Additional guidance on commissions will be released on Monday, November 10th at the close of business. I understand that this will be given directly to the Medicare Health Plans by CMS and not for public release, at least initially.
There will also be some additional follow up later that week for clarification. Not sure if this will include a written document from CMS which will act, essentially, as an addendum to the 2009 Marketing Guidelines. Not sure when this information will allowed to be released to the agents or when company’s will have this additional guidance “baked into” their 2009 Medicare Advantage commission schedules. Best guess is by the end of NEXT week, say, November 14th?
As I get more information, I’ll post.
Here is my last post on this. (This was a few days ago.)
How are the seniors suffering? If you go to a seniors house and between their med supp and part D they are paying 3k a year and you put them in a MAPD with a $2900 OOP max with a premium of under $50 and all their docs and hospitals except the plan.Call me crazy but the seniors I’ve run into over the last couple years love it.Not to mention the extra benefits and lower drug pays, yeah those poor seniors we are taking advantage of I feel so bad I want to make enough money to pay my gas,phone,office supplies,computers,insurance and extra space in my house to survive. How do I sleep at night!!!!
At $300 or even $200 per plan, agents who are captive consider this a feast. Some captive agents will be receiving only $120 for new plans and $40 or $50 for renewals.
Like many, I see the MA’s going away rather quickly. I believe they were put out there for a trial run, with way more seniors switching to them than the gov originally anticipated. So many seniors have benefited and continue to benefit from the plans inspite of the rising premiums/decreasing benefits.
True, there have been way, way too many seniors hurt/misled by untrained and/or money hungry agents. Even worse, put yourselves in the shoes of seniors who trustingly allowed an appt for an agent to come to their home in an effort to ‘help’ them with savings and/or additional benefits, only in reality to be visited by an imposter who took advantage of them financially and in some cases physically. There were some horrible events experienced by many of our innocent and trusting seniors in the name of ‘Medicare Advantage.’ I can’t blame the gov for taking ‘big’ steps toward protecting it’s seniors.
Perhaps if EVERYONE had been better informed (agents, the medical community, and the senior themselves), we would not be experiencing the tight restraints we are now experiencing.
Ask yourself, “Will I refrain from placing a senior on a MA if that is indeed what is in their best interest or in fact the only Medicare assistance they can afford, just because I won’t receive a few extra dollars in my own pocket? How much will I miss those few extra dollars in my pocket knowing my own grandparents may face bankruptcy if they are faced with having to pay the Part A&B deductibles and copays out of their own pockets?”
Sure, I’m not happy about the lower commissions, but will I make seniors suffer because of it? Will you?
Take a look at this link it’s an udate from today.
http://federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-27041_PI.pdf
I posted all of the congress health care committee contact info here earlier but I don’t know where it went so I created a link with the info.
http://www.mysenioradvisorsgroup.com/Misc.html
There’s also a great toolbar I created with links to “Healthcare”, “Medicare”‘ and other health insurance companies here if anyone wants it.
I’ll be adding sites to the dropdowns under Health and MA-PD over time.
Enjoy, and write, fax and e-mail those congressmen today!
You should all get used to it. They are just starting the Obama “Share the Wealth” program. We really getting paid $500. But they are taking $200 of that to give to someone else. Then the additional taxes at a later date..
This is a very informational blog and I appreciate all of your comments.
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Instead of moving against us the gov’t could work with us.
We are the individuals whom encounter first hand what the client’s needs are.
We deal with the carriers and provide insight into the quality of service they as well as doctors, hospitals, and other related health facilities provide to their clients.
We could provide insight to what is needed to better the quality of life for our clients.
We are delivering this great message to the senior population.
“Take care of the bottom line, the rest will flourish for better to all that surround.”
Thanx for the info Joe B!
A couple lines on the blog and a Paragraph or 2 to CMS and our rep’s.
Can anyone tell all of us if there is an organization that one can contribute a couple $’s to that represents or stands up for agent’s in “The Capital Bldg.” in Washington, D.C. (specifically)?