A note to those with concerns about HealthNetwork or their partners

At least one site regular has expressed concern about the company behind the sponsored post on the home page, Health Network Group, LLC, and/or one of their partner companies. I've done some additional research on both companies and am confident that they're operating above board. In addition, I've also asked Sean Sullivan, the CEO of Health Network, to post some additional background information about his company, their business model & philosophy, as well as the history & current status of the partner company in question, HealthMarkets:

Let me start this off by saying that I myself am always happy to answer any questions that individuals might have, and the best way to do that is by using the form on the HealthNetwork contact page. I'm writing this guest post because I think it might be helpful if I provide a little bit more insight into who HealthNetwork is, and what it is we do. After Charles published our sponsored post, a comment was left that called into question our ethics, and or those of a company we work with within the health insurance industry.

About Me:
I'm Sean Sullivan, Founder and CEO of HealthNetwork. I founded this company a little more than three and a half years ago because after doing a significant amount of research I found that there was a very unique opportunity to do something that really hadn't been done before within the health insurance industry. Specifically, there has never been a company that has ever operated as a independent unlicensed (non-broker) third party that helps consumers determine what health plans are available in their area, and most importantly is not collecting consumer data and reselling it.

A Little Background Info:
If you're a consumer and you're researching your options online, you're most likely going to run into four different entities in your research process. Individual agents, brokers, government exchanges and lead generation companies. For those unfamiliar, lead gen companies often operate websites that claim that they're a quick and easy way for consumers to get quote information, however it is only after the consumer fills out the lead form that they find out that they're not going to get quote information online in real time, instead their contact info or "lead" has just been sold to countless parties, which could be insurance agents, brokers or even other lead generation companies. Often the parties mentioned before will also blindly robo-dial a consumer whose lead they've received, countless times creating a terrible consumer experience.

How HealthNetwork Works:
We work with reputable, well established companies within the health insurance industry. Companies that will comply with our standards and requirements which are leading the industry with respect to the consumer experience. We have some very specific ways in which we monitor quality service and compliance. We do not work with boiler room brokers and agents and we do not work in any capacity with any "lead gen" companies. We do not collect consumer information and resell it. Within HealthNetwork we give consumers the ability to research the options that they have for both on or off exchange plans, and then we provide them with a way to enroll, online, over the phone, or if they choose to, they can even meet with an agent locally. In the future we will give consumers the option to view within HealthNetwork.com a list of local agents within their area. We have a small number of brokers and carriers that we work with directly to fulfill enrollments. We monitor all of these companies very very closely.

HealthNetwork really is the only healthcare marketing company that is actually putting a focus on the consumer experience. We don't collect any unnecessary information from the consumer, such as asking them to disclose if they have a pre-existing condition or not, or for their height and weight in order to determine their BMI. Both agents who do online marketing, as well as lead generation companies will often ask for this information when it is not required, nor is it in the best interest of the consumer to collect such sensitive data.

HealthNetwork is a very successful company, and in three and a half years we've gone from ZERO to the point we're at now, which is that we reach more than 15 million US health insurance shoppers annually. We have the highest conversion rates within the industry, and the reason is, is that we go above and beyond to protect the consumer and their personal information. While as a company we are successful and profitable, we could be far more profitable if we were willing to compromise on our morals and ethics by resorting to the things that other companies do. Specifically, collecting lead data and reselling it countless times over, robo-dialing consumers dozens of times a day, and not caring who we work with but simply seeking out whomever is willing to pay us the most. We're not doing that because we actually care about people, we're in this for the long haul, and you can not build a successful sustainable business if you don't treat consumers well.

HealthNetwork has a Give Back Program which features a number of products and services which we feel can add value to someones life. What is unique about that program, is that any fee we could have received in exchange for being promoted within HealthNetwork, it is simply passed on to the consumer directly. We make ZERO dollars from these companies, every thing we could have made for promoting these products and services, is simply passed back to the consumer. When was the last time you heard of a company deferring a revenue stream simply as a way to show customers their sincere appreciation?

Most Common Question I Get:
Why Doesn't HealthNetwork Get Licensed And Just Be A Broker?

The comment that has resulted in ACASignUps asking me to provide more background information, really is the perfect example of just one of the reasons why we're not a broker and have no interest in being a broker. People are always very skeptical of any company, especially relatively new ones, we get it. We want to be a trusted neutral party for consumers to turn to year round when they need to research their options. If we were licensed broker and building a book of business it would be very easy for someone to say that we have a bias towards one insurance carrier over another, even if we did not. By not having licensing, we literally eliminate that possible conflict of interest. Our business model which is focused on doing what is best for the consumer, not what is best for an insurance agent, a book of business, a broker, or a carrier, it works because we help consumers avoid all of the pitfalls that unfortunately await them when it comes to researching their health insurance. There is absolute necessity from a consumer perspective for a company like HealthNetwork to exist.

Regarding HealthMarkets And The Comment Left About Them:
First let me say that individual agents and brokers aren't always a fan of larger brokers that have thousands of captive agents. This isn't any different than how independent realtors might feel about Remax or some large national broker. Many people have their biases, and we understand and respect that, so we don't take this personally.

Regarding HealthMarkets And Why We Work With Them:
HealthMarkets is (literally) an entirely different company than it was back in 2008, when it like many other large insurance companies, and tens of thousands of agents, were selling a health insurance product that is no longer in existence that caused a lot of problems within the industry. Since then HealthMarkets was acquired by two very large private equity companies, Blackstone and GoldmanSachs and was completely overhauled. They brought in a top CEO, who was formerly the COO of Humana, along with other top executives who helped turn the company around. We carefully vet all of our partners, I personally have traveled to meet with their executive team and I have seen their operations center in Texas, and HealthMarkets is one of the companies who we work with with respect to consumers who wish to enroll telephonically in certain states. They are a trusted partner, they do an excellent job servicing the consumers HealthNetwork brings to them, that is why we work with them. I've always been a fan of the VW Jetta, and VW auto design. While I currently drive a Subaru, VW's recent issues / scandal would not stop me from considering a VW in the future when I need a new car. Companies large and small make mistakes and I don't think it is fair for someone to call into question HealthMarkets character because of something that occurred a decade ago when it was literally an entirely different company. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think it would be prudent for anyone to do significant research before making statements that are not truly reflective of the company.

For more information on HealthMarkets the following links which are all recent should be very helpful:

If anyone has questions about HealthNetwork I'm very happy to answer them via the HealthNetwork.com contact form.

Sincerely,

Sean Sullivan
Founder & CEO of HealthNetwork

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