CMS 2023 Agent Broker Compensation Guidelines

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CMS has released the 2023 Agent Broker Compensation Guidelines that govern the maximum allowable first year and renewal compensation for agent level MA and PDP commissions. There is a significant increase in compensation for 2023.

 

 

These new rates reflect, roughly, a 4.9% increase in both initial and renewal compensation for MA and Cost Plans. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have an increase closer to 4.3%.  For PDPs, there is a 5.7% bump on initial and 4.5% bump on renewal commissions.  CMS also reaffirmed the standard referral fee limitations for MA/PDP plans at $100/$25, respectively.

 

Plan sponsors were reminded that compensation schedules must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET, July 20, 2022.

 

CMS also reminded plan sponsors of their obligation to ensure agents and brokers selling Medicare products are trained annually on Medicare A, B, C, and D, as well as on plan-specific information.  CMS annually publishes the testing and training requirements, including a sample test each year for guidance.

 

If you have questions about what these compensation changes mean for you, please reach out to your team at Cornerstone Senior Marketing.

Anthem Ohio Medicare Update – Sydney Health and PHE Guidance

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In This Week’s Updates:

  • Sydney Health Member Flier
  • PHE – Guidance and Clarification

 

Sydney Health Member Flier

Medicare Advantage members can access their benefits easily on their mobile device by downloading and registering on the Sydney Health app. The app is free and can be downloaded anytime from the Google Play or Apple App store.

NEW!  A member flier is now available to provide to your Medicare Advantage members! PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD! 

How can the Sydney Health app help Medicare Advantage members?

  • Provides quick access to their health plan information, including a digital version of their member ID card.
  • Helps members easily track claims and confirm benefit coverage.
  • Members can search and locate in-network doctors.
  • Members can even request a new prescription or refill an existing prescription.

Quick Tip: If a member has already registered online by creating a username and password on the online portal website, there is no need to register again on the Sydney Health app. Members will use the same username and password on the app.

Encourage your Medicare Advantage members to download the Sydney Health app by sharing the member flier with them!

 

 

PHE Guidance and Clarification

According to our CMS Account Management team a few weeks ago, there is no valid SEP in place related to the COVID PHE (last renewed 4/15/2022). We were also informed at that time CMS has been reviewing/investigating carriers releasing information; however, we have no ETA on resolution (i.e. retraction).

New Updates for The Health Plan Agents

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THP Broker communication from 5/27/22:

The Health Plan has three important updates for our agents!

  1. Those of you taking advantage of our Health Risk Assessment (HRA) surveys for new MA enrollments are reminded to send them to THP in a secure fashion.
  2. After June 1st all HRA surveys must be submitted within 3 days of THP receiving the member’s enrollment form.
  3. Anyone moving a THP Medigap member from a higher to a lower benefit plan, (ex: Plan F to G); please use the updated form available here. These changes are no longer limited to once per year at renewal.

 

If you have any questions please reach out to your CSM Sales or Service Rep.

UHC: Changes coming for AARP Medicare Supplement Plan applications

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Application changes are coming soon and may make the enrollment outcome more understandable for AARP® Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans from UnitedHealthcare® in:

Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

For states with kits not yet available, please refer to the new rate pages on Jarvis or populated in LEAN™ when using the current kit.To find rate pages on Jarvis, go to  Knowledge Center > Product Overview > Medicare Supplement Plans > Rates & Underwriting and select a state from the drop down menu.

Get Ready for What’s Next

·         DO use LEAN for enrollments

o    Enrolling clients with LEAN means always having the correct application, plus less hassle managing Enrollment Kits

·         DO watch your email closely

o    Read emails to know when the new application will be implemented and new Enrollment Kits are available

·         DO NOT order large amounts of Enrollment Kits

o    Save the hassle of managing outdated kits you cannot use, as application changes are coming soon to Enrollment Kits in the impacted states

SureBridge: Benefit Change Option for Existing DVH Product

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Sourced from SureBridge communication on 5/24/22:

We recently communicated about price adjustments on the SureBridge Prime DVH product for new business and in force policies with customers receiving an increase at 6 months in some states (AK, AL, AZ, CA, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, KS, KY, ME, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, and WY).

Understanding some budgets may not allow for a rate increase, we are offering an option that may help. Customers who have been impacted by the 6-month rate increase and would like to lower their benefit level to make the premium more affordable, can contact Customer Service directly at 800-815-8535 or contact their agent to have the change made on their behalf.  We are allowing waiting period credits, accumulators, etc. to remain as they are at their current level with the move to a lower benefit. Those who received a 12-month rate increase notice already have the option to move to a lower benefit level.

Please note:

  • This change is only allowed within the existing DVH policy and does not allow customers to move to a standalone dental or vision.
  • A customer that exercises this option with their DVH policy does not trigger a new first year commission period or a commission advance.

SureBridge: Billing Changes and New Customer Website for New Business Only

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Sourced from SureBridge Broker Communication from 5/4/2022:

Starting on May 06, 2022, applications received for SureBridge supplemental products will have a new billing process and customer website for Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia. These updates apply to NEW customers only and do not affect current customers. There are no changes for business dated prior to May 6th.

