Medicare Advantage Auto Enroll for U65's

[kgmom219]

Is anyone else running up against this? BCBSTX is auto-enrolling U65's to their Medicare Advantage plan at age 65. So if I move them to a Med Supp, the online application is stalling. And the only way to get out of it is to call an 800 number.

Are other carriers doing this? The response I got from BCBSTX was "its allowed under Obamacare and we are going to take advantage of it"

 

[FLM2]

Is anyone else running up against this? BCBSTX is auto-enrolling U65's to their Medicare Advantage plan at age 65. So if I move them to a Med Supp, the online application is stalling. And the only way to get out of it is to call an 800 number.

Are other carriers doing this? The response I got from BCBSTX was "its allowed under Obamacare and we are going to take advantage of it"

That is really predatory and misleading but I guess BCBSTX and Florida Blue both learned this from the BCBS handbook.

Have you tried enrolling them in a Part D plan before doing the Med Supp? Once you do a PDP it automatically disenrolls them from the MAPD so may clear it out of the system.

I guess the other option is to do a different Med Supp company if the rates are competitive, it would be payback for BCBSTX taking this step.

 

[somarco]

Obamacare has nothing to do with it. Carriers have been doing this for years and it isn't just BX.

Some agents have countered (kind of) by getting in with school systems and having the BOE send out MOO Medigap info with the retirement package.

 

[wehotex]

Is anyone else running up against this? BCBSTX is auto-enrolling U65's to their Medicare Advantage plan at age 65. So if I move them to a Med Supp, the online application is stalling. And the only way to get out of it is to call an 800 number. Are other carriers doing this? The response I got from BCBSTX was "its allowed under Obamacare and we are going to take advantage of it"

I've never heard of such a thing. It doesn't seem like they're giving the subscriber the option to pick their own carrier. I'd actually be offended by this move if it were me. Which carrier needs agents when they just switch these people over themselves?

 

[somarco]

Like it or not, it's a good marketing ploy by the carrier.

Many people that retire from a company will automatically look at Mcare options from the carrier that had their group plan if they had a favorable experience, and shy away from carriers where they had a bad rap.

That's just one reason why BX and UHC dominate the Mcare market.

 

[kgmom219]

Obamacare has nothing to do with it. Carriers have been doing this for years and it isn't just BX.

Some agents have countered (kind of) by getting in with school systems and having the BOE send out MOO Medigap info with the retirement package.

Well. In 12 years I haven't seen it until this year. And I have had plenty of people turn 65.

And let me tell you, NONE of them are happy with being put on an HMO without their permission. I would repeat what the client said this morning, but I'm pretty sure I'd get banned. Then we did his IRMAA appeal

 

[FLM2]

Well. In 12 years I haven't seen it until this year. And I have had plenty of people turn 65.

And let me tell you, NONE of them are happy with being put on an HMO without their permission. I would repeat what the client said this morning, but I'm pretty sure I'd get banned. Then we did his IRMAA appeal

There are no words I can use to describe how bad this is, it defies the imagination.

CMS has all of these rules and regulations for agents that prevent us from really doing our jobs with Medicare eligible yet insurance companies are allowed to direct unsuspecting consumers into a plan that is not their choice.

Why should any of us care about compliance (other than CYA) when this abuse is far worse than anything we could possibly do?

 

[wehotex]

Well. In 12 years I haven't seen it until this year. And I have had plenty of people turn 65.

And let me tell you, NONE of them are happy with being put on an HMO without their permission. I would repeat what the client said this morning, but I'm pretty sure I'd get banned. Then we did his IRMAA appeal

Did you happen to see a copy of the letter that was sent to the T65 member from BCBS? Dear Cherished member, We here at BCBS know what is best for your Medicare needs and have taken the liberty to enroll you into our Blue Medicare Advantage plan for your convenience. No need to thank us, just Keep it Blue.

 

[FLM2]

Did you happen to see a copy of the letter that was sent to the T65 member from BCBS? Dear Cherished member, We here at BCBS know what is best for your Medicare needs and have taken the liberty to enroll you into our Blue Medicare Advantage plan for your convenience. No need to thank us, just Keep it Blue.

You forgot the last sentence-"we know some of you will be a little late in seeing all of this information but remember, if this plan becomes effective, you will lose your IEP election and have to keep it until the next AEP', Fondly, Your Friends at Blue

 

[somarco]

In 12 years I haven't seen it until this year. And I have had plenty of people turn 65.

Well OK then.

It never happened.

I imagined it happening.

I just made this up to pad my post count.

Pick one.