Anthem Medicare Certification Training Center Site Maintenance | 4.13.21 – 4.19.21

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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

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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

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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. 

WellCare: Low Income Subsidy Plans Available – Read More

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Low Income Subsidy Plans Available to Help with Overall Health

WellCare communication from 3/15/21:

We wanted to remind you about the Low Income Subsidy (LIS) plans for beneficiaries with limited resources who DO qualify for the “Extra Help” subsidy, but DON’T qualify for a zero-dollar, dual special needs plan.

It’s important to remember that members receiving “Extra Help” (which helps with the Part D monthly premium, annual deductible, coinsurance and copayments) can choose any Centene plan with Part D, while the LIS plans work with the government’s Low Income Subsidy program. The low income programs help with prescription needs, so our LIS plans include other benefits to address our members’ overall health, like:

  • Dental
  • Hearing
  • Vision
  • Fitness
  • And more

LIS Plans are available in the following Medicare markets:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

If members are not already enrolled, they can apply for “Extra Help” in three ways:

  • Online at www.socialsecurity.gov/extrahelp
  • By calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to apply over the phone or to request an application
  • In person at their local Social Security office

The LIS chart, available in Agent Connect and the Ascend portal, can help you understand the amount of “Extra Help” a beneficiary receives and help determine the right plan for them.

For more information, please see the 2021 Low Income Subsidy (LIS) Plans Product Video

 

If you have any questions on WellCare’s LIS plans contact your Cornerstone Senior Marketing representative. 

NEW Centene Broker Support Call Center: WellCare, Allwell, Health Net, Ascension Complete, Fidelis Care

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Broker Support is Here to Help YOU!

Great News! The Broker Support Call Center is now available to all brokers with all health plans (WellCare, Allwell, Health Net, Ascension Complete, Fidelis Care).

Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 8:00PM EST

Phone Number: 866-822-1339

Broker Support can help you with inquiries related to:

  • Onboarding – Contracting, training, and license updates
  • Formulary, Provider, and Benefit options available to assist brokers with pre-enrollment information via Ascend
  • Application & Enrollment assistance, WellCare health plan RFI assistance
  • Member Status, Broker of Record (AOR/BOR) correction
  • Broker Commissions – Finding statements, using the calculator, inquiries
  • Broker Portal (Agent Connect and Agent360) Navigation – Assignment of Commission (AOC), hierarchy changes, demographic updates, application search tool, help creating support tickets
  • Single Sign-On Portal – New broker set-up and navigation
  • Sales Materials (CustomPoint)

Most calls are resolved immediately over the phone, those that require more escalation will be forwarded to the corporate team for review, resolution, and direct follow up.

IMPORTANT! The former broker services line, 844-202-6811 will no longer assist with the above matters; however, this line will still be available for Allwell, Health Net, and Ascension Complete enrollment verification and RFI assistance.

 

Exciting NEW Enhancements with MedicareCENTER – Important Updates!

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Important MedicareAPP User Updates

You’ve asked and we’ve listened!
Connecture, the technology behind MedicareCENTER, is introducing exciting NEW updates to the MedicareAPP feature inside MedicareCENTER!

MedicareAPP users can view these enhancements now while using the platform.

1. Agents can sort from Low to High by ‘Estimated Drug Costs’. This means you no longer have to have the health costs built in to a Medicare Advantage quote.

  1. Agents can now select up to three (3) pharmacies on the pharmacy selection screen.

              –  Agents can select the pharmacy on the left hand side of the Plan Details Page to update the costs. 

 – You can also search by pharmacy name now! 

 

3. On the Plan Details Page, they have added an ‘Effective Date’ field on the ‘Total Costs’ tab. This will update the costs to reflect the remainder of the year and no longer show the entire year! Agents can also toggle back and forth on the costs for their preferred pharmacy. 

PLUS….

  • Streamlined profile creation when sending quotes

  • Added ability for agents to send plan documents when sending an application. 

 

Questions on these updates or on the MedicareCENTER platform?

Contact us – we are here for you!

Anthem MS Replacement Commission Payment Reminder

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Medicare Supplement Replacement Commission Payment Reminder:

This is a reminder of the Medicare Supplement replacement commission payment policy. Replacement policies are sold to applicants purchasing an Empire Medicare Supplement policy that replaces a Medicare Supplement policy held with either Empire or another carrier.

In accordance with state regulatory requirements, the commission for Medicare Supplement replacement policies is paid at the “year two” renewal commission rate. Per state regulatory requirements and our broker agreement, we cannot pay and brokers cannot receive compensation in an amount greater than the renewal compensation on replacement policies.

 

  • Applies to Medicare Supplement business for the Blue states listed below along with Amerigroup states Arizona and Texas.
    • Blue: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
  • Does not apply to HealthyBlue, Simply, Blue Louisiana nor North Carolina or Amerigroup states of New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee or Washington.

 

Need more information or have questions? Please contact your CSM Representative.

TECH TIP: Unexpected Emails

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When you receive an email from an online service or business partner that you are not expecting, proceed with caution.
For example, if you receive an email from eBay stating that you have just won an online auction, there are a couple of questions you should ask yourself.

  • Are you a member of eBay? (This goes for online banking as well. If you receive an email from a bank you do not have an account with, do not click any links)
  • Did you bid on any auctions recently? (If you did not bid, you cannot have won)

 

This does not apply to eBay alone. The bad guys can use any online service such as banking, shopping and social networking to try and trick you.

Remember to Stop, Look, and Think before clicking on any email links.

When in doubt, open a web browser and visit the company website of the person who sent you the email. From there you can log in to your account to verify any activity that has taken place.
Do not click a link in the email to visit the site… Open a browser and type in the address of the company.

Let’s stay safe out there!

Cornerstone’s Technology Team

UHC 2021 Med Supp Rate Information

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Annual rate change information for 2021 AARP® Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans from UnitedHealthcare® 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 Michigan
New Mexico North Carolina Ohio
West Virginia

 

Here to Help
For more information, send an email to the Producer Help Desk at phd@uhc.com (include agent writing number in the subject line) or contact your CORNERSTONE SENIOR MARKETING REP.

WellCare’s Digital Resource Center: New for 2021!

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NEW for 2021! – Pre-Enrollment Materials Available in Seconds

WellCare is excited to share a great new tool that provides all the information you need to meet with beneficiaries at your fingertips. Plus, materials are available in multiple languages!

The new digital resource center gives you easy access to:

  • Sales Presentations
  • Pre-Enrollment Guides
  • Benefit Highlights
  • OTC Catalogues
  • Formularies

Click the link Centene First Look – Digital Resource Center to access the digital resource center.

 

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