For Insurance Agents « Ritter Insurance Marketing

For Insurance Agents

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If you are an insurance agent and would like to have free access to all of our products and services CLICK HERE.

Ritter Insurance Marketing is a Field Marketing Organization serving over 6,000 independent agents in 46 states. Our General Agents have placed over $50,000,000 in Medicare Supplement premium and over $100,000,000 in Medicare Advantage premium.

In serving the independent agent, our services are designed to help the independent agent efficiently manage their agency to custom tailor products to meet their clients needs.

Some of our free value added services include:

Live support - Our experienced staff is available to assist you with your sales and marketing.
Top Carriers and Commissions - General Agency and MGA contacts available with over 30 of the nation’s leading Medicare, Final Expense and Long Term Care companies. No commission reductions for accessing all of our services.
Medicare Quote Engine - An easy-to-use quoting tool which provides an easy to read comparison of Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, Part D, Final Expense and Cancer Insurance Quotes. This web-based tool delivers quotes from over 30 companies in seconds. (Long Term Care coming soon!) Works for any zip code in the United States!
Webex based training - Archived training is available 24/7 with live sessions conducted every month.
Self-Serve Licensing - We pre-populate licensing paperwork for over 30 companies, saving you time in filling out paperwork. We can also e-mail your pre-populated paperwork to your inbox.
Knowledge Base - Access our archive of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) to answer questions on topics ranging from application submission procedures to commissions issues. Over 200 FAQ’s are retriveable 24/7.
Resources Database - Applications, forms, rates, outlines of coverage, website links and more are delivered through an easy to use web-based interface.
Agent Services - Service requests (Supplies, commission issues, enrollment issues, etc.) are tracked real time with a “time stamped” diary of each action taken to resolve your issue.
Lead Portal - Track your own prospects and leads using CRM. You can store name, phone, address, DOB, current coverage, next step dates, disposition and more.
Carrier Appointment Data - View all of your company appointments including agent number, commission level, certification dates, etc. Store your agent website passwords for easy reference.

Click here to get started!

20 Responses to “For Insurance Agents”

on June 30, 2008 at 1:01 am Anon

If licensened nationwide, can one sell Medicare Advantage over the phone and internet?
on June 30, 2008 at 9:26 am Craig

Anon: You just need to hold an insurance license in the state where the Medicare Beneficiary is located. You would also need to be appointed and certified with the carrier you are representing. Of course, you need to follow the CMS marketing guidelines, but if you follow the guidelines, you can sell nationally.
on August 13, 2008 at 10:35 am George Boychock

Craig…
I am licensed in 20 states and would be interested in perhaps doing this phone marketing for med sups. Im not big into them but could easily pick up on them. Not certified with any companies this year yet. Let me know.
-George
on August 21, 2008 at 3:20 pm John Orr

Does anyone know what Original Medicares Deductible’s and Co-pays will be for 2009. I cannot find them anywhere.

Thanks
on August 22, 2008 at 10:24 am Tim Simplot

The Medicare A & B deductibles are usually released near the end of September.
on August 27, 2008 at 11:39 am Sue

Am I understanding this correctly……We cannot as agents telemarket for the advantage plans this year.

I just spoke to a friend who was hired for an agency in Nashvl the company is hiring telemarketers at $17 per hour as well as agents to run pre set appts for 2009………..

I told him the medicare law changed no telemarketing 2009,he
asked the agency about this change and they said this rule did not apply to agencies and agents, only to the insurance company…..
on August 27, 2008 at 11:47 pm Craig

Sue:

I don’t believe this agency is interpreting this correctly. The CMS marketing regulations apply to the independent agents who represent the insurance companies as well as the companies themselves. Further, there is no “safe harbor” in using an unlicensed independent telemarketing firm.

The only loophole around this change might be to telemarket for other products, then to set an appointment to return for a Medicare Advantage sale. This would need to be set 48 hours after the initial sales call.

I’m sure that once the CMS Marketing regulations are published, we will get some better guidance on this subject.

