It’s hard to believe, but we’re only 2 days away until the start of the 2020 Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). Times flies when you’re in quarantine! We’ve put together a few tips for a successful season. Read more.
Medicare AEP: Help more clients than ever this year
The Medicare AEP is just days away... Are you ready? If you're feeling overwhelmed with contracting and certifications, we can help. Read more.
10/16 Back to Business Broadcast
Join us for our bi-weekly Friday webinar at 10am EST as we share simple and exciting ways to approach sales and customer service. Bring your questions and get answers during our live, interactive video Q&A. Learn how your agency can benefit from new sales, marketing and technology ideas to create a customer experience that engages clients and rises to the challenges of today. Register now.
MedicareNow!
Our Medicare Advantage enrollment platform, MedicareNow!, enables you and your clients to enter and save medication lists, as well as update lists anytime to see how adding and deleting prescriptions will affect them financially—without sharing any confidential usernames and passwords. Read more.
CMS Newsroom
News updates from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Read more.
21 Medicare Advantage Plans Earn 5 Stars In CMS Release Of Star Ratings
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the Medicare Advantage and Part D star ratings for 2021. The 21 health plans earning 5 stars include KelseyCare Advantage, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, CarePlus by Humana, Tufts Health Plan, Health Partners, Capital District Physicians' Health Plan, Quartz Medicare Advantage of Wisconsin, Cigna, Health Sun - Anthem, BCBS - Health Now New York and Martins Point. The lowest rated plans had 2.5 stars and there were only four: Bright Health, AgeWell New York, Prominence Health Plan and Virginia Premier. Read more.
10 Medicare COVID-19 Benefits Facts You Should Know
The Medicare plan annual enrollment period is set to start Oct. 15. COVID-19 has put everything in a reality scrambler, and just about every entity that ever existed, from big insurers, to giant web brokers, to newly discovered microbes from the atmosphere of Venus seems to want a piece of the action. If you’re a live human who’s been selling Medicare plans since the old days, before the pandemic started, one weapon you have against the bots and the call centers is live-human charm. Read more.
Medicare May Not Pay For Early Coronavirus Vaccines Without A Legal Fix
Medicare Part B, which generally covers approved vaccines deemed necessary, does not extend that coverage to those approved under emergency-use authorization, which is expected for an early Covid-19 vaccine. It’s uncertain when a legislative fix could come or if there are regulatory maneuvers that could provide a work-around instead. Read more.
CMS touts lower premiums and benefits of Medicare Advantage plans
Average 2021 premiums for Medicare Advantage plans are expected to decline 34.2% from 2017 while plan choice, benefits, and enrollment continue to increase, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said ahead of the annual Medicare Open Enrollment starting on October 15. Read more.
Trump Signs New, Expanded Executive Order To Lower U.S. Drug Prices
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Sunday aimed at lowering drug prices in the United States by linking them to those of other nations and expanding the scope of a July action. Read more.
12 Leading Medicare Advantage Payers By 2020 CMS Star Ratings
Going into what would be a tumultuous year for Medicare, twelve Medicare Advantage payers proved to be leaders in their field with five-star Medicare Advantage Star Ratings. In a recent post, Matt Eyles, president and chief executive officer of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), underscored the pivotal role that Medicare Advantage plans have played in 2020. Read more.
New CMS Data Highlights ‘Massive’ Expansion of Home Care-Related Medicare Advantage Benefits
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a treasure trove of new Medicare Advantage (MA) statistics late Thursday. While the new numbers flag a general rise in MA enrollment and drop in premiums, they also reveal a massive expansion of the supplemental benefit programs that have gotten home care operators so excited over the past few years. Read more.
Good News, Seniors: Medicare Premium Increases May Be Capped for 2021
If there's one expense that tends to increase for seniors from one year to the next, it's healthcare, and that extends to Medicare. While Medicare Part A, which covers hospital care, is free for most enrollees, Part B, which covers outpatient services, charges a monthly premium that changes annually. Currently, the standard monthly Part B premium is $144.60, though higher earners pay more. But there's a chance those premiums could rise come 2021. Read more.
CMS: 2021 Medicare Advantage Premiums To Hit Lowest Point Since 2007
Premiums are set to decline 11% in 2021 compared to plan year 2020, decreasing from $23.63 to an estimated $21 per month on average, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said. Medicare Advantage premiums have decreased by an estimated 34.2% since 2017, CMS said. Read more.
