MedicareCENTER Tip: Custom and SEP Tags in CRM

Knowing which clients to call — and when — is important to building your business. MedicareCENTER can help with auto-assigned and custom Tags in Contact Management!

Tags are easy to use, can help you prioritize the actions you take with your clients, and are available on the Medicare Mobile App and at MedicareCENTER.com.

Our latest addition — the “SEP” Tag (Special Enrollment Period) — is automatically applied to any clients in your CRM who may be eligible to enroll through December 31, 2022, due to living in a natural disaster area.

Other auto-assigned Tags, such as “Cross-Sell” and “Switcher,” can help you identify which of your clients you may have cross-selling opportunities with and which clients have plans that might change benefits, indicating a likely candidate for switching plans. These technology-driven insights are just what you need to keep reaching your AEP goals!

You can also quickly and easily create your own custom Tags based on how you like to organize your clients or who you need to check in with. For example, a “Welcome 2023” Tag could be created to flag your new clients you need to check in with after the enrollment period to help them understand their benefits.

Click below to download a step-by-step tip sheet to use as a quick reference on Tags in Contact Management, available on MedicareCENTER.com and the MedicareCENTER Mobile App.

 

DOWNLOAD TIP SHEET 

 

Log in and take advantage of MedicareCENTER’s powerful solutions today!

 

LOG INTO MEDICARECENTER HERE

Ohio Department of Insurance: Ohioans on Medicare Cautioned to Protect Personal Information During Open Enrollment

For Immediate Release from ODI
November 17, 2022

Ohioans on Medicare Cautioned to Protect Personal Information During Open Enrollment

COLUMBUS – Ohio Department of Insurance director Judith L. French is cautioning the more than 2.5 million Ohioans on Medicare to be on alert for scams attempting to steal their personal information during the current Medicare open enrollment period, which runs through Dec. 7.

Consumers should watch for fake Medicare communications seeking personal information or money in exchange for any of the following: to help with enrollment, to schedule health services, to sign up for a Part D prescription drug plan or Medicare health plan coverage, and to provide a new Medicare card.

How to protect yourself 

  • Never give personal information, including Medicare, Social Security, bank account, and credit card numbers, to anyone who contacts you unsolicited by telephone, email, text, or in person, such as door-to-door sales.
  • Medicare will never call you to sell anything, visit your home, or enroll you over the phone unless you called first. Also, scammers spoof phone numbers to look like a phone call is from a trusted source.
  • Medicare or Medicare health plans will only call and request personal information if you’re a plan member or you called and left a message.
  • Only give certain personal information to your doctors, insurance companies acting on your behalf, or trusted people in the community officially working with Medicare, such as from the Ohio Department of Insurance’s Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP).

Seek Medicare information from a trusted resource

As the state’s longtime official Medicare educational resource, OSHIIP is conducting Medicare Checkup events virtually and on-site across the state, and individual virtual counseling to help Ohioans navigate Medicare. OSHIIP’s Medicare experts are also available at 800-686-1578 and oshiipmail@insurance.ohio.gov. A Medicare Checkup events schedule and counseling scheduling tool are available at insurance.ohio.gov.

The careful evaluation of Medicare plan options is imperative because plans may have different benefits, out-of-pocket costs, covered prescription drugs, in-network physicians, and premiums each year.

Report fraud and predatory sales practices

OSHIIP partners with the Ohio Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) to detect and report wrongdoing. The SMP provides education and response to reported Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse. Contact SMP at 800-488-6070.

If you feel an insurance agent is using high-pressure, fraudulent, or dishonest sales practices, contact the Ohio Department of Insurance at 800-686-1527 and insurance.ohio.gov.

 

# # #

 

Media Contact:

Robert Denhard
robert.denhard@insurance.ohio.gov
614-644-3366

 

Cigna’s VBE Program – Pays more for digital applications

It’s easy to make additional money with Cigna Medicare! Follow the steps below to earn up to $50 on every enrollment!

  1. Submit your new-to-Cigna application digitally and earn $20 per eligible approved application.
  2. Include a valid in-network PCP on the digital application and earn an additional $20.
  3. Include a valid customer email address on the digital application and earn an additional $10.

Eligible plans:

  • All Cigna MAPD plans are eligible for the additional VBE payments. 

Agent training qualifications:

  • Agents must complete all required training in order to be certified and ready to sell 2023 Cigna MAPD plans.
  • No additional VBE training modules are required.

Qualified digital applications:

  • Connecture (DRx)
  • Sunfire
  • eEnrollment
  • OEC files

Valid customer email addresses:

  • Agents must provide a unique and valid email address for the customer.
  • Generic email addresses or an agent’s personal/business email address will not be accepted.
  • Valid PCPs:
    • The provider must be in-network to qualify for the additional VBE payment. Out-of-network providers will not qualify for the additional VBE payment.
    • PCP information must be valid and correct. Incorrect information will not qualify for the additional VBE payment.

Application status:

  • Agents can view their application status in com.
  • Please note: The application status will not inform if the application qualifies for the VBE program payments.

Commissions statement:

  • “VBE – Digital Admin Fee” will be included in the Adjustment Notes column of the commissions statement.
  • The line item will indicate the name of the customer, so agents can verify that they have been paid for each successfully completed and eligible digital application.
Don’t forget about our health risk assessment (HRA) incentive!

 

·    Earn $125 when you enroll your Cigna Medicare Advantage customers in an eligible Medicare D-SNP or C-SNP plan and facilitate an HRA. (For 2023 effectives)

·    Earn $75 for each HRA that you facilitate with your other Cigna Medicare Advantage customers.

