Anthem Commission Statement FAQ’s and Payment Calendar

/in , /by

Anthem communication from 5/11/21: 

You have already seen the exciting enhancements made to the Medicare commission statement and the move to a weekly payment frequency for commissions and adjustments that began in March 2021. In addition to the commission payment frequency change, Medicare commission statement enhancements were implemented making the statement simpler and easier to understand.

We have received questions about the frequency change, and how it affects your commission payment. To help you further understand the details, we developed a document for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). You can refer to the FAQ anytime you have a question about the changes. Click here to review.

We also shared the new 2021 Medicare commission payment calendar. An updated calendar is available here

 

If you have any follow up questions, please reach out to your Cornerstone Senior Marketing rep.

UHC’s AARP Medicare Supplement 2021 Rate Information

/in , /by

UHC SALES COMMUNCIATION FROM MAY 7, 2021:

2021 Annual Rate Information for AARP Medicare Supplement Plans

Great news! Annual rate change information for 2021 AARP® Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans from UnitedHealthcare® and AARP® Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans from UnitedHealthcare® Insurance Company of America (UHICA) is now available for the states listed below.

The rates in the following states will be effective June 1, 2021.

Please click on a state name to view the state-specific communication.

Arizona

California

Colorado

Florida

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Michigan

Missouri

New Mexico

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

West Virginia

 

The rates in the following state will be effective July 1, 2021.

Please click on a state name to view the state-specific communication.

Texas

The rates in the following state will be effective August 1, 2021.

Please click on a state name to view the state-specific communication for UHICA.

North Dakota

Emails are sent to agents who are certified to offer AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans in the states listed.

 

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

MMO Updates to their Medicare Advantage Certification Site- Please Read!

/in , , /by

Medical Mutual of Ohio Notice:

MMO has made updates to their Medicare Advantage Certification site. the first time you access the new site AFTER 5/10/2021, you will need to select the “Forgot your Password” link to reset your password and access to new site.

 

REMINDER: MMO will no longer be accepting Enhanced Access Forms effective 5/17/2021. Principals and Agency Administrators now have the ability to grant enhanced access for agency employees.

 

Any questions or concerns, you can reach out to your Cornerstone Senior Marketing service representative.

MMO: Updates to MyBrokerLink Enhanced Access Process

/in , /by

Medical Mutual of Ohio Special Broker Announcement from 5/4/21:

Effective May 4, 2021, the process for obtaining Enhanced Access on MyBrokerLink is changing. Currently, employees must complete the Enhanced Access request form and send it to Medical Mutual for processing and approval. The updated process provides agencies the ability to grant Enhanced Access on their own without filing a form with Medical Mutual.

Principals and Agency Administrators will have the ability to grant Enhanced Access to employees at their agency directly through their MyBrokerLink account.

Important: You will be responsible for establishing a process within your agency for employees to request access. If you wish to appoint someone at your agency to grant access to users, you can assign that employee as an Agency Administrator. It is also important to review who has access to your agency’s book of business and deactivate accounts when appropriate. Please be reminded that MyBrokerLink accounts are not to be shared. Anyone who needs access to MyBrokerLink must have their own account.

FAQ’s:

What is Enhanced Access?
Enhanced Access gives users access to your agency’s book of business. When users initially register, they are not automatically given this permission. Enhanced Access also includes access to our group quoting systems for Non-Appointed Users.

What access do Appointed Producers automatically have?
Appointed Producers have Group and Individual administration access, which allows them to access their personal book of business. Appointed Producers also have access to Medical Mutual’s quoting systems.

What access do Non-Appointed Users automatically have?
Non-Appointed Users have access to Medical Mutual marketing materials.

Can I still use the Enhanced Access form?
No, the Enhanced Access form will no longer be accepted starting Monday, May 17, 2021.

 

For questions or concerns on MMO’s BorkerLink update, please contact your CSM Service Rep.

More Enhancements to MediGold’s Broker Portal

/in , /by

The broker team at MediGold is always striving to improve the reports and applications available to agents so that you have the tools necessary to manage your MediGold book of business.  MediGold has announced new enhancements to the book of business reports on the Medigold.com broker portal.

Agents that have accessed the MediGold  book of business reports in the past may know that this report only showed currently active members.  If a member had disenrolled, or their plan was cancelled prior to the effective date, their information did not show on the report.

The broker portal’s book of business report now shows all member status’ including those disenrolled and if their plan was cancelled.  Another column was also added to show the reason why the member has canceled MediGold and if they joined another plan, or if they are now deceased.

Also, you can now export your member records to an Excel spreadsheet. The information that can be exported includes the member name, member ID #, date of birth, gender, name of plan, date of enrollment and term date, as well as their mailing address.

Stay tuned for additional enhancements to come from MediGold!

 

If you have any questions, please contact your CSM rep.

Humana Medicare Supplement Important Update

/in , , /by

Posted from a Humana MS communication on 4/16//21:

New Proof of Guaranteed Issue Requirement for Med Supp Submissions for Replacement of Coverage

Beginning the weekend of 4/17/2021, Med Supp applications submitted as GI due to Replacement of Coverage will need to include proof of prior coverage showing loss of Medicare Advantage/MAPD or Group/Employer Coverage. Based on this new requirement, applications submitted as GI for replacing prior coverage will pend. Other qualifying GI right scenarios, OEP, and UW submissions will continue to follow existing processes.

