Annual Enrollment Period Year End Follow Up

December 12, 2018

The annual enrollment period for 2019 ended December 7^th and Medicare Advantage Plan and Prescription Drug Plan carriers are very busy processing all of the applications they received.

Now is the time to do some post AEP follow up to ensure that business continues to flow smoothly and build relationships with new clients. All agent are encouraged to:

• Review each of your carriers’ agent portals to make sure there are no outstanding requirements that need your attention.
• Contact new members within two weeks of their effective date to ask new members if they have any questions about their new benefits, out of pocket expenses, physicians, pharmacy tier levels, etc. (Do they qualify for Low Income Subsidy?)
• Make an appointment to visit your client for a benefit review. This is a great time to discuss other products.
• Encourage members to call you with any questions or problems.
• Let the member know you will contact them in 60 days to make sure the plan is working for them and to answer any additional questions they may have.
• Document previous questions and conversations so that you may follow up to ensure the member’s questions have been resolved.

If a new member needs to fill a prescription after their 2019 coverage begins, but before the member has received their new ID card, they may:

• Contact a network pharmacy
• Take a form of temporary proof of membership to the pharmacy
• Inform the pharmacist which carrier and plan type chosen; or,
• Call the carrier’s Member Services Department for assistance with transition of coverage protocol.

Customers form their first and most lasting impression of you and the carrier you represent. The more you act as their advocate from the beginning, the more clients you will have and the more clients you will keep. And the referrals will follow!

Promptly Respond to Clients’ Phone Calls

One of the best ways to make money in sales is to obtain repeat business from current clients. If you do not keep in contact or quickly respond to client calls (no longer than 24 hours), not only do you reduce your opportunity for repeat sales, you stand a good chance of losing your current, placed business.

Open Enrollment Period

The Open Enrollment Period (OEP) will run from January 1 – March 31, 2019. Chapter 2 – Medicare Advantage Enrollment and Disenrollment of the Medicare Managed Care Manual states that during this time, MA plan enrollees may enroll in another MA plan or disenroll from their MA plan and return to Original Medicare. Individuals may make only one election during the MA OEP.

During OEP, you may not solicit or reference the ability to make a plan change during OEP.

As always, we thank you for your support and cooperation. For questions or comments, please email us at Compliance@NSGACommunications.com or you may call the toll-free number listed below.

FOR AGENT USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH CONSUMERS.

Compliance Updates | 2650 McCormick Drive | Clearwater, FL 33759 | 844.206.2927