ieee] Life insurance

jmh@ns.network.com (Joel Halpern) (10/04/90)

I have been told that the IEEE Term Life insurance is among the best
insurance values available.   Does anyone know how I can get
information on that group insurance program?   Do I simply have to
wait until they send out the next round of advertizing, or what?

Thank you,
Joel M. Halpern			jmh@nsco.network.com

levericw@clutx.clarkson.edu (Druid Allanon,Integrator,2659050,2652545) (10/04/90)

From article <1990Oct3.190311.23514@ns.network.com>, by jmh@ns.network.com (Joel Halpern):
> I have been told that the IEEE Term Life insurance is among the best
> insurance values available.   Does anyone know how I can get
> information on that group insurance program?   Do I simply have to
> wait until they send out the next round of advertizing, or what?
> 
> Thank you,
> Joel M. Halpern			jmh@nsco.network.com
> 
Try contacting the IEEE Administrator for Insurance

	Administrator, Group Insurance Program for IEEE Members
	1255 23rd St, NW., Suite 300
	Washington, D.C. 20037
	800/424-9883, DC Area 202/457-6820

Hope this helps,

Walden

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herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com (10/04/90)

In article <1990Oct3.190311.23514@ns.network.com>, jmh@ns.network.com (Joel Halpern) writes:
> I have been told that the IEEE Term Life insurance is among the best
> insurance values available.   Does anyone know how I can get
> information on that group insurance program?   Do I simply have to
> wait until they send out the next round of advertizing, or what?
> 
> Thank you,
> Joel M. Halpern			jmh@nsco.network.com

There's a phone number on your membership card.  To learn about anything
IEEE, call it.

When I did the investigation, I ended up buying a policy outside
groups.  The agent is someone named Phillips somewhere in Texas.
If anyone nags me enough, I'll look up contact info.

There are two companies that charge lower premiums for reasonable
sized term life policies than anyone else in the group of companies
that have the best ratings from Best.  One is Old Line Life.  I
was surprized at the last policy anniversary to notice that Phillips
placed me with the other one.  Their name is very forgettable.

dan herrick

stein@dhw68k.cts.com (Rick 'Transputer' Stein) (10/08/90)

In article <1990Oct4.052527.7670@news.clarkson.edu> levericw@clutx.clarkson.edu writes:
>From article <1990Oct3.190311.23514@ns.network.com>, by jmh@ns.network.com (Joel Halpern):
>> I have been told that the IEEE Term Life insurance is among the best
>> insurance values available.   Does anyone know how I can get
>> information on that group insurance program?   Do I simply have to
>> wait until they send out the next round of advertizing, or what?
I've held a policy with IEEE for both life and health insurance for about
3 years now.  It sure is inexpensive.  I think $200K (for life) is about 
$140 annually.

The thing that pissed me off is that they sent a blood test kit, and would
not underwrite a policy for $400K without it.  I don't know if this a 
standard policy practice (industry wide), but it sure is new to me- a 
happy, healthy, unmarried, and untainted heterosexual.
-- 
Richard M. Stein (aka, Rick 'Transputer' Stein)
Sole proprietor of Rick's Software Toxic Waste Dump and Kitty Litter Co.
"You build 'em, we bury 'em." uucp: ...{spsd, zardoz, felix}!dhw68k!stein 

eggert@twinsun.com (Paul Eggert) (10/10/90)

stein@dhw68k.cts.com (Rick 'Transputer' Stein) writes about IEEE life insurance:

>The thing that pissed me off is that they sent a blood test kit, and would
>not underwrite a policy for $400K without it.

That's not the half of it.  I applied for IEEE-sponsored disability insurance,
and discovered that they didn't want the _results_ of a blood test; they wanted
my _blood_.  Not only did they want to invade my privacy, they didn't tell me
what they were testing for, and they didn't say whether they were going to tell
me the test results.  They could even store my blood and not bother to test it
until much later, after I file a claim.  Needless to say I canceled my
application and got my initial deposit back.

Does the IEEE actually condone insurance company behavior like this?

poage@sunny.ucdavis.edu (Tom Poage) (10/11/90)

In article <1990Oct9.195639.12636@twinsun.com> eggert@twinsun.com (Paul Eggert) writes:

>That's not the half of it.  I applied for IEEE-sponsored disability insurance,
>and discovered that they didn't want the _results_ of a blood test; they wanted
>my _blood_.

Probably the efficiency of wholesale homogeneity.  That way they don't
have to think. :-)  They do want the *results* of the blood test--from
the lab they commissioned to do the testing.  Besides, a lot of blood
tests aren't as comprehensive as they'd like.

>             Not only did they want to invade my privacy, they didn't tell me
>what they were testing for, and they didn't say whether they were going to tell
>me the test results.

At least in California, you sign a release indicating that the blood is
to be tested for HIV antibodies.  You also indicate the name of a
physician that the results are to be reported to, if positive.

If this company, or any other for that matter, insures someone with a
100% fatal disease, your rates skyrocket, and they don't make a
profit. :-\

>                      They could even store my blood and not bother to test it
>until much later, after I file a claim.

Though I don't know for sure, I'd say that if they choose to insure you
without testing your blood, but saving it for later, that's their
problem if you or your survivors have a claim.  They insured you based
on their knowledge of your health at the time the policy was put into
effect.  I think that no court (or existing law?) will allow them to
collect your money for an insurance policy and then back out with an a
posteriori blood test result, unless they falsify the blood test date.
Of course, I'm assuming that you didn't lie to them when filling out
the health questionnaire in the application.

My personal experience is that this testing is a pain in the butt.  I
had to find a local lab and wait forever to be seen.  The blood, etc.
never got to Indiana (or wherever the lab was).  Because of some law,
they had to refund my deposit after a certain amount of time elapsed.
Now, they're sending a paramedic to my home to do it all over again and
I'll have to send another deposit ....  Good rates, though. :-|

Whew, glad I got that outta my system.  Tom.
-- 
Tom Poage, Clinical Engineering
Universiy of California, Davis, Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
poage@sunny.ucdavis.edu  {...,ucbvax,uunet}!ucdavis!sunny!poage