Medicare Advantage Stopped Me Cold

[5pill]

yesterday during cold calling.
Now, I know you're not gonna believe this, but I have'nt done a lot of studying on MA stuff. Trying to beat me up over it won't work though. Only been in this biz for 2 weeks.


But, while calling yesterday, there was a run of folks who had it, and I had no way to battle it.. Ended the calling campaign pretty quickly; discouraged.

So here goes, Trying to battle a guy thats paying $20 a month for MA..and sell him a med sup for $120 a month.
I have no problem with this, but can't grasp the fundamentals about the demise of MA's.


Are MA's gonna shut down altogether? Or just a little at a time? Are they gonna be staggered? Are they gonna shut down at all?
When a guy gets his shut down and goes in to a closed risk pool....how long does that last before he has to buy something else? A few years, a few months?

Whats this about all of them being eliminated by July 2010?

Maybe there are no concrete answers to all this.
Maybe the prez knows.

MA's appear to be inferior to med supps, but what I want to know is how to tell a guy he's gonna lose it someday,.....so he needs my med supp.
If he in fact IS gonna lose it someday.

 

[jdeasy]

yesterday during cold calling.
Now, I know you're not gonna believe this, but I have'nt done a lot of studying on MA stuff. Trying to beat me up over it won't work though. Only been in this biz for 2 weeks.


But, while calling yesterday, there was a run of folks who had it, and I had no way to battle it.. Ended the calling campaign pretty quickly; discouraged.

So here goes, Trying to battle a guy thats paying $20 a month for MA..and sell him a med sup for $120 a month.
I have no problem with this, but can't grasp the fundamentals about the demise of MA's.


Are MA's gonna shut down altogether? Or just a little at a time? Are they gonna be staggered? Are they gonna shut down at all?
When a guy gets his shut down and goes in to a closed risk pool....how long does that last before he has to buy something else? A few years, a few months?

Whats this about all of them being eliminated by July 2010?

Maybe there are no concrete answers to all this.
Maybe the prez knows.

MA's appear to be inferior to med supps, but what I want to know is how to tell a guy he's gonna lose it someday,.....so he needs my med supp.
If he in fact IS gonna lose it someday.

You need to do the study. You can't talk intelligently to anyone about Medicare prgram unless you know about the Medicare program. That includes Parts A, B, C and D.

You don't have to sell C and D or certify to sell them, but, you have to know about them and how they work and how much they cost in the area you are working. If you don't, they will talk to someone that does know and that person will get your business. Seniors don't want to deal with someone that knows less about Medicare than they do.

 

[GreenSky]

To simply say that supps are better than MA plans is incorrect. It depends on the definition of better.

However, I would step back and first learn about the products you are discussing. Unless you're Dwayne, it takes more than a couple of weeks to learn and understand these options.

Unfortuntely, I know of no place that really provides training in Medicare that includes MA plans. Frank can teach you the basics and everything you need to know about supplements, but he doesn't really include detailed training about MA plans. (However, you really should let him train you in Medicare because you need that information first).

Take a look at www.ritterim.com and see if there is some training there. If not, send Craig Ritter an email and ask him if he can make a recommendations.

Or you come to So Cal and I'll help you. You won't even have to convert to my "religion," make a contribution, or contract.

Rick

 

[Frank Stastny]

yesterday during cold calling.
Now, I know you're not gonna believe this, but I have'nt done a lot of studying on MA stuff. Trying to beat me up over it won't work though. Only been in this biz for 2 weeks.


But, while calling yesterday, there was a run of folks who had it, and I had no way to battle it.. Ended the calling campaign pretty quickly; discouraged.

So here goes, Trying to battle a guy thats paying $20 a month for MA..and sell him a med sup for $120 a month.
I have no problem with this, but can't grasp the fundamentals about the demise of MA's.


Are MA's gonna shut down altogether? Or just a little at a time? Are they gonna be staggered? Are they gonna shut down at all?
When a guy gets his shut down and goes in to a closed risk pool....how long does that last before he has to buy something else? A few years, a few months?

Whats this about all of them being eliminated by July 2010?

Maybe there are no concrete answers to all this.
Maybe the prez knows.

MA's appear to be inferior to med supps, but what I want to know is how to tell a guy he's gonna lose it someday,.....so he needs my med supp.
If he in fact IS gonna lose it someday.

Jdeasy gave you excellent advice.

Med Supps are going to be difficult to market to seniors with MA plans even when you do have a better understanding of them until the end of September this year.

You are most likely calling in the wrong geographic areas. Right now Med Supps are most easily sold in rural areas that are beyond the reach of HMO's. Put your Levies and cowboy boots on and head for the country.

 

[5pill]

"Originally posted by Frank; You are most likely calling in the wrong geographic areas. Right now Med Supps are most easily sold in rural areas that are beyond the reach of HMO's. Put your Levies and cowboy boots on and head for the country. "

This is the problem. I forgot to mention I am calling an area 100 miles from any large city. I was shocked I got so many with MA's.
I don't think I will be very good at tellin' some 'ol boy I got somethin' for for him for $125, when he's payin' $25 and happy. Even if I went out and helped him work his cows and patch a little fence the day I got there.
Knowing how, when ,and where to tell him his MA is going to crater is the answer. If it is, and when and where.

Thanks for the offers of training.

 

[GreenSky]

One of the most important things that Frank will teach you is that the "goal" of your calling is to find out what plan the person has. You might not write them today, but if you have a good CRM (I might suggest YIO), you can record this information. Next year, if the prospect's MA plan goes bye-bye, you know this information and can gain a client.

