I had a feeling [in 2001] cosmetic was going to become mainstream. It was a hunch. It turned out to be a good one. I ran a pilot program in the state of Louisiana with cosmetic surgery to make sure that everything would run smooth. The last thing I wanted to do was invest a lot of capital in something nationally before we tested it locally. |
It was more of a necessity than anything else. We were trying to reduce our expenses and improve our bottom line for Louisiana Dental Plan. |
It was rough going, to say the least. The physicians thought we were insurance. They didn't know what we were. It was new. They didn't want their name or their prices listed. It was one obstacle after the next. |
It would be impossible to mess this up now. We put together the best deals in the country, period. At this point it's just a matter of how big--not if. |
It's important for me not to have a bad mark on my or my company's reputation. When we release something, it's generally ready to go. |
Somebody goes in with cancer and they think they have insurance and all they have a discount plan, which isn't going to cover a $1 million hospital bill. It becomes life or death at that point. |
The associations are lobbying issues for their membership. The physicians and dentists and ophthalmologists would rather charge retail [rates]. Our program obviously works because the marketplace is expanding all over the country. |
We expect to get some very large numbers around the country, so our membership in that program alone could be 20 million by the end of next year, depending on how quickly we're able to get them into all these states. I would be disappointed if we didn't hit 100 million members in our different programs. |
We're an industry leader; we'll be number one by the end of next year. It's almost guaranteed. |
What happens with any program or any product, if one health plan picks it up, the others tend to follow suit. |