"Nominal Gifts" for MA Marketing Clarification

MarketingStudy

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Ok, I'm really trying to study this as an outsider looking in and the volumes of info from CMS is overwhelming and difficult to tell if it is the most up to date information and I need some clarification. I understand that if a nominal gift is offered, then it always must be a maximum retail value of $15 if used to entice enrolees to attend a seminar for MA/MAPD, however there is a paragraph in the Medicare Marketing Guidelines that I can't seem to tell if it is still applicable after all of the revisions to marketing guidelines in 2008 and 2009.

It reads that if an organization would like to offer a nominal gift simply for calling in for information about the plan, they may do so, and then offer an additional nominal gift for attending a presentation since they are two separate marketing occurrences.

Is this still permissible? I understand that it would add some significant marketing costs, but I was curious whether if you could make the $$$'s work whether it was still even an option under the current marketing regulations.

Thanks for any input.
 
Anybody that can help? I'm trying to finish a paper and can't seem to get clarification on this one last point - thanks for any help anbody can give.
 
It reads that if an organization would like to offer a nominal gift simply for calling in for information about the plan, they may do so, and then offer an additional nominal gift for attending a presentation since they are two separate marketing occurrences.

where have you find this information?What page in the guidelines?
 
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It reads that if an organization would like to offer a nominal gift simply for calling in for information about the plan, they may do so, and then offer an additional nominal gift for attending a presentation since they are two separate marketing occurrences.

where have you find this information?What page in the guidelines?

I was using the CMS "Medicare Marketing Guidelines" that was updated July 25, 2006 on page 138 in the Q&A section. I was concerned however with all of the recent marketing guideline changes that this may or may not be still applicable but trying to get clarification. Thanks for any light you can shed on it.
 
there have been a lot of changes since 06,in fact there are too many to list.Nowhere in guidelines does it say,you can offer/entice beneficiaries a reward for replying to a handout/mailing.You may offer upto a retail value of $15 anything that cannot be redeemed for cash to anyone who cares to attend a seminar with you,but you cannot limit that only to people who enroll with you.
 
I hate to tell you this, but if you're trying to "finish" a paper, you're no where near the end if you've been getting your information out of an '06 manual about Medicare Advantage plans. You're going to have to get the new '09 rules of marketing and all of the updates in order to be correct in your paper. Too many changes since then, some things are like night and day now.
Don't ya just hate when that happens! :goofy:
 
I hate to tell you this, but if you're trying to "finish" a paper, you're no where near the end if you've been getting your information out of an '06 manual about Medicare Advantage plans. You're going to have to get the new '09 rules of marketing and all of the updates in order to be correct in your paper. Too many changes since then, some things are like night and day now.
Don't ya just hate when that happens! :goofy:

No the challenge is that it was originally listed as a policy and I've dug through all of the revisions over the last three years and I can't find a single instance where it is re-addressed to make it now invalid. It states as Brit lists that you can not offer an incentive for someone to enroll with you, however it explicitly states that you CAN offer an incentive for calling in for information only and then offer an additional incentive for attending a seminar as long as it is not a cash or easily converted to cash incentive and has a max retail value of $15.

I'm trying to contact someone @ CMS directly for clarification, so I guess I'll just report back here with what I uncover.
 
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