MA seminars or lack thereof

[Mac1958]

Joe:

Yep, the $15 rule remains in effect, and that includes food & beverages and the full (not discounted) cash value of all giveaways and prizes.

There was a lot of complaining initially about no longer being able to buy meals, until everyone realized that we're all in the same boat and no one will have an advantage.

 

[jdeasy]

Well, I would point out where you are wrong as well, and you are, but I'm afraid I just don't care enough to do so.

Additionally, I prefer to communicate with people who can be a bit more civil and mature in their responses.

For the rest of you -- be careful, be sure to stay on top of the rules, don't break 'em, and you'll do great!

..

No, I'm not wrong and the reason you don't show where you think I am is because you can't.

The captive companies are loving this stuff because they feel they will be able to control the business now because they will be sending out mailers and then only making leads available to their captive agents.

The ball is currently in their court. But, the independents can and will have seminars. Plus, those that have been in the business for a while have plenty of referrals.

If you got your feelings hurt because of my other reply, you are too thin shinned to post here, I can assure you of that.

You claimed to have the "scoop". You do not.

 

[Mac1958]

Ho boy...

This is becoming more clear. You're angry at the "mean" MA companies. This is about you. I get it.

I realize you don't know this, but my compensation is tied to all MA enrollments both nationally and within a certain region. So whether a captive agent does the enrollment, or an independent agent does the enrollment, or if the enrollment is done directly online, it's all the same to me. So, do your seminars. I hope you do well.

Believe it or not, there are some people in this industry who want to help others in the industry, and want to help others stay out of trouble. CMS rules are tough and they're enforced, but for very good reason given the way seniors are treated. And I've seen a number of agents lose their ability to sell MA plans because they either didn't know the rules well enough or didn't follow them closely enough. One case was an entire agency.

Further, a vast majority of CMS violations have been made by non-captive agents (but you wouldn't know that either). This situation is understandable, of course, since these agents sell many other products and don't have the time to focus on these plans, their regulations, or the new rules coming down the road.

I can't help you with your anger at those mean insurance companies. But I can offer advice to agents from an inside perspective, and they can choose to use it or not. They don't know me from Adam, but I can at least try to help.

I feel a certain obligation to reply to your angry and uncivil responses out of common courtesy, but I'd much rather focus on the positive, which is my nature. Buy a punching bag or a stress ball. Life is too short for such cynicism.

Best wishes.


...

 

[Guest]

QUOTE=Mac1958;92873]Ho boy...

This is becoming more clear. You're angry at the "mean" MA companies. This is about you. I get it.

Actually, it has become about you. Who ARE you?

But I can offer advice to agents from an inside perspective, and they can choose to use it or not. They don't know me from Adam, but I can at least try to help.

Why should anyone here believe you? Who ARE you? What or whom do you "manage" (as you bragged in an earlier post.)

I don't know if you are the CEO of Coventry or if you are some guy in a trailer park just outside of Bupkiss, Alabama, but for now I'm going with the latter.

If you want respect here you need to give it and you can start up by showing us your credentials BEFORE telling us how much you know, how important you are, and why we should take what you post seriously.

We have enough "cloaked" experts on this board who claim legitimacy without credentials... we hardly need any others.

The Jackass

 

[MedSuppPro]

Bottom Line: "The CMS rules are not rules yet." And the new rules will apply to both captives and independents. Until we see the final rules published, we can only speculate. Some are planning with limited knowledge and will have to change after October 1st. Today, we are ALL under old rules.

It doesn't matter if you like tequila, wine or beer! When the final rules are published all of us will have something to talk about.

 

[jdeasy]

Ho boy...

This is becoming more clear. You're angry at the "mean" MA companies. This is about you. I get it.

I realize you don't know this, but my compensation is tied to all MA enrollments both nationally and within a certain region. So whether a captive agent does the enrollment, or an independent agent does the enrollment, or if the enrollment is done directly online, it's all the same to me. So, do your seminars. I hope you do well.

Believe it or not, there are some people in this industry who want to help others in the industry, and want to help others stay out of trouble. CMS rules are tough and they're enforced, but for very good reason given the way seniors are treated. And I've seen a number of agents lose their ability to sell MA plans because they either didn't know the rules well enough or didn't follow them closely enough. One case was an entire agency.

Further, a vast majority of CMS violations have been made by non-captive agents (but you wouldn't know that either). This situation is understandable, of course, since these agents sell many other products and don't have the time to focus on these plans, their regulations, or the new rules coming down the road.

I can't help you with your anger at those mean insurance companies. But I can offer advice to agents from an inside perspective, and they can choose to use it or not. They don't know me from Adam, but I can at least try to help.

I feel a certain obligation to reply to your angry and uncivil responses out of common courtesy, but I'd much rather focus on the positive, which is my nature. Buy a punching bag or a stress ball. Life is too short for such cynicism.

Best wishes.


...

You sure exposed yourself with that one. What a loser. What's with the "boy" stuff? You were shown to be wrong then you make personal attacks.

My comments are neiter angry nor uncivil. Also, I know the rules quite well and have been certified by CMS to train others. That's how I know your "scoop" is not a scoop at all.

But, just for fun, can you provide the statute, rule, law, proposal, statement or anything to back up your claim that there is a "Congres mandate" to get rid of the PFFS plans?

Just providing that little nugget will go a long way towards establishing some creditability for you. You being this all knowing big wig manager and all that hoopla should make it easy for you to provide the proof of your claims.

Or, is all you can do is make personal attacks?

