It’s 2008, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services just published what quickly would be deemed as “industry-shaking” new Medicare communication and marketing guidelines. From rules regarding scopes of appointment and other requirements intended to clean up poor business practices, many marketers and agents were beside themselves. A palpable panic began to emerge as we scrambled to understand the implications of these new rules to our businesses, our client engagements and our future prospects. Let’s face it – we were living perfectly fine before these rules were published and our industry was riding high. But these new rules weren’t just some one-off requirement. They were a watershed moment for our industry, and they started a cascade of new guidelines from CMS designed to protect consumers and help agents maintain credibility, transparency and trust with those very consumers. Fast forward to today and we find ourselves in a similar position with CMS’s recently published requirements regarding call recordings. As in 2008, I’ve received many of the same questions: “How will this impact me and my business?” “What tools or resources are available to help me do this?” and “What does this mean for engagements with existing clients versus prospective clients?” These are perfectly understandable questions for agents to ask. Compounding the confusion and hard feelings is the notion that CMS likely implemented these new rules in reaction to one particular bad actor and now we all have to deal with the repercussions (not to mention the vagueness of the rules themselves and their release so close to the all-important annual enrollment period selling season). Many of us remember a time when door-knocking dominated our industry, and face-to-face interaction played a vital role in developing client trust. But as we’ve shifted to telephone and e-selling approaches, you can’t help but feel as though today’s agents are being punished for the natural evolution of our industry and consumer engagement. However, rather than continue to bemoan yet another layer of compliance, it’s important to see the opportunity in front of us. Simply put, we always can do better. The biggest threat to our business always has been the commoditization of the agent-consumer relationship, and these rules help ensure that we continue to be perceived and operate as the trusted advisors we need to be.
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Medicare Blog | Medicare News | Medicare Information
3 ways to navigate the new CMS call recording rules
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Sep 01, 2022 @ 04:51 PM
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Tags: Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Advantage News, CMS, Compliance, call recording
MA to become predominant form of coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, report finds
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Wed, Aug 31, 2022 @ 02:31 PM
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⚡ Take your MA sales to the next level with us. Learn More! |
MA enrollment has more than doubled since 2007, when it was just 19% of the Medicare population, the report said. Between 2021 and 2022, MA enrollment rose by 8%, or by 2.2 million beneficiaries. This is slightly lower than the prior year, when enrollment grew by 10%. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that by 2032, MA enrollees will make up 61% of the Medicare population.
UnitedHealthcare and Humana account for almost half of all MA enrollees this year. UnitedHealthcare has 28% of total MA enrollment and Humana has 18%. In about a third of all counties in the U.S., the payers account for at least 75% of MA enrollment.
Meanwhile, Blue Cross Blue Shield has 14% of MA enrollment, CVS Health has 11%, Kaiser Permanente has 6%, Centene has 5%, Cigna has 2% and the remaining 16% is made up of other insurers.
UnitedHealthcare and Humana historically have had the highest share of MA enrollment. In 2010, UnitedHealthcare had 20% of MA beneficiaries and Humana had 16%. UnitedHealthcare has also seen the largest growth since 2010.
KFF also found:
- About two-thirds of MA enrollees, or 66%, are in individual plans. Meanwhile, 18% are in employer/union-sponsored group plans and 16% are in special needs plans.
- The share of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in MA plans varies by state. This year, Alaska has the lowest with 1% enrolled in MA, while Hawaii has the highest with 59% enrolled in MA.
- In 2022, almost seven out of 10 MA enrollees are in plans with prescription drug coverage that don’t require premiums other than the Medicare Part B premium. This was reported in a separate analysis by KFF, also published Thursday.
- Most enrollees in individual MA plans have access to benefits that aren’t covered by traditional Medicare. This includes eye exams, hearing exams and fitness.
- Nearly all MA enrollees, or 99%, are in plans that require prior authorization for some services. This refers to a process utilized by insurers that determines if they will cover a certain procedure or medication. It is mostly used for expensive services, such as prescription drugs administered by a physician, skilled nursing facility stays and inpatient hospital stays, KFF found. However, it is rarely needed for preventive services.
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Refresh your product knowledge before AEP with Aetna training videos
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Mon, Aug 29, 2022 @ 02:11 PM
Your AEP resources
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Tags: Aetna Supplemental, Bonus Program
Are you ready to sell Cigna Dental, Vision & Hearing today?
