WHAT'S WAPPENING?

Many Medicare beneficiaries have been disappointed to learn that Medicare does not provide long-term care benefits. Now, some of that disappointment could be ending. Thanks to new rules from CMS, Medicare Advantage plans can now offer some long-term care benefits.

Medicare has a new open enrollment period. Starting in 2019, the Medicare Advantage open enrollment period will run between January 1 and March 31. This is a big change for both Medicare insurance agents and Medicare enrollees.

We are now two weeks out from AEP. You can now begin marketing, but remember that you cannot accept an enrollment until 10/15. In the video below, Paul outlines all the final steps you should take to maximize your success this AEP.

Yes, we’ve wrapped up WAPCon2018. The theme was Back to the Future. We thought it would be great if agents could learn cutting edge 2020-ish information NOW in 2018. Why wait to be smarter? Here are Paul and Mari putting this vision’s pedal to the metal:

Do you procrastinate? Don’t feel bad if you do. It’s human nature. But when it comes to preparing for AEP, procrastination can be disastrous. There’s so much to do – if you put it off until the last minute, there simply won’t be enough time to do everything right.

Time sure does fly, doesn’t it? We’re already more than halfway through the year. Soon, it will be time for another Annual Election Period (AEP). Don’t let the next AEP sneak up on you. The time to prepare is now.

Americans spend a lot on prescription drugs. It’s not just because Americans take a lot of medications, either. Prescriptions cost more in the U.S. than they do in other countries. In order to address this problem, many have called for greater price transparency. In an effort to provide this, CMS has recently unveiled its new Drug Spending Dashboards.

Today, I’m sharing a guest post written by Erica Kiefer, the Vice President of Marketing and Sales at AgencyBloc. She creates strategic direction for revenue growth and brand building, while removing obstacles for sales and marketing team success. Her favorite quote: "For the ocean is big and my boat is small. Find the courage." - Alanis Morissette

New Medicare cards are coming. Depending on where you live, the cards may already be in the mail, or they may not arrive for months. If you’re getting antsy, there are a few ways to check on the status.

Broker comp rates are in for 2019. CMS recently released a memorandum on contract year 2019 agent and broker compensation rate adjustments, submissions and training and testing requirements. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know.