Walmart Jumps Into the Medicare Plan Distribution Market
Walmart is putting its corporate muscle behind the idea of getting consumers excited about buying Medicare plans. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant announced today that its new Walmart Insurance Services LLC insurance agency division will be ready to sell Medicare plans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia starting Oct. 15, the first day of the Medicare plan annual election period. Read more.
Aetna | Gear Up: How To Manage Your Business Virtually
This year's Annual Enrollment Period will bring opportunities to do business in new ways and help your clients stay connected, even if it's virtually. We offer everything you need to submit applications and manage your business online. We've compiled all these resources into one place to help you during this busy season. Read more.
Aetna | NEW Ascend On Android Devices | Look Up Providers | Plan Summary Worksheets | How We Can Help
In this weeks Medicare producer news you will find; NEW Ascend on Android devices, 2021 plan highlights, AEP marketing, Tools to help you sell, 2021 plan summary worksheets, How to submit enrollments, 3 ways to look up providers, Moratorium on hierarchy changes and Broker Services Dept. options. Read more.
Health Plan Partners | 2021 Plan Details Are Available NOW!
In 2021, Health Partners Medicare is offering three Medicare Advantage plans with no referrals, no medical or prescription drug deductible, affordable doctor visits and Part D coverage. Read more.
Health Plan Partners | Sales Kits & Marketing Materials Update
Our 2021 Sales Kits are available for order through Command Direct, our fulfillment vendor. If you are designated Ready To Sell, you should receive an initial batch of Sales Kits via UPS this week. You can order more Sales Kits through Command Direct at any time. If you did not receive Sales Kits, please contact our Medicare Sales Coordinator. Read more.
Highmark | Helpful Information for a Successful AEP
In recent weeks we've shared quite a few resources and insights to help prepare you for a fruitful Annual Enrollment Period. But we know how inboxes can get, so we'd like to remind you of a few things as we push toward October 15. Keep an eye out for more every week! Read more.
Highmark | 2021 AEP Enrollment Best Practices
As we enter this year's Annual Enrollment Period, Highmark Senior Markets is committed to providing you with the guidance and resources you need for a successful AEP. Read on for some of our select Best Practices, and look for more helpful hints and tips throughout AEP! Read more.
Highmark | Tools for AEP Success
Highmark Senior Markets is committed to providing you with the resources you need for a successful Annual Enrollment Period. This article includes some of these resources - keep an eye out each week as we release more! Read more.
UPMC Health Plan | 2021 Materials Are Now Live!
We hope you enjoyed learning more about the 2021 plans, additional benefits, and our new virtual tools at your recent kick-off meeting! In case you missed it or want to reference what was covered in the meeting, visit the Broker Training site. The Broker Training site now includes important 2021 UPMC for Life materials that you might find helpful when speaking with a client—all at the touch of your fingertips! Read more.
UPMC Health Plan | In-Person Seminar Cancellation
Due to the concern for the safety of our Medicare community, UPMC Health Plan has cancelled all in-person events for the month of October. As a result, we have moved from an in-person seminar approach to a virtual seminar approach. This means conducting business over the phone, or face-to-face online through a video call. Read more.
United Healthcare | New Eligibility Lookup Tool on Jarvis! Now You can Verify Medicare and Medicaid Eligibility
We have a new, faster way for you to obtain Medicare and Medicaid eligibility. Instead of contacting the Producer Help Desk (PHD), you, as a UnitedHealthcare agent, can directly determine Medicare and Medicaid eligibility for consumers and members on Jarvis, any time, any day. Read more.
Wellcare | Reminder: EFT/ACH Transition Delayed
We want to inform you that our transition to a new broker payment vendor is delayed. Originally the transition was to take place on October 1, 2020; now, it will take place on October 30, 2020. Read more.
Wellcare | The Ascend Advantage: 2021 Plan Information is NOW Live!
Did you know 2021 plan information is NOW live in Ascend? You can compare 2021 plans side by side, view benefit details, search providers, pharmacies and drugs, and send quick quotes! Read more.
UPMC Health Plan | Please Join Us To Learn More About UPMC Total Advantage
Please join us on October 14th at 11am to learn more about UPMC Total Advantage. UPMC Total Advantage is a new health care plan that provides your clients with 51+ employees access to a high-value, high-performance network. Read more.
2021 GTL Sales Convention | April 21-25, 2021 (qualify through 12/31/2020)
GTL's 2021 sales convention will treat you and your guest to a trip of a lifetime at the world-renowned Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda. Read more.
Cigna Medicare Advantage Incentives for 2020 (qualify through 12/31/2020)
As if the quality of our 2020 Medicare Advantage plans isn’t enough, here’s another great incentive for our AEP 2020 customers. Read more.
