How Is Your AEP going?

[patch36]

Curious about how everyone's AEP is going that sells MA, MAPD, & PDP plans? Don't really care about how you are handling SOA's, etc as that is another subject and best left for offline discussions...

I have been at it almost everyday since November 1. Working existing and new clients and leads, sometimes as many as 7 a day and more than 20 appts a week since Nov 1. Some of the appts were for other products, as life goes on in spite of Medicare Advantage, and my annuity and other products are really the lifeblood of my agency. I am exhausted.

As we have discussed before, my wife sets all of my appts and handles the calendar. She calls and sets the internet leads this time of year too, and that has also gone well. She lives with a laptop and phone nearby and reacts quickly to internet leads, which is the key to getting a shot at an appt.

I have not written hundreds of apps, but am somewhere well above 50 MA's (not keeping a precise tally yet), over a dozen Med Sups and associated PDP's to go with them, and several annuities, etc. Lots of future cross selling opportunities have been established. As the song goes, I need sun glasses.

You dumb asses that are asking how much some of us are making, don't ask. I actually don't know and don't count until it is in the bank and the free look periods have expired I am not sure if any of the MA compensation has actually been approved, and quit caring a month ago. It will be what it will be, and worrying about it is counter productive.

I look forward to slowing down some. I am too old to maintain this pace 12 months of the year. The system is broke and these election/enrollment periods are a stupid idea and not in the best interest of anyone. This Rent-a-Agent gig is wearing me out.

 

[jdeasy]

Since Nov 15, I've written 51 PFFS plans, 3 PDP and 3 med sups. Also done about $8000 ap in FE when I can squeeze in the time to run FE appointments.

These are all off contacts I made during lock in and promised to call during AEP. I haven't taken a lead or purchased a lead from anyone. In fact, I've declined leads for MA. I'll do 10 or 12 appointments next week for MA and then my backlog will be cleared up.

 

[patch36]

I forgot about the PFFS plans I have done which are under 10 and the dozen or so Humana PPO plans I was forced to write because of network issues. I still have a few clients out of the PPO area I live in and I am going there later today to write a couple old clients into a PFFS.

I have about 20 appts on the calendar next week, but half of them are annuity annual reviews and rewrites. I will be done except for stragglers and last minute decision makers who call me. I am soooo done.

The purchased internet lead thing has accounted for about 10pct or less of my business. Nobody is giving me any leads. I get offered them but I don't have time and don't want to write for the companies offering them. Like you, almost all of my business is from Lock In contacts, existing clients and referrals.

The one thing I like about these MA plans as they stand now is the ongoing commission stream for 5 more years as long as I retain the clients. I work to retain clients, so I hope the rules and regs settle out, the plans survive and I can get the benefit of the income stream for a few years. We'll see.

Sounds like you have been working hard too jdeasy. I imagine you too are looking forward to the end of this coming week.

 

[insurance0707]

In 2007 I worked around the clock during AEP, same with 2008. 2009 I've come to realize this is the most ridiculous thing that the government has ever come up with. Agents that have been in the business for 20 years are expected to service all of their clients in a 45 day period during the holidays. Some of us have over 600 clients. How are we expected to help all of them in a short time period. They don't even give us the rates and plan info until about 1 month before we can sell. Ordering supplies and getting them is a whole other story and then throw in all of the new regulations. I used to love this business and enjoyed helping retiree's. I'm not using any internet leads, I have too many of my own clients that I'm so far behind on helping. Thankfully, most of them are understanding. Alot of them tell me I wouldn't want your job, how do you keep up with all of the different companies and plans.

The government needs to do away with AEP and let the retiree's make changes to their insurance whenever they want. It will take the pressure off of the insurance companies and agents. The retiree's will be better off also. If the plan they choose isn't working for them, they should be allowed to change.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[patch36]

In 2007 I worked around the clock during AEP, same with 2008. 2009 I've come to realize this is the most ridiculous thing that the government has ever come up with. Agents that have been in the business for 20 years are expected to service all of their clients in a 45 day period during the holidays. Some of us have over 600 clients. How are we expected to help all of them in a short time period. They don't even give us the rates and plan info until about 1 month before we can sell. Ordering supplies and getting them is a whole other story and then throw in all of the new regulations. I used to love this business and enjoyed helping retiree's. I'm not using any internet leads, I have too many of my own clients that I'm so far behind on helping. Thankfully, most of them are understanding. Alot of them tell me I wouldn't want your job, how do you keep up with all of the different companies and plans.

The government needs to do away with AEP and let the retiree's make changes to their insurance whenever they want. It will take the pressure off of the insurance companies and agents. The retiree's will be better off also. If the plan they choose isn't working for them, they should be allowed to change.

Just my 2 cents!

For sure. The reason I am so exhausted is becuse over 2/3 of my appts are service call/annual reviews of existing clients during the AEP so I can retain their business and explain the changes in benefits. It is BS that the AEP is as it is, but for the time being I am balls to the wall not just writing new business, but taking care of old business and servicing my existing client base. Some of it has been done by phone, but for the most part I visit my existing clients at their home. I started that process in October. It results in referrals and moving them to better plans, but it is insane. It is not good for the seniors and it is killing the agents that do it right.

 

[insurance0707]

You are absolutely right Patch. It's killing the agents that are trying to do it right. How can you truly help each client. It doesn't help that the insurance companies/home office don't even know the rules. I think the home office people should have to take 5 - 10 different certifications with the different companies so they'd get these rules drilled in their heads like we have to. I didn't even mention that one in my last post. The certifications are a nightmare also, especially if you use multiple companies like most of us do. The same tests over and over, taking up hours of your time.
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The worst part about the certification is you don't know what the product will be for the following year that you're getting certified for. I've spent the time, got certified and then when they actually released the premiums, copays, etc for the plan realized I'm not going to offer that plan to my clients. That was a total waste of my time.

Have any of you had that experience?

 

[patch36]

hey insurance0707, I have a Michigan question I am going to PM to you. thanks.

 

[retread]

Maybe it's just me, but my calls are dropping off. I don't see much activity for next week compared to the last several. As a matter of fact, it has been steadily decreasing since the week after Nov 15th.

 

[jdeasy]

I have done about 10 or 12 Advantra PDP's that I didn't count as I don't get paid for those. I had my Coventry contract thru Parker and Asses, thus, I can't do Coventry/Advanta/1st Health now and get paid for them.

I took the lead from Frank and suggest that people talk to their pharmacy about the best plan for them. For some that don't want to do that and Advanta is the best plan, I just go out and get my laptop and enroll them on line. I let them know that I'm not their agent for for Adavnata and I'm just providing a service. Hopefully that will come back to me in some positive way.

 

[Insuranceman]

I have written about 50 MA so far and have about 15-20 more apps line up. I'll finish up on the 23 rd then I going to take the rest of year off and go back at it hard starting in January.