We’re only 7 days away until the start of the 2020 Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). Are you ready? Let us be a part of your AEP game plan! Below are a few tips for a successful season. Add these links to your internet browser toolbar:
Supply Orders & Forms
- Because of the limited space and volume of carrier offerings for 2020, URL will only have a limited number of enrollments kits available in our office. For supply orders, please visit our Supply Order page on our website.
- For compliance purposes, consumer facing enrollment forms will no longer be placed on our website. We will be including a link for each carrier that will enable you to go right to the consumer site and download the correct form for your clients.
How to reach URL
- In order to provide you the most prompt service, we ask that for non-urgent matters you e-mail us at medicare@urlinsgroup.com. This mailbox is handled by the entire Medicare Offerings staff and it will guarantee you that a response will be received within 24 hours (M-T 8:00am-4:30pm; Fri 8:00am-1:00pm).
- For calls to the Medicare Offerings department, please use 717-540-5690 ext. 5. This will ring to the entire department and whomever is available will answer the call.
Compliance reminders
- A Scope of Appointment is no longer required to be signed 48-hours in advance of an appointment, however, a scope is required for every appointment. Click here to read more rules regarding the Scope of Appointment.
- Please check with each carrier for their application submission deadlines. Not every carrier follows the same rules.
- Don’t forget to put your writing number on the application.
- We will continue to send out this newsletter bi-weekly with carrier updates throughout the AEP. Any urgent announcements will be sent out as a separate email.
If you’re doing Marketing Events and Seminars, make sure you are ordering any promotional items now, filing your events, and remaining compliant by following the Marketing Do’s and Dont's Guide.
Additional Highmark Producer Portal Updates: MACRA and Online Enrollments
As you may already know, MACRA prohibits the sale of the Medicare Supplement policies that cover Part-B deductibles to "newly eligible" Medicare beneficiaries defined as those individuals who: (a) have attained age 65 on or after January 1, 2020 or (b) first become eligible for Medicare due to age, disability, or end-stage renal disease, on or after January 1, 2020. Learn more.
Highmark | Do you have clients losing access to their Medicare Supplement plan with another carrier?
If you have clients losing access to their Medicare Supplement plan with another carrier, they have a Guaranteed Issue Right to select a new Medicare Supplement plan or shop for a Medicare Advantage plan. Learn more.
Important Highmark AEP Updates: ANOCs, LIS, and Portal Enhancements
We are excited to announce the following enhancements to the Producer Portal, effective today, October 1. Learn more.
Aetna | New videos! | 2020 sales presentations | EOCs go online | OSB rules - when to enroll
You can find everything you need to begin marketing 2020 Aetna MA/MAPD products on October 1, on the Individual Medicare page of Producer World. Learn more.
Jarvis WRAP for September 27
The Producer Help Desk (PHD) is extending hours and implementing smart technology to provide you with expedient and hassle-free service during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). Learn more.
GHP Weekly Bulletin | September 24th 2019
Effective January 1, 2020, Geisinger Health Plan will no longer offer Medicare Supplement healthcare coverage plans. Learn more.
Kickstart your Sales with Highmark Medigap Blue!
Medigap Enrollment Kits can be ordered on ShopPRO, accessed through the Producer Portal, producer.highmark.com. Learn more.
UnitedHealthCare | Exciting News! Health Assessment Payment Available for All Medicare Advantage Plans
Because UnitedHealthcare understands the importance of our members taking full advantage of their UnitedHealthcare plan we are expanding the opportunity for agents to earn a one-time payment for submitting a Health Assessment. Learn more.
Breaking News: CMS Announces Changes to Medicare Plan Finder
NAHU has been working continuously to advocate for improvements to the new Medicare Plan Finder, and CMS appreciates the comments they've received on the new tool. Learn more.
Medicare Managers Update Their Plan Finder
The Medicare plan annual enrollment period for 2020 coverage is about to start Oct. 15, and agents and brokers are still furious about the state of the program’s Medicare Plan Finder site. Learn more.
NAHU Seeks Agent Feedback on Medicare Plan Finder Experience
CMS is in the process of launching a redesigned Medicare Plan Finder for the 2019 annual election period in an attempt to provide beneficiaries and caregivers with a personalized, mobile-friendly and easy-to-read guide of the MA and Part D enrollment process. Learn more.
Trump Calls for Turning Medicare Provider Pay System Upside Down
President Donald Trump today issued an executive order that could, eventually, lead to massive changes in how just about how every public and private payer in the United States pays for all patient care. Learn more.
Trump to unveil order aiming to boost Medicare health program, woo seniors
U.S. President Donald Trump will unveil an executive order on Thursday aimed at strengthening the Medicare health program for seniors, seeking to improve its fiscal position and offer more affordable plan options, administration officials said. Learn more.
Dozens charged after CBS News exposes Medicare scam targeting seniors
Federal officials on Friday announced charges against 35 people linked to a massive Medicare scam. It comes two weeks after a CBS News investigation revealed how recruiters entice seniors to submit a DNA sample for a "free" genetic cancer risk test. Learn more.
Journalists File Lawsuit To Force Feds To Release Medicare Advantage Audits
Kaiser Health News is suing the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release dozens of audits that the agency says reveal hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges by Medicare Advantage health plans. Learn more.
Quiz: How Well Do You Know Medicare?
Medicare began in 1966 under the banner of the the Social Security Administration and is now administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Learn more.
The 2020 Medicare Advantage Plan Atlas, for Agents
Medicare program managers at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have just flooded the CMS website with two giant, computer-crashing files of 2020 Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plan data. Learn more.
Private insurers are improperly rejecting Medicare drug claims, watchdog finds
Journalist Philip Moeller answers your questions about health, aging, and retirement. Learn more.
About 411K seniors double-billed because of Medicare glitch
Medicare accidentally double-billed about 411,000 seniors nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Learn more.
Trump Administration Drives Down Medicare Advantage and Part D Premiums for Seniors
Ahead of Medicare Open Enrollment, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), under the leadership of President Trump, announced today that, on average, Medicare Advantage premiums in 2020 are expected to decline 23 percent from 2018 while plan choices, benefits and enrollment continue to increase. 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
Coming soon: Check your second quarter rankings 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