Craig
on September 16, 2008 at 2:30 pm Bill

go
on September 16, 2008 at 2:35 pm Bill

I just logged on to take my cms certification for 2009. I was told to take the test for just one carrier I would have to fork over $100 on a credit card for this years test with just this one carrier. I have had to pay nothing to recertify in the last three years and I am afraid to look at other carriers websites I am with to see what lies there. Am I wrong or should they not be more grateful for the business for the medicare advantage apps we write. I am outraged.
on September 23, 2008 at 2:29 am hris

I am intereststed in getting into the medicare market full time, at present I am licensed l&h in maryland, would lic in other states as needed. please contact me re; cms and your program.
thank you,
chris w.
on October 17, 2008 at 9:16 am Allen

I think you are all crazy for selling Medicare Advantage. It is obvious CMS does not want this stuff sold with all the rules in place for marketing. This year now that the State insurance departments are involved, there will be some licensed revoked. I value my license. Allen H
on October 18, 2008 at 1:32 pm Bill Thomas

I somewhat agree with Allen. CMS has clearly thrown the baby out with the bathwater on this one! Inedependent agents will be hard pressed to adhere to CMS rules re: Scope of Appointment cards signed and returned in advance of any appointments or recorded telephone approvals. Not good. For Sue that posted back in August…I am sure you are aware now that the telemarketing will not be allowed and in rare cases where prospects are already clients…anyone calling must be licensed.

Gonna be tough for independents. I am signing a broker referral agreement with a United sales rep for $175 per referral, they cover my marketing costs and the service headaches. Only way I can make money on MA this year, I am afraid.
on October 24, 2008 at 11:36 pm David

I believe the intention of CMS is to get all independent agents out of the Med Advantage market. I work for one of the nations largest Med Advantage Companies and CMS wants company oversight. I believe the misunderstanding or misleading tatics used in 06 & 07 with PFFS has caused this. Jack of all trades master of none is not what I believe CMS wants. I believe if you have done this long enough you have walked in to a mess or an CMS violation that another agent did, we all need to turn in the bad apples. Regulate yourself or someone else will.
on October 28, 2008 at 8:10 am Nidia

Does anyone know if Sterling Life Insurance is reducing the Medicare Advantage counties they serve in 2009? They don’t show up in the Medicare plan comparison site in several counties where they were active in 2008.
on October 28, 2008 at 9:11 am Anonymous

Nidia:

I replied via e-mail, but I don’t have good details. Perhaps some others can help here.
on November 5, 2008 at 3:22 am Toni

The MCare Advantage Plans are great plans, BUT not for everyone. I have seen many, MANY clients benefit from having it and thank me, then I have had some who got scared and ran when they received the ‘Dial America’ phone call, suddenly feeling I ‘misrepresented’ myself to them . . . and believe me, I go into detail AND prep them for the phone call, but some still file unfounded complaints.

Definitely, keep good documentation on ALL visits. I was cleared of the three complaints I did receive. I had very few charge backs and of the ones I did have, the clients each called me after receiving ‘the phone call’ accusing me of . . . you know. After calming them down and reminding them of the material I shared w/them at the time, each were fine w/ME but were very upset from the stir created by ‘the phone call.’

I have found the prospects to focus on considering for Advantage Plans are those who are on MCare A&B only. They’re not losing anything by accepting the plan but they definitely benefit by the ‘cap’ the plans place on their out-of-pocket.

**No Med Supp replacements to come back to bite when they see the Advantage Plan as being a ‘Dis-Advantage Plan’ due to the benefits they left behind when they dropped their Med Supp or Retirement Plan.
**No Medicaid recipients to worry about getting scared when they receive ‘the phone call.’ For the small amount of benefit they get from the plans, you can decide for yourselves, but I won’t touch them.

I placed Advantage Plans for 2-yrs now and have seen many, MANY come and go. BE CAREFUL who you write them for and document each call and visit - you’ll be fine.

Nov 15th will be here in only 10 days, guys and gals. Wishing you all a ’safe, clean, and prosperous’ Annual Enrollment Season.
on November 14, 2008 at 8:49 pm Mike

I for one intend on breaking every CMS regulation just for the fun of it. Let them figure out how to police it. I do right by my customers and that is all that matters to me. Let them catch me. Its ridiculous. This is a first amendment violation. Humana just released their commissions. $320 for first timers to MA, $160 for “renewals”. What a joke. If CMS sanctions me and I lose my license I’ll go sell hearing aids or durable medical equipment or something else lucrative. This is ridiculous that it has come to this.
on November 14, 2008 at 10:22 pm jackie

13.33 how much gas will that buy ?
on November 15, 2008 at 1:42 am leigh

Humana captive agent: just got my incentive documents this evening. $250 unsupported(referral) $180 supported(leads). Plan to plan option change $25. $5 MA perpetuity. $1 PDP.

Amazing.
No wonder they waited until tonight to tell us.
I am thinking that my BOB who we are being urged to cultivate and provide “exceptional” customer service - will perhaps be receiving my farewell.
on November 15, 2008 at 11:33 am Wiser Fool

How can Humana captive agents be paid more than independents who are not paid a salary , benefits, marketing support aand bonuses?
Is this what is fair from CMS and we are overpaid?
There has to be some way to deal with this!