This change is specific to applications submitted as GI when an applicant answers yes to the “are you replacing MA or employer coverage” questions during the application process*.

During the enrollment process, if the enrollment team determines that the application was submitted as GI for replacement of coverage and no verification of prior coverage was included with the application, a communication will be sent to the Agent and Member.

Examples of forms of verification of prior coverage include: Disenrollment Letter, Plan Exit Letter, Denied Claim, or Letter from Employer stating coverage is ending.

No additional Humana form for prior coverage has been created to go along with the verification outside of the standard enrollment forms. A form of the verification above will be all that will be needed in addition to the standard enrollment forms.

When submitting applications when loss of prior coverage is the GI right, proof of loss of coverage can be submitted as follows:

  • Paper Applications
    • Verification of prior coverage should be submitted along with the application using standard submission methods of Fax, Doc, Transmitter or Mail
  • Electronic Submissions via Fast App
    • Verification of prior coverage should be submitted immediately following electronic app submission to prevent agent/member outreach via:
      • Fax – (502) 508-9003
      • Email – MedSuppCorrespondence@humana.com
      • Note, if proof of loss of coverage is being submitted via email, proof of loss of coverage and the applicants name should be in the subject line. Fax submissions should include applicants name, agent name and SAN on coversheet

*Applications submitted with special Guaranteed Issue rights i.e. Birthday or Annual rules (CA, OR, MO, and WA) or State Regulations offering expanded GI rights (CT, MA, NY, and VT) are excluded from this process change.

Aetna Final Expense Update

/in , /by

Per Aenta Senior Supplemental Insurance ebulletin from 4/5/21: 

 

Now that Protection SeriesSM CLI Final Expense whole life insurance plans are available (view plan availability here), the last application signature date for the existing ACI/CLI Final Expense plans will be April 9, 2021 in these states:

  • ACI Final Expense: AL, AR, AZ, CO, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NM, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY
  • CLI Final Expense: ID, NH, NJ, OR, RI

 

If you have any further questions, please contact your Cornerstone Senior Marketing rep

Anthem Medicare Certification Training Center Site Maintenance | 4.13.21 – 4.19.21

/in , /by

Anthem Broker Update:

 

The Anthem Medicare Certification Training Center (including AHIP) is undergoing exciting changes to accommodate the 2022 AEP selling season.  The new interactive platform will provide a streamlined, one-stop resource that makes it even easier to start, manage, and benefit from your required annual training.

 

In order to make this transition happen smoothly, the current site will be unavailable starting at 9 PM ET on April 13, 2021 until April 19, 2021 at 9 AM ET.  Please note that the system will be down for maintenance but that does not include the refresh to our annual training (2022 AEP).  The date for our year-over-year transition is TBD and will occur towards the end of June.  Stay tuned for additional information.

 

If you have any questions please contact your Cornerstone Senior Marketing Service Rep. 

MediGold’s 2021 Consumer Ratings

/in , /by

MediGold Communication from 3/16/21:

 

Once again,  MediGold’s HMO plans received a score of 90, which is the highest member satisfaction rating of 17 plans offered in Central, Southwest and Northwest Ohio!

MediGold’s HMO plans have received the highest rating over the past several years by consumers participating in the Medicare survey.  Now, more than ever, having a positive member experience should be a vitally important factor when you are helping seniors choose their Medicare coverage.

 

Background:  The 2021 Medicare and You Handbook, which is the official government Medicare handbook, prepared by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and is mailed, or emailed, to every Medicare beneficiary’s household  annually in September.  The handbook provides useful information related to the Medicare program including detailed information pertaining to Original Medicare, Medicare Supplement plans, Medicare Part D plans and the Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plans.

Included in the personalized Handbook is a section that provides basic information about the costs for the Medicare Health plans available in Ohio.  Information provided includes: the plan service area, monthly premiums, annual out of pocket limits and certain co pays.  The section also includes the member’s plan rating.  According to the Handbook, the members’ ratings of the plans come from the most recent Consumers Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. The rating is one of the many measures Medicare uses to give plans an overall rating of between 1 and 5 stars.  Of the 17 health plans offered in Central, Southwest, and Northwest Ohio.   MediGold’s HMO plans received a score of 90, which is the highest member satisfaction rating of all the plans.

 Note:  The personalized Handbook includes the Ohio ratings that begin on page 120.  The health plan information including the ratings is not included in the downloadable PDF version of the Handbook that is located on Medicare.gov.

 

If you have any additional questions, please contact your Cornerstone Senior Marketing representative!

SureBridge’s New Feature Added to Point of Sale Toll

/in , /by

SureBridge communication from 3/17/21:

 

Effective March 19, SureBridge is launching a new application process feature to improve the Issue and Payment process.  Once live, this new feature validates bank account numbers when Bank Draft (ACH) is selected as the method of payment. If the bank account number is identified as invalid, the message below will display with the option to re-enter the account number or choose an alternate method of payment, helping to ensure there is no delay in a policy being issued due to invalid payment information.

 

If you have any questions, please reach out to your Cornerstone Senior Marketing Service Rep.