Are you ready for the Open Enrollment Period (OEP)?
When is OEP?
January 1 through March 31 each year.
Who is Eligible?
Individuals enrolled in an MA-Only or MAPD plan CAN:
use the OEP to switch to or get a different MAPD plan, an MA-only plan, or Original Medicare (with or without a PDP).
Individuals enrolled in Original Medicare CANNOT:
use the OEP to join an MA or MAPD plan, add a PDP, or change their PDP.
In addition, the OEP is not available to those enrolled in Medicare Savings Accounts or other Medicare health plan types (such as cost plans or PACE).
Broker Do’s and Don’ts
Producers May NOT:
Send unsolicited materials advertising the ability/opportunity to make an additional enrollment change or referencing the OEP
Specifically target beneficiaries who are in the OEP because they made a choice during AEP, by purchase of mailing lists or other means of identification
Engage in or promote agent/broker activities that intend to target the OEP as an opportunity to make further sales
Call or otherwise contact former enrollees who have selected a new plan during the AEP
Use marketing pieces that highlight the OEP or the opportunity to change plans during the OEP
Make assumptions on which election period to use.
Producers May:
Educate consumers about the OEP if you are enrolling them into a plan, or they have reached out to you about their dissatisfaction with their current plan
At a beneficiary’s proactive request, send marketing materials, have one-on-one meetings, and provide information on the OEP
Market to age-ins (who have not yet made an enrollment decision)
Market to five-star continuous enrollment Special Enrollment Period when 5 Star Plan are available in your area
Market to dual-eligible and low-income subsidy (LIS) beneficiaries who, in general, may make changes once per calendar quarter during the first nine months of the year
PRODUCERS MUST:
Determine if the consumer has a valid election period and which election period is best for the consumer’s circumstances.
We hope you take advantage of this additional enrollment period happening in Q1 2022. Below are links to carrier information sheets to further clarify the do’s and don’ts you need to follow to ensure you remain compliant.
December 7th is here, and we all know that with the end of AEP comes the inevitable onslaught of last-minute apps. In light of this we wanted to quickly remind you of the rules of engagement surrounding the end of AEP on Medicare Select-a-Plan:
All AEP apps must be submitted successfully by 11:59:59 pm (23:59:59) on December 7th in the local time of the plan in which the customer wishes to enroll.
It does not matter when an app is started – it only matters when it is successfully submitted, without errors.Apps must be completed and submitted successfully, without errors, by that time.
We recommend that agents try their best to submit their final few apps as far ahead of this deadline as possible to account for the time needed to correct any errors that may occur on submission, just in case they arise.
Here are two demonstrative examples:
An agent lives in California, and is writing an app for customer who lives on the east coast and is applying for a plan with a service area in the Eastern time zone. This app needs to be submitted successfully, without errors, by 11:59:59 pm in Eastern Time on Tuesday, 12/7.
An agent clicks “submit” at 11:59 pm on 12/7 in the local time of the plan, but there is an error upon submission. It takes the agent 2 minutes to correct the error on the app and clicks “submit” again at 12:01 am on 12/8. Since the successful submission didn’t occur until 12/8, this app will count as a 12/8 app and will not qualify for AEP.
Please let us know if you have any questions about this.
Thank you so much for using Medicare Select-a-Plan and we wish you a healthy, safe, and successful rest of your AEP selling season.
Join us for a deep dive into the products and opportunities happening across the Sunshine State.
ATTENTION: All agents appointed with Aetna Medicare Advantage in Florida – the time is NOW to start selling Aetna across the state!
Whether you’re living and selling in Florida full time or simply providing options to your snowbird clientele from your home state, you’re invited to join Aetna’s Florida team for a deep dive into the products and opportunities happening across the Sunshine State. Join us for a half hour drill down into the:
Announcing 5 Star Ratings for 2022 UHC Plans in Maine!
On Oct. 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released UnitedHealthcare’s 2022 Star Ratings plan year performance for Medicare Advantage plans that include Individual, Part D, Group Retiree and Dual Special Needs Plans.