 

This means even more money in your pocket! Click here to learn more about Cigna’s HRA incentive.

Exciting update: Lumico.com has a fresh, new look!

Sourced from Distribution Partner News on 11/10/22:

We’ve been working hard to take Lumico.com to the next level, and are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website. Here are a few new features that your agents can expect from Lumico.com:

Access important information with ease

  • Under the “My Account” menu option, there’s a new “Are you an agent?” hyperlink. (You can see it here).
    • All portal links have been consolidated to one page; agents can use this to navigate to the e-App and their Life and Health Agent Portals.
  • Individual product pages offer Lumico product highlights and specifications at a quick glance.
    • Agents can download product fact sheets on each page for easy reference.

Be a valuable resource for customers

  • Support > Help Center – Easily search an expanded repository of FAQs; find answers to commonly asked questions in a central location; check back regularly for new content!
  • Support > Claims – Agents can share this dedicated page with clients and their beneficiaries; here they can download claim forms and submit life and health claims.

About Us > Blog – An educational resource center for all things insurance; agents can connect with their customers by sharing critical insurance topics, including trends, tips, and how-to’s.

 

VISIT LUMICO’S NEW WEBSITE NOW!

 

Medicare Advantage 2023 Spotlight: First Look

KFF: The Average Medicare Beneficiary Has a Choice of 43 Medicare Advantage Plans and 24 Part D Stand-Alone Plans for Coverage in 2023

Meredith Freed  , Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek  , Anthony Damico , and Tricia Neuman 
Published: Nov 10, 2022

For 2023, the typical beneficiary has a choice of 43 Medicare Advantage plans as an alternative to traditional Medicare, a new KFF analysis finds. That’s an increase of 5 plans on average from 2022, adding even more choices to the Medicare Advantage marketplace, which is poised to become the dominant way Medicare beneficiaries get their health coverage and care.

In addition, the typical beneficiary has a choice of 24 Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plans for 2023, a second KFF analysis finds, one more than in 2022.

These findings are featured in two briefs released by KFF today that provide an overview of the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D marketplace for 2023, including the latest data and key trends. Medicare’s open enrollment period began Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7.

Medicare Advantage

More than 28 million Medicare beneficiaries – 48 percent of all eligible beneficiaries – are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, which are mostly HMOs and PPOs offered by private insurers. Enrollment is projected to cross the 50 percent threshold as soon as next year.


For 2023, a typical beneficiary has 43 Medicare Advantage plans to choose from in their local market, including 35 plans that offer Part D drug coverage. In total, 3,998 Medicare Advantage plans will be available across the country.

REF: Medicare Open Enrollment FAQs | KFF

NEW – Devoted Health Social Media Content

NEW Devoted Health social media post to help Cornerstone Senior Marketing Agents sell this AEP. It’s easy! Just copy and paste the approved language into your preferred social channel. Populate the <Agent Name and Phone Number >’s with your name and phone number. Remember to tag #Devoted Health

 

Approved post:
Lionel Richie knows the difference that high-quality healthcare can make in a person’s life, and he’s partnering with Devoted Health to bring that all-in-one healthcare experience to more people. #WeAreDevoted https://youtu.be/NHPp6NcFQD8

 

(Please note, do not edit or add language to the post. If you do, that will be counted as a compliance violation) 

 

If you have any questions, please reach out to your CSM rep

VIEW FULL TIMELINE

CMS Implementation Timeline

2022

Affordable Care Act

  • People covered under the Affordable Care Act insurance plans will continue to save on their health insurance coverage during Open Enrollment for 2023 coverage.

Medicare Part B qualifying biosimilars

  • Starting Oct. 1, Medicare will temporarily pay an add-on fee of 8% instead of 6% for qualifying biosimilars.  This increase will encourage competition, lower costs for prescription drugs, and improve patient access to biosimilars.

Medicare Part D drug rebates

  • Oct. 1 is the start of the first 12-month period for which drug manufacturers will be required to pay rebates to Medicare if their prices for certain Part D drugs increase faster than the rate of inflation over the 12-month period.  The Part D inflation rebates for the 12-month periods beginning Oct. 1, 2022 and Oct. 1, 2023 must be invoiced by December 31, 2025.

VIEW FULL TIMELINE

CMS Press Release 10.18.22

UCT Application Updates

The improvements don’t end there.

UCT also upgraded the EFT process. Now only one bank customer signature is needed along with one for the PandaDoc verification process.

Submit your Apps Through CSG! 2022/2023 Updates

Submit Your Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medicare Supplement and Dental/Vision applications this AEP through CSG Actuarial!

Advantages to using CSG:

• ONE consistent process for multiple carriers and products
• Submit apps simultaneously
• Use with any call recording platform, including MedicareCENTER
• Easy to use and navigate
• Underwrites in real-time

Watch Quick Tutorial

Medicare Advantage / Part D
• Aetna
• Cigna
• Humana
• Baylor, Scott and White
• Zing

Medicare Supplements
• Aetna / Accendo
• AARP/UHC
• Mutual of Omaha
• Allstate Health Solutions
• Heartland National
• Great Southern Life
• BCBS of NC
• Oxford
• The Health Plan (THP)

Dental / Vision
• Humana
• Manhattan
• United National Life
• Independence American

Access CSG through MedicareCENTER by clicking on CSG APP under your name in upper right corner or through your Cornerstone CSG account.