The 2020 AEP is officially over! On behalf of the Medicare Offerings department and the entire URL family, we thank you for your business. As we close out the AEP, please take note of a few reminders:
Medicare Connections Newsletter
After today, the newsletter will be changed from bi-weekly to a monthly newsletter. If there are any major notices from our carrier partners, we will send them out as individual announcements.
Training
Please keep an eye out for emails throughout the remainder of the year and the beginning of next year for our in-house training seminars and webinars. You can also visit our website Events and Training calendar for all listings.
What’s next?
The Medicare Open Enrollment Period starts on January 1st and ends on March 31st. Please refer to the our Medicare Marketing Guideline Changes guide to find our what you are permitted to do during this time.
Highmark | Important Network Update
UPMC has agreed to treat Highmark's Community Blue Medicare PPO members on an out-of-network basis without any pre-payment requirements or other provisions. Learn more.
Humana | SEP Notice!
The SEP is available to those who resided in the affected areas or who rely on help making healthcare decisions from someone who lived in the affected area and had another election period available during the incident period. Learn more.
Union Security Rate Adjustment
The following rate adjustments are effective February 1, 2020 for new and in-force business.
These 3 major Medicare costs will jump in January
Health care already accounts for more than 10% of spending by senior households, on average. And 2020 brings more bad news for the pocketbooks of seniors on Original Medicare. Learn more.
Medicare Prescription Plans May Take Longer to Cover New Generic Drugs
Fewer than half of the first generics approved by the FDA since 2016 are commercially available to patients. Learn more.
CMS seeks input on AI use in processing Medicare claims
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a request for information in October seeking input from all of its stakeholders on using artificial intelligence and other technologies to help process claims accurately, reduce administrative burdens on healthcare professionals and ensure Medicare program integrity. Learn more.
Pelosi Sets Showdown Vote on Medicare Drug Negotiations Bill
The House will hold a showdown vote next week on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bill empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices, expanded Thursday to provide seniors with dental, vision and hearing benefits not currently covered. Learn more.
CVS To Buy Centene’s Divested Illinois Medicare Advantage Plan
CVS Health will buy Medicaid and Medicare Advantage lines of business owned by Centene in Illinois as part of a divestiture needed by Centene to win approval of its WellCare Health Plans acquisition. Learn more.
KFF: Small share of Medicare Advantage and Part D enrollees switched up plans
Only a small share of Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D beneficiaries switched their health plans during the 2016 and 2017 open enrollment, even though plan options expanded, a new analysis found. Learn more.
HPP | Countdown to AEP Incentives!
A list of AEP incentives. Learn more.
Announcing Cigna Medicare Advantage Incentives for 2020
As if the quality of our 2020 Medicare Advantage plans isn’t enough, here’s another great incentive for our AEP 2020 customers. Learn more.
Lumico | Where will your bonus take you?
No limit to how much you can earn in any given month. Earn $100 per Underwritten Med Supp $50 per Non-Underwritten Med Supp. Learn more.
Aetna | Your chance to earn a bonus through December
Submit qualifying applications of Medicare Supplement and ancillary products between October 1 - December 31, 2019 to earn a bonus. The more qualifying applications submitted and policies issued, the more bonus dollars you can earn! Learn more.
GTL's New 4th Quarter Bonus Program | HIP and Precision Care
GTL's Writing Agent 4th Quarter Bonus Programs are back and bigger than ever! Learn more.
Medicare is in transition, we have choices
Beginning with AEP 2020, beneficiaries can still enter their medications on medicare.gov. However, they will no longer be able to save their medication lists without creating a log-in to mymedicare.gov. If you are sitting face-to-face with beneficiaries, you will likely be impacted by the lack of medicine cabinet storage/access to claims. As with any transition, there will be confusion and more calls.
Our new 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.
If you'd like to save client information (and time) this AEP, watch our MedicareNow! demo to see how easy it is to use, then fill out the form to get started. Learn more.
URL's 2020 President's Club
Check your rank to see if you’re on track to join us at Hotel Bennett in charming and historic Charleston, SC. Learn more.
Medicare Offerings Video Archives