I am excited to share that Maine has several 5-star plans:
PLAN ID PLAN NAME
H2001-018 AARP® Medicare Advantage Choice Plan 1 (Local PPO)
H2001-001 AARP® Medicare Advantage Choice Plan 1 (Local PPO)
H2001-010 AARP® Medicare Advantage Choice Plan 2 (Local PPO)
H2001-019 AARP® Medicare Advantage Choice Plan 3 (Local PPO)
H2001-021 AARP® Medicare Advantage Patriot (Local PPO) Download the spreadsheet for more details regarding counties in Maine.
Don’t miss this year-round selling opportunity!
Make sure that you contract with UHC now to ensure that you’re ready to sell this AEP season and throughout the year.
DHMP is not your ordinary health insurance carrier. Unlike regular insurance companies that operate to make a profit for their shareholders, DHMP is a local, nonprofit company that directs its funds toward the well-being of their members and making quality care accessible to all.
DHMP serves more than 100,000 members in the Denver-metro area including Medicare and Medicare/Medicaid eligible beneficiaries.
For 2022, DHMP expects to continue offering its two popular HMO plans
Select (HMO)
Choice (HMO D-SNP)
Both plans offer an expanded provider network in the Denver area including:
Denver Health SCL (Denver Metro Area)
UCHealth (Denver Metro Area)
National Jewish Health (Denver Metro Area)
Stride Community
GarityAdvantage Agencies is offering contracts to agents and agencies interested in selling DHMP plans.
GarityAdvantage provides contracted agents with no-cost and co-op lead programs, live and virtual training, personalized marketing collateral, client retention programs, a virtual selling platform and a knowledgeable team to help you every step of the way. Be sure to request your contracting today to gain access to these valuable marketing tools – plus all the service and support.
Get fired up and ready to sell! The 2022 Medicare Advantage selling season is about to get red hot!
If you missed our live Sizzle events in August, there is still a chance to participate online in September!
Join GarityAdvantage’s Territory Manager, Jane Feit, for an invaluable webinar focused on helping you uncover the hottest plans, and sizzling opportunities in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island markets that will ignite your sales this AEP.
Want to learn more about the only 5-Star Medicare Advantage Plan in Massachusetts? Join Lenieve Henry of Tufts Health Plan, a Point32Health company, and Jane Feit of GarityAdvantage Agencies for Tufts annual broker certification and training.
Tufts Health Plan makes selling Medicare Advantage simple:
Simple, affordable plan options including a NEW zero premium plan
New Broker Portal and easy online enrollment tools
Supplemental benefits including embedded dental, OTC savings, eyewear, wellness allowance, weight management and more
Available in 10 counties with access to major providers in Massachusetts
New Medicare Advantage options coming to Worcester County.
Save the Date
MassAdvantage Rollout Event August 30, 2021 | 7:45am – 11:00am
Beechwood Hotel, 363 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA
Dear {$firstName!”Agent”},
There are new Medicare Advantage options coming to Worcester County built in partnership with UMass Memorial Health. Dr. Eric Dickson, President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, will share his vision for the new Medicare Advantage options in Worcester County.
Broker training will be provided. More details to follow!
There’s high demand within the senior Medicare market for dental plans.
Your clients deserve a dental plan that fits their lives.
The demand for dental coverage has never been greater in the senior market. Ameritas is at the forefront—offering a growing portfolio of products to meet the demand.
Join Ameritas’ Taylor Davis, Regional Managing Director, for an update on their expanding menu of dental plans—all designed to ensure your clients obtain the coverage they need. Get a first look at new plans offering benefits like LASIK, hearing coverage, and teeth whitening.
What you’ll learn:
Features & benefits of Ameritas dental plans including day-one coverage and Ameritas’ nationwide network
Matching plan benefits with your senior client’s needs
GarityAdvantage is a National Marketing Organization (NMO) for the top local, regional and national Medicare carriers. We approach our role with brokers a bit differently than our competitors – as we provide local market teams to work with you side-by-side to ensure you succeed. This allows us to actively develop targeted lead programs and local market opportunities to help you prospect and sell as well as deliver personalized training, ongoing marketing support and co-op funding to support your specific needs. We also offer the latest tech tools to help manage your business including efficient lead calling tools, agent dashboard and Medicare Select-a-Plan, our virtual quote and enrollment platform. Rounding out our support is a back office team helping you every step of the way with contracting, commissions, enrollments and compliance. Plus, all broker commissions are paid directly to you. You get the whole pie, not just a piece of it! Call us today to learn more or request your contract now.
