WHAT'S WAPPENING?

Now is a great time to go paperless. The Medicare & You handbook is available as an eHandbook. Medicare enrollees can download their digital copy now. They can also sign up to get the eHandbook instead of the paper copy in the future.

While telephone calls and physical mail continue to be staples of modern communication, technology has brought new options. One of these options is texting. As a Medicare insurance agent, you can send text messages to your current clients as long as you follow a few basic guidelines. If you haven’t used text messages to communicate with your clients, you might want to start soon.

A lucrative career is within your grasp. As an independent agent selling Medicare insurance, you can own your own business and earn an attractive income. It doesn’t require an expensive and time-consuming degree, either. The Medicare Academy is a one-day event that can give you the information you need to get started on the road to success.

Scammers are targeting your clients. There’s been a rise in fraudulent phone calls, and many of these scams go after Medicare beneficiaries. Warn your clients about the growing danger.

Baby Boomers get a lot of attention from both companies and the press, but what about the generation that came before? There are some key differences between the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers, and if you want to market to them, you should understand their unique preferences and needs.

Do you keep track of your clients’ birthdays? If not, you really should start. It’s easy when you use apps – like this one or this one – to remind you. It’s also a great way to stay in touch with your clients. If you’re always looking for something to say – other than the tired “just checking in” message – try these more creative ideas.

What if your upline agency no longer meets your needs? It may be time to break up and explore other options. Before you can do that, however, you need to request a release. Here are the steps …

Navigating Medicare coverage options is about to become easier. If you’ve even had trouble using the Medicare Plan Finder, there’s good news. The Medicare Coverage Tools initiative promises to improve the tool, making comparing options and enrolling in a plan easier than ever.  

Trying to figure out coverage for a specific service? Medicare has a new app that might help. The What’s Covered app makes it easy to access information on Medicare coverage for specific medical items and services.

As you are well aware, some big changes have come this year in the release of the new Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidance.  In prior years, we experienced Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP )  from January 1- February 14^th – Medicare has introduced a new enrollment period for 2019 beyond the Annual Enrollment Period ( AEP ) called Open Enrollment Period ( OEP ). The Open Enrollment Period begins January 1 and ends March 1, 2019 – This replaces the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment period.