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Fri, Aug 26, 2022 @ 10:36 AM
Sell Cigna Flexible Choice Dental, Vision & Hearing It's here. The Cigna Flexible Choice Dental, Vision & Hearing policy is now available and ready to sell. Contact us for materials so you can start writing today.Good things come in threes. Better things come in one policy.
The Cigna Flexible Choice Dental, Vision & Hearing three-in-one insurance policy offers more competitive benefits for your clients – and a faster, easier sales experience for you.
This policy offers customers more of what they want.
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Tags: dental hearing and vision insurance, dental, Cigna Supplemental
A Winning Combo: American Home Life Medicare Supplement and Final Expense
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Fri, Aug 26, 2022 @ 09:31 AM
A Winning Combo with a Best In Class Process With the bundled solution from American Home Life (AHL), producers and customers alike can enjoy a product with more benefits and less complexity to holistically address the needs of clients — the way insurance was meant to be. Finding The Best Plan For Your Client Whether your client needs Final Expense or Medicare Supplement, American Home Life has exactly what they need. Our Patriot Series Final Expense product is available to provide flexible coverage to meet your client's unique needs and our Medicare Supplement product offers Plans A, F, G, and N with varying amounts of coverage. Patriot Series Final Expense The Patriot Series Final Expense offers 4 plans to best meet your clients needs. Three level plans and one modified plan are all available with flexible coverage options. Medicare Supplement The American Home Life Insurance Company also offers Medicare Supplement plans. Plan A provides basic benefits, while Plan F offers more comprehensive coverage. With more tools for agents, and benefits for customers, this offer is almost two good two be true. Request product details and contracting today.
American Home Life's "Shoot for the Stars" Producer Incentive Program is now live! To earn your $500 , all you have to do is write at least four policies before October 14th.
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Introducing National General Med Supp with MultiDiscount!
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Fri, Aug 26, 2022 @ 09:31 AM
▶️ National General Med Supp Highlights
Your customers will enjoy benefits that include:
Get started with a Bonus:
Helpful Resources:
These plans provide limited benefits. 1. MultiDiscount includes Household Discount, Activity Tracker Discount, Dental Discount, Lifestyle Discount, and Annual Payment Discount.
For agent use only. Not for distribution to consumers. National General Accident & Health markets products underwritten by National Health Insurance Company, Integon National Insurance Company, and Integon Indemnity Corporation. Each underwriting company is financially responsible for its respective products and have been rated as “A+” (Superior) by A.M. Best. NGAH-MEDSUPP-TEASER-2022 (02/2022) © 2022 National General Insurance. All rights reserved. National General Insurance PO Box 3199 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27102 United States.
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American Home Life "Shoot For the Stars" Incentive Program
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Aug 25, 2022 @ 03:55 PM
To learn more about the incentive such as the different ways you can win and the incentive's rules, please check out the flyer by clicking on the link below. Not appointed with American Home Life? Request details and contracting here. ![]()
Product availability varies by location and plan type and is subject to change. ![]() |
Gearing Up for AEP - Compliance Bulletin
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Tue, Aug 23, 2022 @ 01:36 PM
As you'll recall, the annual enrollment period is a time when your clients can essentially make any change they are eligible for. Among other things, these changes may include enrolling in Medicare Advantage for the first time, switching from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or joining a Medicare prescription drug plan. As you may know, AEP only lasts from October 15 through December 7th. This only gives you roughly seven and a half weeks to close on sales. With such a small window of time to enroll potential clients, it's important to take care of all your contracting, certifications, and training as soon as possible. Here are a few important points to consider before you can jump into AEP.
Now that we've gotten the general information out of the way, let's look into a few tips regarding what to avoid saying to current and potential clients in order to stay CMS compliant. "Free premiums!" "Is your spouse eligible for Medicare?" - "How about your friends?" - "Can I have their number so I can call them?" "If you're liking this Medicare plan, you should check out this life insurance plan." "Let me get your contact information so that you are able to come to my event." "While you're waiting for your doctor, let me tell you about your Medicare options." As you are well aware, there are many other requirements to consider in order to remain CMS compliant. Our aim today was to help you gear up as October 15th quickly approaches. Remember to complete your contracting and certifications, order your supplies, read up on any compliance changes, and set your goals. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you next month with some more compliance tips. We hope you find this information informative and we are always happy to assist with any questions. You can review a video summary of this information here. ![]() |
Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Prescription Drugs, AEP, Compliance, 2023
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Tags: Sales Tips, senior market news, Sales Leads, Incentives, sales ideas, YouTube
Building Effective Relationships in Business
Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Tue, Aug 23, 2022 @ 10:44 AM
"No One Cares How Much You Know,
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