Ritter Insurance Marketing » Uncategorized

Bipartisan Senate bill crafted to exclude agent commissions from the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) calculation

Don — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:50:39 +0000

A bipartisan, companion Senate bill to House bill H.R. 1206, which proposed excluding insurance agent compensation from medical loss ratio (MLR) calculations will be introduced in the next few days. Some of the more notable changes to House bill would be removing commissions from the MLR calculation for small group and individual health programs. Commissions on large groups and bonuses for small group and individual would not be exempt from the MLR calculation (LifeHealthPro). Good news for the agent community? Encouraging news for our industry on the political front due to the bipartisanship? Not so fast according to a Director at Health and Human Services (IFAwebnews.com ), who believes there is no room for a regulatory fix on this issue. Recently, in December 2011, Health & Human Services went against the NAIC and decided to not exempt agent commissions from the MLR rule. It seems that NAHU is leading a charge for change that is making an impact with the legislature. But unfortunately, it seems all of this is going to be decided by one thing and one thing only, the ruling by the Supreme Court this coming July. Let’s hold out hope for positive change and most importantly, more reasonable commissions. It sure will be interesting to watch between March and July. Stay tuned.

Insurance Product Training – Jan. 2nd – Jan. 9th 2012

Craig — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:17:02 +0000

Do you need insurance product training? RitterIm.com has an up-to-date posting of all the top carriers’ trainings on our event calendar. Registration is “one click” away at Ritter Insurance’s “Events’ Calendar”! (You must be logged in to register!)

Monday, January 2, 2012; No scheduled trainings at this time.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012; Baltimore Life Silver Guard INSpeed Call Center Process Training webinar is open to all Baltimore licensed agents.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012; Bravo New Agent Training 2012 seminars are being held in Baltimore, MD and Newark, DE. Ritter Insurance Marketing will be hosting ‘Don’t Be Locked Out During Lock-In!’ webinar that is open to all agents.
Thursday, January 5, 2012; Ritter Insurance Marketing will be hosting a webinar on ‘CSI Product and Lead Program Review’. The webinar is open to all agents.
Friday, January 6, 2012; No scheduled trainings at this time.
Monday, January 9, 2012; No scheduled trainings at this time.

Medicare Will Begin Covering Obesity Counseling as a Preventative Benefit

Craig — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:35:56 +0000

Yesterday, CMS announced that there will be coverage under Medicare’s preventative benefits for obesity counseling. Here is a link to their press release with detailed information.

The therapy sessions can last for up to one year with more frequent sessions early in the year and sessions become less frequent as the year progresses (roughly 20 sessions for the year). Medicare beneficiaries must meet or exceed a body mass index of 30kg/m2. Here is a link to a body mass calculator, but by example, if you are 5″ 9″ tall, you would meet the criteria for counseling if you weighed 205 pounds or more.

CMS estimates that roughly 30% of Medicare beneficiaries would be qualified as obese by the BMI measurement.

Donald Berwick to Resign as Head of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Craig — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:09:04 +0000

Here is the story for the Washington Post. President Obama appointed Dr. Donald Berwick using a recess appointment in July of 2010. His recess appointment was set to expire on December 31st, 2011. In the face of heavy Republican opposition to confirm his appointment, Dr. Berwick announced his resignation effective December 2nd.

The White House will nominate Marilyn Tavenner as the new head for CMS, however, the process for confirming the nomination may take some time. Ms. Tavenner is currently serving as Medicare’s deputy administrator.

Romney releases some Details on Plans to Overhaul Medicare

Craig — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:42:50 +0000

Republican Presidential nominee hopeful, Mitt Romney, announced some specifics with regards to how he would overhaul the Medicare system. His proposal looks similar to Paul Ryan’s proposal with a big difference in that Medicare beneficiaries would be allowed to stay on the Original Medicare system, if they so chose.

The Politico covered the story.

