PDP appointment

[Pemster]

Hi all. So I have an appointment tomorrow where the daughter of an elderly couple made an appointment to meet with me at the couple’s home. It was presented as such an appointment that they were unsure of the coverage their parents have and they think they should have more. It turns out that the parents are covered just fine, maybe mom just needs a new prescription drug plan that will cost less. The daughter has a bajillion questions, and I have done my best to answer those. I can easily just send a link to the daughter to have her mom enroll in the pdp plan I found for her. But instead, I have to drive an hour to this crappy PDP possible enrollment. What would y’all do in this scenario?

 

[vic120]

I have a client after I ran her 5 generics found her a plan $0 copay, Premium under $20

She and her sister have supps with me and she has referred a person to me and she came from a referral

She asked me a bunch of questions, I answered them all, She then said I would like you to send me some information on this plan and some of the other so I can compare

I said NO I don't do that

She said Wha What, You can't do that, I said NO I don't do that I have run your meds and showed you good savings you don't have to get it, You are more then welcome to go to your pharmacy or call medicare directly if you like

I said I am happy to do this service for my clients and run their meds even though I don't really make anything on it But I will not start sending a bunch of info or making it into a project

She was happy with that And I wouldn't have cared if she were not

 

[vic120]

I have over 150 PDP's this year I didn't want to do, I did it mostly for current clients Its COST me a lot in time and made it more difficult to keep my numbers up on reg plans and new clients, Its a liability, I have referrals for PDP plans I haven't called back, I have reffurells for PDP plans that got really upset with me when I told them I cant help them

Everyone wants help with PDP plans, DO what you can in a reasonable amount of time if its a client, If they don't have a supp from you don't bother

They don't care if you eat You need to work smart or you will have skinny children

Also, I don't do in-home appointments anyway But If I did I wouldn't do a house call for PDP You can do that by phone in a few minutes and I again only if it is a supp client not just for a PDP

 

[Pemster]

Thank you for your input Vic. I am a new agent, so I’m sure after a few AEP’s, I’ll learn how to avoid these scenarios. I do have office hours as well and I’m trying to encourage office meetings, but I was told by someone unrelated to this situation “another agent that works in this area comes to people’s homes”. It is easy to feel pressured when you’re new and hungry lol. But I never would have entertained the thought of going there for just a PDP sale. When she called me, she made it sound like poor Mom didn’t have the coverage she should have, but when she sent me all her Medicare info, Mom’s on a Plan F. Unlikely I can get her on an underwritten Supp with a new company, I believe she’s in her 80’s. But again, I could be wrong. That’s why I lurk this forum more than I post, I love getting input and opinions from seasoned agents. Thank you!

 

[vic120]

Thank you for your input Vic. I am a new agent, so I’m sure after a few AEP’s, I’ll learn how to avoid these scenarios. I do have office hours as well and I’m trying to encourage office meetings, but I was told by someone unrelated to this situation “another agent that works in this area comes to people’s homes”. It is easy to feel pressured when you’re new and hungry lol. But I never would have entertained the thought of going there for just a PDP sale. When she called me, she made it sound like poor Mom didn’t have the coverage she should have, but when she sent me all her Medicare info, Mom’s on a Plan F. Unlikely I can get her on an underwritten Supp with a new company, I believe she’s in her 80’s. But again, I could be wrong. That’s why I lurk this forum more than I post, I love getting input and opinions from seasoned agents. Thank you!

O had one yesterday in her 80's and Had the best rate she could get plan G, But had PDP problems, I did help her, But I never would have gone to her house, And I would not spend too much time on it,

I let her I am doing her a favor, and in the future, she will need to ask pharmacists or call medicare

I also did not intend to write the deal I gave then the NUmber to Wellcare which I do write its just not worth my time if she does not have a supp with me, I only did to help her,

Took me only 5 minutes would not have done it if she had a ton of meds, I told her right away I don't really get paid on it, She can take my professional suggestion or not, But I am not going to try and convince her or haggle about it

 

[Pemster]

So I just called the daughter to let her know there was no need to meet since I already confirmed Mom was on the best plan. Got the guilt trip, “Oh so we aren’t worth your time? Ok. I already rearranged my workday and everything!” Smh...

 

[Midlevel]

Don't let their age deter you from trying to lower their Med Sup premiums. I have written a 92 and 89 year old a different one this AEP. They are healthier than a lot of 65 year old clients I have. You only get 1/2 commission but it's worth it just to be able to call them and tell them they were accepted. One of the fun parts of our job.

 

[fed up]

In home is always a good place to find out about Life insurance, money that is tied up in CD's and not making any interest, write the daughter a life policy, etc. PDP's suck and I referred people to Walmart or Costco but a chance to get a foot in the door is always worth at least one trip

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

I have a client after I ran her 5 generics found her a plan $0 copay, Premium under $20

She and her sister have supps with me and she has referred a person to me and she came from a referral

She asked me a bunch of questions, I answered them all, She then said I would like you to send me some information on this plan and some of the other so I can compare

I said NO I don't do that

She said Wha What, You can't do that, I said NO I don't do that I have run your meds and showed you good savings you don't have to get it, You are more then welcome to go to your pharmacy or call medicare directly if you like

I said I am happy to do this service for my clients and run their meds even though I don't really make anything on it But I will not start sending a bunch of info or making it into a project

She was happy with that And I wouldn't have cared if she were not

I agree with this, as well. You have to make it very clear that you aren't running a charity service, and that your time is valuable. I'm not here so you can use my time as a comparison vessel, and then go out and do the same thing with 3 other agents. I'm a broker. I have most of the plans....we will pick the one that benefits you the most, and that's it. So, there's no need to go and call Blue Cross, Humana, or Aetna. Because I AM Blue Cross, Humana, and Aetna. This is the one thing I despise about this industry. There should be a $50 consultation fee built into every appointment. Fee waived if you sign up.

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

So I just called the daughter to let her know there was no need to meet since I already confirmed Mom was on the best plan. Got the guilt trip, “Oh so we aren’t worth your time? Ok. I already rearranged my workday and everything!” Smh...

Don't let them guilt trip you. Just remember, you don't owe these people anything. They aren't paying you anything. In this entitled society, far too many people want (and expect) everything for free. It's absolutely DISGUSTING what is going on out there, but at the end of the day, you have to take care of yourself. You can't work 20 hours a day because people expect you to consult for free. I make it very clear that unless you sign up, I don't get paid. I have no shame in telling them this. It's just full disclosure...it's right on the Scope Of Appointment, right? I wouldn't expect anyone to work for me for free, so no one should expect that from me.