Is the New 2025 CMS Rule for Agent compensation actually GREAT news for AGENTS and FMOs?

[somarco]

I don't exactly see an incentive from the agent to falsify the answers

I never said nor implied agents were falsifying the report.

MA organization would get higher subsidies for the less healthy people,

They get higher CMS subsidies REGARDLESS of the underlying health. Whether (that's weather for Don) the extra bucks from CMS correlate to actual expenses is an unanswered question.

Some studies say it is just another way for the MA carrier to pad profits and has little or nothing to do with the alleged improved care for the policyholder. I tend to agree.

Ironically, there are agents always demanding higher commission levels, but when I tell them to just do the HRA and they will get paid the same as if they were at a higher level, they shrug and say no thanks.

Math is hard for some folks . . .

There are agents who have abused the HRA, switching consumer plans just to get the HRA...

Shocking!

Churning apps to make a commission without regard to the benefit (or lack thereof) for the client? Say it ain't so!

 

[vic120]

Honestly I did not really like doing HRAs some felt very intrusive with lots of mental health questions

 

[Newby]

I still don't have a dog in this fight, but my cursory reading of the topic SEEMS to be an attempt to limit actions by the (pick your acronym) IMO, FMO, TPMO, etc organizations and allow CMS to have more direct control over the actions of the "upline".

If a carrier or agent violates rules they can be sanctioned, fined, imprisoned, stoned on the town square . . . whatever.

But it SEEMS that some of the upline intermediaries are mostly able to operate with impunity. If the goal of CMS is to restrict or eliminate the intermediaries the new rules could well have an impact on those organizations including things like the Broadway Joe ads.

If the middleman is choked out the only players left may be the carrier and the agents . . . both of whom are subject to direct oversight by CMS.

My contracts are (almost all) direct with carriers, so my relationships won't be disrupted by new rules.

I wonder how @Newby and @Todd King feel and would like to see their input on this post.

I feel that the Medicare biz needs cleaned up. It's out of control. I feel bad for the good uplines that are really trying to add agents and train them to do a good job for seniors. But I think the bad uplines far outnumber the good ones and do massive recruiting and teach them to flip biz at all costs. That no sale is a bad sale.
Financially this won't affect me one way or the other. I own a Medicare agency in my town but it's just a Mom & Pop with my wife maintaining a base that we built up years ago. And it's 80% Med Sup, 20% Advantage.
With FexContracting we have a Medicare subgroup for the agents to cross sell Medicare but all the training and work for that is done by one of our top agents and 100% of the upline commissions go to him. I feel bad for him if this explodes what he has built up. Hopefully it doesn't. But I personally never wanted to get addicted to Med Advantage money because I've always believed it will go poof one day.

 

[somarco]

I feel bad for the good uplines that are really trying to add agents and train them to do a good job for seniors. But I think the bad uplines far outnumber the good ones and do massive recruiting and teach them to flip biz at all costs. That no sale is a bad sale.

You will get no argument from me on any of these points.

But I personally never wanted to get addicted to Med Advantage money because I've always believed it will go poof one day.

The MA side never appealed to me, and I agree it is fast money with a lot of latitude to make more.

One fascination to me is the SEP flavor of the day allowing folks to change plans, even if they don't need to, and without regard to whether (that's weather to Don) the event impacted them or not.

A wild boar got loose in the next county but no worries. You can change your plan even if you never saw the animal.

What a country!

 

[rmhaire]

A wild boar got loose in the next county but no worries. You can change your plan even if you never saw the animal.

You weren't suppose to tell them about the boar. Now I've got to go out and find a goose.

Dammit

 

[Newby]

You weren't suppose to tell them about the boar. Now I've got to go out and find a goose.

Dammit

A wild boar got loose and half of your MAPD's escaped! Dang!

 

[somarco]

Now I've got to go out and find a goose.

A wild goose chase?

Seriously????

 

[somarco]

I did not really like doing HRAs some felt very intrusive with lots of mental health questions

I guess you never did underwritten business of any kind . . . health, life, DI, etc.

Try asking women about their HRT meds, creams, etc.

Some were more nonchalant than others. More than once I not only got the HRT name & dosage but it was accompanied by "it's because I am so dry that sex is very painful".

TMI

 

[vic120]

I guess you never did underwritten business of any kind . . . health, life, DI, etc.

Try asking women about their HRT meds, creams, etc.

Some were more nonchalant than others. More than once I not only got the HRT name & dosage but it was accompanied by "it's because I am so dry that sex is very painful".

TMI

No that is different that is for qualification

this is just prying and its not just what meds do you take, its way more personal

Have you felt blue in the last 30 days
have you felt alone
Have you lost any interest in doing things from 1 to 10

 

[rmhaire]

I guess you never did underwritten business of any kind . . . health, life, DI, etc.

Try asking women about their HRT meds, creams, etc.

Some were more nonchalant than others. More than once I not only got the HRT name & dosage but it was accompanied by "it's because I am so dry that sex is very painful".

TMI

Just asking them their age and weight and watch their reaction.

I'll ask it even if it's not on the application.