Coventry Announces First Health Value Plus Medicare Part D Plan

Craig — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:47:05 +0000

Coventry Health Care, Inc. announces that is has joined in partnership for 2012 with the nation’s largest and best known names in retail and pharmacy Walgreens, Walmart, and Target to offer a novel Medicare prescription drug plan known as First Health Value Plus (PDP). As Coventry’s newest Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, First Health Value Plus is the lowest premium zero-dollar deductible Part D plan in the United States.

Click to read Coventry’s Press Release.

Optimistic About Medicare Plans?/Boost Your Sales

Craig — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:27:26 +0000

Ritter Insurance Marketing is committed to bringing tools to help with your sales. Below are two articles that do just that.

Five Reasons to Be Optimistic About Medicare Plans – and Five Reasons to Worry
http://www.asjonline.com/Exclusives/2011/8/Pages/Five-Reasons-to-be-Optimistic-about-Medicare-Plans–and-Five-Reasons-to-Worry.aspx
Boosting Sales with More Comprehensive IDI Policies
http://www.asjonline.com/Exclusives/2011/8/Pages/Boosting-Sales-with-More-Comprehensive-IDI-Policies.aspx

Find the Best Coverage for Your Clients/Time for a Second Look

Craig — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:02:02 +0000

Ritter Insurance Marketing is committed to bringing tools to help with your sales. Below are two articles that do just that.

The Medicare Challenge: How to Find the Best Coverage for Your Clients
http://www.asjonline.com/Exclusives/2011/8/Pages/The-Medicare-Challenge-How-to-Find-the-Best-Coverage-for-Your-Clients-.aspx
Fixed Index Universal Life: Time for a Second Look
http://www.asjonline.com/Exclusives/2011/8/Pages/Fixed-Index-Universal-Life-Time-for-a-Second-Look.aspx

Medicare Maze/Unintended Consequences

Craig — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:39:37 +0000

Ritter Insurance Marketing is committed to bringing tools to help with your sales. Below are two articles that do just that.

The Medicare Maze
http://www.asjonline.com/Issues/2011/8/Pages/The-Medicare-Maze.aspx
The New Fiduciary Rule: Unintended Consequences
http://www.asjonline.com/Exclusives/2011/8/Pages/Department-of-Labor-Fiduciary-Rule-Major-Unintended-Consequences.aspx

Insurance Product Training – August 15th – August 22nd

Craig — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:00:27 +0000

Monday, August 15th; Health Option One Product Overview and Training webinar is open to all agents. Universal Health Care Certification seminar is being held in Fairfax, VA.
Tuesday, August 16th; Baltimore Life Tele-sales Training for Silver Guard Products Using INSpeed webinar is open to all Baltimore licensed agents. Health Option One Product Overview and Training webinar is open to all agents. Universal Health Care Certification seminar is being held in Roswell, GA, Grapevine, TX, Roanoke and Fairfax, VA, Sarasota, FL and East Elmhurst, NY. Genworth Seminar for Senior Supplemental Products is being held in Grand Island, NE. Humana Product Training is being held in Irvine, Orange, Huntington Beach and Los Alamitos, CA.
Wednesday, August 17th; Coventry GHP/MHP Broker Portal Updates/Navigation webinar in open to agents in MO. Health Option One Product Overview and Training webinar is open to all agents. Coventry AEP Broker Seminar is being held in Philadelphia, PA. Genworth Seminar for Senior Supplemental Products is being held in Kearney, NE. Universal Health Care Group Face to Face Training is being held in Huston, TX, Sandston, Richmond, and Roanoke, VA, East Elmhurst, NY, Augusta, GA, Reno, NV, and Tulsa, OK. Humana Product Training is being held in Long Beach, Torrance, and Culver City, CA.
Thursday, August 18th; Health Option One Product Overview and Training webinar is open to all agents. Universal Health Care Group Face to Face Training is being held in Lansdale, PA, Yukon, OK, Duluth, GA, Reno, NV, Stuart and Gorda, FL. Humana Product Training is being held in Burbank and Pasadena, CA.
Friday, August 19th; Health Option One Product Overview and Training webinar is open to all agents. Universal Health Care Certification Meeting seminar is being held in College Park, GA, Hialeah and Tampa, FL.
Monday, August 22nd; No trainings are scheduled at this time.