 

[Mac1958]

Bottom Line: "The CMS rules are not rules yet." And the new rules will apply to both captives and independents. Until we see the final rules published, we can only speculate. Some are planning with limited knowledge and will have to change after October 1st. Today, we are ALL under old rules.

It doesn't matter if you like tequila, wine or beer! When the final rules are published all of us will have something to talk about.

Very good point.

 

[Mac1958]

You sure exposed yourself with that one. What a loser. What's with the "boy" stuff? You were shown to be wrong then you make personal attacks.

You've never heard the expression "ho boy" before? Seriously? Holy cow. Wait, I'm not calling you a "cow", "holy cow" is an expression too. Calm down.

You said, "But, just for fun, can you provide the statute, rule, law, proposal, statement or anything to back up your claim that there is a "Congres mandate" to get rid of the PFFS plans?"

OK, more work than I care to put into this, but for the benefit of all:

H.R. 6331
July 15, 2008

Link to story: Congress Passes Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331) « Weston Policy

From the story:
"H.R. 6331 not only starts to phase out the subsidies, it requires that any PFFS player establish networks by January 1, 2011 - converting PFFS members to mainstream Medicare Advantage. "With PFFS gone in 2011, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that $14 billion in savings could be transferred to physician payments." http://healthaffairs.org/blog/"

"Converting PFFS members to mainstream Medicare Advantage." As I said. I've known this since before it was passed, because I'm right in the middle of it.

Link to H.R. 6631, scroll down to Section 162:
OpenCongress - Text of H.R.6331 Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

In other words, MA companies will be establishing more HMO/PPO networks in the next two years to convert their existing PFFS books to managed care plans. My original point before all of this silliness.

It's also quite likely that most outlying areas will get these plans too. Not all, but most. I know that my company is planning to do so, and I know the competition is, as well.

I have no doubt that all this evidence will not be good enough for you, as clear as it is, since you're now so heavily invested in discrediting me, for some reason.

I must also say that it's disturbing that someone who "knows the rules quite well and has been certified by CMS to train others" didn't even know about H.R. 6331. Disturbing, but not surprising. Quality control is always a concern of ours, and a battle we have to fight constantly.

Now, if you want to think that I'm a fry cook at Burger King, by all means, run with it (I must say, being a fry cook is problematic considering I don't eat red meat, but a job is a job). I truly don't care.

This is becoming very tedious. But go ahead, spin away.

...

 

[jdeasy]

You've never heard the expression "ho boy" before? Seriously? Holy cow. Wait, I'm not calling you a "cow", "holy cow" is an expression too. Calm down.

You said, "But, just for fun, can you provide the statute, rule, law, proposal, statement or anything to back up your claim that there is a "Congres mandate" to get rid of the PFFS plans?"

OK, more work than I care to put into this, but for the benefit of all:

H.R. 6331
July 15, 2008

Link to story: Congress Passes Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331) « Weston Policy

From the story:
"H.R. 6331 not only starts to phase out the subsidies, it requires that any PFFS player establish networks by January 1, 2011 - converting PFFS members to mainstream Medicare Advantage. "With PFFS gone in 2011, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that $14 billion in savings could be transferred to physician payments." http://healthaffairs.org/blog/"

"Converting PFFS members to mainstream Medicare Advantage." As I said. I've known this since before it was passed, because I'm right in the middle of it.

Link to H.R. 6631, scroll down to Section 162:
OpenCongress - Text of H.R.6331 Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

In other words, MA companies will be establishing more HMO/PPO networks in the next two years to convert their existing PFFS books to managed care plans. My original point before all of this silliness.

It's also quite likely that most outlying areas will get these plans too. Not all, but most. I know that my company is planning to do so, and I know the competition is, as well.

I have no doubt that all this evidence will not be good enough for you, as clear as it is, since you're now so heavily invested in discrediting me, for some reason.

I must also say that it's disturbing that someone who "knows the rules quite well and has been certified by CMS to train others" didn't even know about H.R. 6331. Disturbing, but not surprising. Quality control is always a concern of ours, and a battle we have to fight constantly.

Now, if you want to think that I'm a fry cook at Burger King, by all means, run with it (I must say, being a fry cook is problematic considering I don't eat red meat, but a job is a job). I truly don't care.

This is becoming very tedious. But go ahead, spin away.

...

No spin required mr. manager. You stated that there was a "mandate" from Congress to get rid of PFFS. I said that was false. I did say that the way the proposed rules are drawn up now, barring changes, would be the death knell for PFFS plans. You replied that that I didn't know what I was talking about because I wasn't a ballyhoo'ed manager with a captive company. Then you bring in a racial insult.

I asked you to provide some proof for your charge about the Congress "mandate". In your infintestament managerial knowledge, you post proposed CMS regulations that support exactly what I said all along. And, to top it off, you think it was supporting your contentions.

I sure am glad that I'm not a big wheeled manager. I would be clueless, too.

 

[Mac1958]

Incredible.

I backed up precisely what I said. With specific proof. Just as you asked.

"You replied that that I didn't know what I was talking about because I wasn't a ballyhoo'ed manager with a captive company."

Please point out where I said that. Or do you feel a need to engage in hyperbole in an effort to prove a point? Not a good sign. Please point that post out for us.

"Then you bring in a racial insult."

Huh? What? When? Where? And precisely how am I supposed to know your race, as if it matters, by letters typed on a screen? Is this a joke?

jdeasy, with respect, why don't we just end this dialogue. Again, I much prefer mature, civil discourse, and again, I don't know why you're so desperate to discredit me. You've dug yourself into a hole and you're still flailing. This is silly.

I've been enjoying this forum very much until this bizarre conversation.

Sorry for the silliness, folks.

...