Face to Face NOT required for Today's Options

The MA plan I contract with requires a phone verification at the end of the sale and the agent must leave the residence. The phone verifier asks them if the agent has left. We under no circumstances can sign them up over the phone. The only apps done on the phone are from direct phone calls to the home office and completed by licenced customer service reps. Our compliance department is very strict due to CMS regulations and past experience with reps.
 
Okay, here's my two cents worth....
My understanding on re-cretification was that CMS does not require a face to face to provide information. In other words, you call to set an appointment and the client asks to tell them over the phone, etc. You cannot mandate that they be face to face with you for the information. But you have to be there to write the app, not provide information.

With tax that will be $1.83:cry::cry:
 
Okay, here's my two cents worth....
My understanding on re-cretification was that CMS does not require a face to face to provide information. In other words, you call to set an appointment and the client asks to tell them over the phone, etc. You cannot mandate that they be face to face with you for the information. But you have to be there to write the app, not provide information.

With tax that will be $1.83:cry::cry:
Your understanding is wrong as respects CMS. Carriers can impose anything else they want.

Rick
 
Hey Guys,

Sman is the only that has shown anything that even appears to be documentation on this. I have no reason that his source is not accurate.

I have not done any research on the subject mainly because it is not an important part of my business.

We all can guess all day long what the real rules and regs are that CMS will impose. Without seeing something in writing specifically stating, by CMS, that we cannot sign people up on the phone the few that I may write may very well be over the phone.

Apparently Policy Doctor thinks she has documentation but she stated that she refuses to share it with us. Maybe because her other "documentation" had nothing to do with signing people up over the phone.

Please, if anyone has specific wording from CMS, please be so kind as to share it with us.
 
In re certification for the CMS part, that was one of the questions and answers. So, if I'm wrong then all the CMS required testing must be wrong too. But that may be par for the course. The question was phrased as: "Can you require a client to meet you in person for information about the plan?" The answer was no. Information only... I recertified with 3 companies, that question was on one of those. There were two tests. Onw was product knowledge and the other CMS rules.
As I said, put in my two cents worth.
 
In re certification for the CMS part, that was one of the questions and answers. So, if I'm wrong then all the CMS required testing must be wrong too. But that may be par for the course. The question was phrased as: "Can you require a client to meet you in person for information about the plan?" The answer was no. Information only... I recertified with 3 companies, that question was on one of those. There were two tests. Onw was product knowledge and the other CMS rules.
As I said, put in my two cents worth.
I've recertified with 4 companies and remember that 2 of them stated you needed to do a face to face. BUT, does not mean it's a CMS requirement.

The company with likely the best plan for 2008 is once again Today's Options. They specifically have said both to me and others IN WRITING that face to face is not required.

Why are some people having such a hard time taking YES for an answer?

Rick
 
You cannot sign them up face to face. I know this because my dads' uncles' brothers' cousin helps approving the CMS regualtions. Just look at page 4a in the CMS book of MA enrollment guide. It is clearly stated there under paragraph L25.
 
I just got of the phone with my dad. He had talked to his uncle, who early talked to his brothers cousin. Well, anyway he said that the reason for not allowing face to face is this. In order to keep the funding from the gov't, the pffs companies are trying to help the Ozone by not making agents waste gas and by lowering the fumes that are released into the air. It is also to help the handicapped, disabled, and ugly agents have a chance at the market share. The End.
 
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