- Thread starter
- #11
I'm Starting to See the Light... Part D Hassle
- Thread starter G.Gordon
- Start date
- 1,704
G. Gordon...just a hasty reply here. Why send them anything? Just keep quiet. People call on an "as needed basis" anyway. The more you talk the more you hang yourself.
Either you acquit or you convict!
Simplify your life. Tell them to call Medicare/CMs...those marvelous people who know how to create complexity but not how to solve it.
Either you acquit or you convict!
Simplify your life. Tell them to call Medicare/CMs...those marvelous people who know how to create complexity but not how to solve it.
- 1,255
I have had the same difficult decision as to whether to offer PartD or punt. I'm going to limit my PartD offer to my "A" clients.
G. Gordon has good reasons to not offer this value added service. We all know the arguments for and against.
It has to boil down to your 499 clients whom appreciate your services. Not the one who is bad mouthing you. You and your wife pour your hearts into your practice and without you the 499 will suffer. Don't let the one get in the way of your 499! Any agent with a large client base knows that they will take a bullet every now and then from an unhappy camper. It goes with the territory.
My clients will get the best plan for 2010. I have a lot of Advantra Value customers to take care of. They will get the best plan. And if I get lucky, it will be a plan I represent. Otherwise I'll give them the carriers 800#.
The bottom line is; CMS is considering just having 5 plans in 2011. So, at that point it will most likely be a non-issue. But, my clients will remember and appreciate my services.
G. Gordon has good reasons to not offer this value added service. We all know the arguments for and against.
It has to boil down to your 499 clients whom appreciate your services. Not the one who is bad mouthing you. You and your wife pour your hearts into your practice and without you the 499 will suffer. Don't let the one get in the way of your 499! Any agent with a large client base knows that they will take a bullet every now and then from an unhappy camper. It goes with the territory.
My clients will get the best plan for 2010. I have a lot of Advantra Value customers to take care of. They will get the best plan. And if I get lucky, it will be a plan I represent. Otherwise I'll give them the carriers 800#.
The bottom line is; CMS is considering just having 5 plans in 2011. So, at that point it will most likely be a non-issue. But, my clients will remember and appreciate my services.
- 148
I would like to start a newsletter. If I send you a self addressed envelope would you send me a copy of what you send out.
I'd like to see your lay out.
Thanks,
- Thread starter
- #15
How about I just email it to ya? It's one page, written like a letter with different bullet points, printed on thick paper, but not quite card stock. The UPS store does the printing, folding, tabing, and mailing at the discounted rates. I buy a copy card with 10,000 copies when they are on sale for 3 cents. A good relationship with a UPS store is great to have. Anything I need multiple copies of it's cheaper and more convenient to email it to them with a note of how many, front/back, folded... what ever and then pick it up when done. You can't buy paper and ink for 3 cents per copy.
They charge for each task. So much for folding, tabing, etc.
email me at
ggbrown1@sbcglobal dot net <you know how to fix that right...
- 1,183
With having to pay the AHIP training fee, I'm not even bothering to recertify this year. It's been about 18 months since I've sold an MA and it doesn't appear to be worth the hassle at this point.
Where I live now (in a more urban area than when I sold a lot of MA's) the market is inundated with captive agents already and all things considered as an independent agent it's just not worthwhile to try to go after a sliver of that business when I can focus on supplements and other products. I'm not about to drive 2-3 hours to an appointment and then wonder when I'm getting paid as happened with so many (if not all) who sold MA's last year.
If a client asks about PDP and they don't have a computer or anyone to help, I might enter their meds into Medicare.gov but that's it at this point. The council on aging can often be a helpful resource as well, both for helping choose a Part D plan and for assistance for those in the gap.
I tend to agree with Frank. If you establish yourself as a trusted advisor, in the vast majority of cases you don't have to worry about the fly by night agent who knocks on the door. The goal is for the client to view themselves as a client of yours, not merely as a client of MoO or whoever. If you can achieve that and continue to provide service to the client, they are typically going to be very reluctant to switch, even if the competition is a few dollars cheaper.
When I worked for Humana back in 2005-2006 when Part D first rolled out, I had people sent to me from Blue Cross agents (who had a horrible Part D plan in the state at that time) and other agents who didn't want to deal with Part D. They weren't worried about me taking their clients, and I don't know that I sold any of them an MA. Admittedly one factor was that our PFFS and PPO MAPD plans were about $80 per month and weren't much cheaper than a competitively priced supplement at the time.
Where I live now (in a more urban area than when I sold a lot of MA's) the market is inundated with captive agents already and all things considered as an independent agent it's just not worthwhile to try to go after a sliver of that business when I can focus on supplements and other products. I'm not about to drive 2-3 hours to an appointment and then wonder when I'm getting paid as happened with so many (if not all) who sold MA's last year.
If a client asks about PDP and they don't have a computer or anyone to help, I might enter their meds into Medicare.gov but that's it at this point. The council on aging can often be a helpful resource as well, both for helping choose a Part D plan and for assistance for those in the gap.
I tend to agree with Frank. If you establish yourself as a trusted advisor, in the vast majority of cases you don't have to worry about the fly by night agent who knocks on the door. The goal is for the client to view themselves as a client of yours, not merely as a client of MoO or whoever. If you can achieve that and continue to provide service to the client, they are typically going to be very reluctant to switch, even if the competition is a few dollars cheaper.
When I worked for Humana back in 2005-2006 when Part D first rolled out, I had people sent to me from Blue Cross agents (who had a horrible Part D plan in the state at that time) and other agents who didn't want to deal with Part D. They weren't worried about me taking their clients, and I don't know that I sold any of them an MA. Admittedly one factor was that our PFFS and PPO MAPD plans were about $80 per month and weren't much cheaper than a competitively priced supplement at the time.
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- 148
Thanks man, email on it's way.
