Preparing For 2015 Open Enrollment

[Yagents]

Haven't had one of those calls yet. Ouch.

I put the responsibility on the client to stop the bank draft at current carrier. So far it's been good advice.

Not sure though if 14' app on HC.gov will ever be terminated fully without action from me or the client.

Who thunk this part was gonna go smoothly?

All of my OFF exchange clients are happy..........why the disconnect???.......
hint: middleman

 

[Ann H]

Haven't had one of those calls yet. Ouch.

I put the responsibility on the client to stop the bank draft at current carrier. So far it's been good advice.

Not sure though if 14' app on HC.gov will ever be terminated fully without action from me or the client.

Who thunk this part was gonna go smoothly?

All of my OFF exchange clients are happy..........why the disconnect???.......
hint: middleman

Gasp. No! By middleman, you don't mean a huge government entity do you?

 

[AllenChicago]

Haven't had one of those calls yet. Ouch.

I put the responsibility on the client to stop the bank draft at current carrier. So far it's been good advice.

Canceling the bank draft is the best advice, followed by stay away from bank drafts if you're a Marketplace purchaser.

Marketplace clients can't call the insurer to cancel the plan. Gotta call HC.gov. But HC.gov doesn't actually tell the carrier to cancel for several days..or longer. In the meantime, two premiums are drafted if this all occurs near the end of the month. Even if client is staying with the same carrier, but merely switching plans, both plans get drafted.

In general, do banks charge money to stop a draft?

 

[MedicareAgent]

MY bank wont allow a bank draft to be stopped unless you contact the company drafting it.
You can only stop payment on a check.

 

[Yagents]

Well said........know the feeling. Everyone needs to back off me right now.

As if a shorter open enrollment period isn't stressful enough,” Boyd adds, “let's add on several hundred clients losing their policies and having 30 days to shop for a replacement. Ah, and then there's all of the group accounts who either migrated to a Dec. 1 effective date to delay higher costs of [PPACA], or those 20 percent that moved over to [PPACA] Jan. 1 because it saved them money.”

And that's when things break down for brokers scrambling to do everything at once.

“Overflowing inboxes, nonstop voicemails, wondering if you can ever reply to everyone, afraid of things falling through the cracks, delivering nothing but bad news to most people, skyrocketing insurance premiums, explaining Obamacare over and over and over,” Boyd recalls. “Busiest time of a health insurance agent's life is right now. Thirteen-hour days and then you’re still not done. We’re tapped and stressed. We want to help our clients and we feel helpless.”

Brokers share enrollment stories | BenefitsPro

 

[kgmom219]

Well said........know the feeling. Everyone needs to back off me right now.




Brokers share enrollment stories | BenefitsPro

Thanks for posting. I think I will send this on to the people in my life who have felt ignored the last 2 months.

 

[FLM2]

I don't know about anyone else but I feel like a punching bag, taking shots from clients without ID cards or coverage even though they have paid their bills and insurance companies who put you on hold for hours at a time and then, when you get them live, revert to the standard insurance-speak answer of 'you should have known', or 'they were mailed a bill' or 'we don't have a record of this in our system' or whatever other crap they are spewing right now to cover their butts.

We are the people with the least to gain in this whole process yet have been thrust into the middle as the only sane ones in a system run amuck, can we all agree on that?

 

[Yagents]

Top US health official Marilyn Tavenner to step down

Marilyn Tavenner, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, emailed CMS employees Friday to tell them she is leaving next month.

Tavenner will be replaced on an interim basis by Andy Slavitt, the fomer top Unitedhealth Group executive who is second-in-command at CMS

 

[AllenChicago]

January 28, 2015

This recently released "12 Tips for FFM Agents and Brokers" document https://www.regtap.info/reg_librarye.php?i=764 refers to a dedicated FFM "Agent Help Desk", but doesn't say how to reach it.

Has anyone used this FFM resource yet?
ac

 

[Yagents]

Place your bets........................

Door open on ObamaCare sign-up extension | TheHill

Door open on ObamaCare sign-up extension

By Elise Viebeck - 01/28/15 02:12 PM EST

Senior officials in charge of ObamaCare left the door open Wednesday to the possibility of extending the current enrollment period past Feb. 15.

One leader with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) did not rule out the option but said the agency will not make a decision for several weeks.
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"We're making sure people know about the Feb. 15 [enrollment] deadline," the official told reporters after repeated questions on a press call.

"It would be a mistake for people to assume that they have opportunities beyond Feb. 15. We'll deal with special situations and considerations once we get past Feb. 15."

The official said the CMS would "address the question later" if it arises.