Click here for important details about the following items:

  • New customer billing draft date and pro-rated premium
  • New customer website (mysurebridgeinsurance.com)

We encourage you to become familiar with how billing for new business will differ from that of previous business sold in your state. We are excited about these changes and look forward to better serving you and our customers.

2022 UHC Ohio Rate Information Effective June 1, 2022

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UHC AARP Medicare Supplement Plan email communication from 4/13/2022

 

2022 Ohio rate information is now available for AARP® Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans, insured by UnitedHealthcare® Insurance Company.

Effective June 1, 2022, the rates in Ohio will change. Please click on the button below to view rates for new enrollees with initial plan effective dates of June 1, 2022 to May 1, 2023.

 

CLICK HERE FOR APPROVED 2022 RATE PAGES

CLICK HERE FOR 2022 RATE PERCENTAGES 

 

Full rate charts can be found on Jarvis under Knowledge Center > Product Overview > Medicare Supplement Plans > Rates and Underwriting > Choose Ohio > Annual Rate Change.

Please note, new 2022 Ohio Enrollment Kits will be available in June. Read more here.

Reminders

  • Rates for plan effective dates through May 1, 2022 can be found on LEAN or in the Ohio Enrollment Kit for enrollment June 1, 2021-May 1, 2022 effective dates.
  • All available discounts in Ohio can be found on the Discount Stuffer, located in 2022 Ohio Enrollment Kits.

Member Billing Information
Updated billing materials will be sent to members in the Spring and will include:

  • A letter notifying the member of their new monthly premium payment (including any applicable discounts). View the two versions of the letter:

Electronic File Transfer (EFT) payer letter

 

2022 Enrollment Materials

New Ohio Enrollment Kits will be available on the Sales Materials Portal in June. This is to account for upcoming application changes. Please use LEAN for plan availability, rate and discount information and continue to check your email for new kit availability.

You may continue to use the current Enrollment Kit for plan effective dates of June 1, 2022 and later until the new 2022 Kit is available. Please refer to the new rate pages attached to this email or populated in LEAN when using the current kit for effective dates beyond June 1st.

 

Helpful Resources
On Learning Lab within Jarvis, you can find AARP Medicare Supplement Plan guides, job aids, and trainings that are offered monthly and cover a variety of topics. Spots for each training session are limited, so be sure to sign up early.

Tech Tip: Cracking the QR Code

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SECURITY HINTS & TIPS

Cracking the QR Code

 

What Is a QR Code?
Have you ever seen a poster that had a jumbled-looking, square-shaped barcode printed on it? These unique squiggles make up a QR code. A QR code (Quick Response code) is an interactive link that you can scan with your smartphone. The link could take you to a website, start a file download, or open an app on your phone to take an action, like adding an event to your calendar. QR codes are fun, easy, and alluring because they can be placed on anything from business cards to a bag of chips.

 

How Can Cybercriminals Use QR Codes?
Unfortunately, since a QR code is nothing more than a fancy-looking link, cybercriminals can use them just like they would use a link in a phishing email. There are many free websites that allow you to create your own QR code that links to anything you choose. This means that the bad guys can create a QR code that links to a malicious website or downloads malware onto your device. Once they have created their malicious QR code, it can be emailed, posted to social media, printed out on flyers, or even made into stickers and placed on top of legitimate QR codes.

 

 

Tips to Safely Use QR Codes:
A Follow these tips to stay safe when scanning QR codes.

• Never scan a QR code from an unknown or untrustworthy source. Did you receive a random, anonymous flyer claiming you could win the latest iPhone if you scan the code? Don’t trust it!
• When scanning a QR code, be sure to use a scanner app that provides a preview of the destination. This feature gives you a chance to review the URL and decide if the QR code is safe.
• If you scan a QR code and the URL looks cryptic, or the website requires a login, or the site is unrelated to what you scanned, close out of your browser immediately.

 

Stop, Look & Think. Don’t Be Fooled

Social Security Administration to Resume In-Person Services at Local Social Security Offices

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Online Services and Telephone Remain Most Convenient Ways to Contact Agency

 

READ FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE

WellCare’s Centene Workbench is Now Available!

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WellCare is very excited to announce Centene Workbench is ready for YOU!

How to Access:

Step 1: Login to your Single Sign-On (SSO) portal with your existing credentials. If you are a new user, please follow the steps to create your account.

Helpful tip! The SSO portal works best in Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. It is recommended to clear the browser cache prior to accessing the portal.

Step 2: Select the Centene Workbench icon

Step 3: Enjoy Centene Workbench!

 

Key Changes or Enhancements to Know!

Portal Overview: Centene Workbench provides you with the tools to help you succeed. Key enhancements include, but are not limited to:

  • Support Ticket improvement, tracking & monitoring, email alerts, etc.
  • Dashboard reporting including sales, credentials, commissions, and book-of-business
  • Self-service functionality for demographic, licensing, and business structure maintenance

Please review the Centene Workbench Portal Guide for screen shots, step actions, and explanations of functionality to assist with navigating your portal.

PID to NPN Transition: The Wellcare 6-digit ID (PID) is being discontinued in phases and replaced with the National Producer Number (NPN). Please review the phased approach below:

 

For more information or questions about the new portal, please contact your CSM Service Rep.