Medicare Website Information Incorrect!

[azmedsupagent]

Today I was on the phone with a potential customer explaining to them the difference between plan F and Plan G. I was specifically talking about the change to the plan g excess charge coverage from 80 to 100% coverage effective as of june 1st 2010. She proceeded to go onto medicares website to verify what I was telling her only to find that medicare website only says 80% still!!! Ofcourse the has temporarily hurt my credibility with her. I then called down to medicare to get this straightened out only to be told that according to thier records THERE WHERE NO CHANGES TO PLAN G EXCESS CHARGE COVERAGE!!! She told me that I can write a letter to CMS if I want. As of this point I am at a dead end! My potential customer has bad information and there is no way that I can prove it to them! Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sman]

Yeah, how about send the customer an Outline of Coverage from SEVERAL carriers and say, "Either Medicare is wrong, or ALL of these carriers are wrong. "

You could also direct her here:

http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02110.pdf

which clearly defines the changes.

 

[DS4]

I then called down to medicare to get this straightened out.....

That is too funny.

 

[insurance0707]

If you have a 2010 Guide to Medicare it shows the old plans and the new modernized plans. It even states right in the Medicare guide that Plan G now covers 100% of excess charges. The 2010 guide should be right on medicare's webiste as well

 

[VaDwayne]

Today I was on the phone with a potential customer explaining to them the difference between plan F and Plan G. I was specifically talking about the change to the plan g excess charge coverage from 80 to 100% coverage effective as of june 1st 2010. She proceeded to go onto medicares website to verify what I was telling her only to find that medicare website only says 80% still!!! Ofcourse the has temporarily hurt my credibility with her. I then called down to medicare to get this straightened out only to be told that according to thier records THERE WHERE NO CHANGES TO PLAN G EXCESS CHARGE COVERAGE!!! She told me that I can write a letter to CMS if I want. As of this point I am at a dead end! My potential customer has bad information and there is no way that I can prove it to them! Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

You are going to need to provide proof to her to build her confindence in you, up. Senior citizens get ripped off everyday, and most are very skeptical.

I called a lady at the beginning of the year. I told her how much I could save her and scheduled an appt. to go write her, and her husband's, med supps. She called me back and had checked with a local WOW agent and he said he had never heard of me. We live about 60 miles apart. She cancelled her appt.

I mailed her a copy of my drivers license, a printed copy of the Virginia DOI website info on me, and a copy of my Virginia producer's license. After a few days, I called her back and asked her if it helped put her at ease. I am now their insurance agent, and I just wrote her a $5000 F.I. policy 2 weeks ago with CSA.

Give the lady any information she needs.. heck, I would even give her my pastor's name to call if she wanted.

 

[sman]

That is kind of funny isn't it. 99.99% of those who work for CMS have no clue as to who is actually responsible for putting this information on the website. Chances are, a call to 800-Medicare isn't going to get anything resolved.

That is too funny.

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Is that all it takes? Just tell the prospect you've never heard of the other agent? Dang, 21 years in the business and I've never tried that.

She called me back and had checked with a local WOW agent and he said he had never heard of me.

 

[insurance0707]

has anyone noticed the new Medicare website is much more difficult to run prescriptions, find MAPD plans, etc. It's harder to load and more confusing than before....if that's possible!

 

[sman]

Yes, it absolutely sucks. Even worse now is the fact that on Part D plans it doesn't give you the cost for the remainder of the year on the main comparison page, only the annual costs. Whoever is responsible for these changes needs to be tarred and feathered.

has anyone noticed the new Medicare website is much more difficult to run prescriptions, find MAPD plans, etc. It's harder to load and more confusing than before....if that's possible!

 

[arnguy]

I heard that the person at CMS who is in charge of the website was given a promotion. It's the Peter Principle at work! You know, "in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." (Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, 1969)

 

[VolAgent]

And people really worry about Health Care taking away business from agents? Odds are it will be similiarly confusing. What percentage of seniors buy Med Supps, MA or MAPD plans from Medicare.gov?