Seriously, if you haven't spoken with Frank, you need to.

Rick

 

[jdeasy]

"Originally posted by Frank; You are most likely calling in the wrong geographic areas. Right now Med Supps are most easily sold in rural areas that are beyond the reach of HMO's. Put your Levies and cowboy boots on and head for the country. "

This is the problem. I forgot to mention I am calling an area 100 miles from any large city. I was shocked I got so many with MA's.
I don't think I will be very good at tellin' some 'ol boy I got somethin' for for him for $125, when he's payin' $25 and happy. Even if I went out and helped him work his cows and patch a little fence the day I got there.
Knowing how, when ,and where to tell him his MA is going to crater is the answer. If it is, and when and where.

Thanks for the offers of training.

If the person has a $0 premium MA or a $20/mo. MA plan that is working good for them, you will not be able to move them into a med sup for $125/mo. You should keep that person's info for when that MA plan changes and you can contact then.

But, just because the MA plan is working good for them doesn't mean it is a good plan for them. What if the plan has a $900 co-pay for a hospital admission and the person doesn't know that because they haven't been in the hospital? Or $200/day co-pay at the hospital for up to 18 days? A lengthy hospital stay could cost them well more than the $1100 Medicare deductable if they had no plan.

If you knew about the plans you could educate the potential client to these copays and deductables and maybe they would realize that they need/should look at something else.

You can't do that if you don't what's out there. In the last 2 months I've moved 25 people to med sups from MA plans that they were paying anywhere from $0 to 50/mo. premiums. All of them were losing there MA plans, but, they could have gone with other MA plans. I showed them everything that was available in their county. They all made educated choices. I had many that did chose to stay with MA plans. I don't sell them anymore, so, I referred those people to an agent that I knew had all the plans in that county. When those plans change at the end of this year, those people will call me back. They won't call the agent I referred, {well, a few might}, because they know I will show them what's out there and will refer them somewhere else if what I have is not in their best interest.

 

[G.Gordon]

Every person's success or failure is predetermined by self imposed limitations.

 

[sman]

Here's a start. Go to the Medicare website and figure out the MA plans that are available in the area you are calling. Get to know the details of these plans (or at least the plans that are most competitive). For example, know the premiums, the doctor visit copays, the hospital copay, the outpatient surgery copay, if it includes Rx coverage, what the maximum out of pocket is, is it a HMO, PPO or PFFS plan.

Once you know this information, you can then discuss the pros and cons of the benefits between the MA plan and the Med Supp.

Here's one thing that won't happen, if they are happy with the MA plan and have used it, you likely won't change their mind. This is why I offer both. You have to realize, not all seniors can afford the $120+ premium for a Med Supp PLUS an additional premium for Part D.

I tell everyone I prefer the Med Supp over the MA plan but I realize not everyone can afford the Med Supp. I also explain that MA plans are partially (mostly) taxpayer funded plans and are subject to change from year to year based on what Congress does in regard to funding limits. Next year, PFFS plans will be a thing of the past. Anyone who wishes to stay on a MA plan will have to go to a network plan such as an HMO or PPO. This is the one area that seniors are adamant about, the ability to see any doctor and go to any hospital. However, if there is a network plan in their area that has all the doctors and hospitals they prefer and money is an issue, they will choose the MA plan over a Med Supp.

As everyone has stated, you need to do the study and realize that a Med Supp isn't necessarily "better" than an MA plan. You may even want to consider adding MA plans to your quiver.

"Originally posted by Frank; You are most likely calling in the wrong geographic areas. Right now Med Supps are most easily sold in rural areas that are beyond the reach of HMO's. Put your Levies and cowboy boots on and head for the country. "

This is the problem. I forgot to mention I am calling an area 100 miles from any large city. I was shocked I got so many with MA's.
I don't think I will be very good at tellin' some 'ol boy I got somethin' for for him for $125, when he's payin' $25 and happy. Even if I went out and helped him work his cows and patch a little fence the day I got there.
Knowing how, when ,and where to tell him his MA is going to crater is the answer. If it is, and when and where.

Thanks for the offers of training.

 

[Frank Stastny]

If the person has a $0 premium MA or a $20/mo. MA plan that is working good for them, you will not be able to move them into a med sup for $125/mo. You should keep that person's info for when that MA plan changes and you can contact then.

But, just because the MA plan is working good for them doesn't mean it is a good plan for them. What if the plan has a $900 co-pay for a hospital admission and the person doesn't know that because they haven't been in the hospital? Or $200/day co-pay at the hospital for up to 18 days? A lengthy hospital stay could cost them well more than the $1100 Medicare deductable if they had no plan.

If you knew about the plans you could educate the potential client to these copays and deductables and maybe they would realize that they need/should look at something else.

You can't do that if you don't what's out there. In the last 2 months I've moved 25 people to med sups from MA plans that they were paying anywhere from $0 to 50/mo. premiums. All of them were losing there MA plans, but, they could have gone with other MA plans. I showed them everything that was available in their county. They all made educated choices. I had many that did chose to stay with MA plans. I don't sell them anymore, so, I referred those people to an agent that I knew had all the plans in that county. When those plans change at the end of this year, those people will call me back. They won't call the agent I referred, {well, a few might}, because they know I will show them what's out there and will refer them somewhere else if what I have is not in their best interest.

That is what happens when the agent uses factual information presented in a logical manner so the client understands it. I really don't call that selling, I refer to it as educating the prospect. I have found that they are so much more appreciative of that.