Violation: Running Drugs on Medicare.gov

[kgmom219]

My book of business is smaller than your book, I'm positive, and it's more apparent than ever that I'm wasting a lot of time on the PDP's.

It doesn't take me long to run the comparisons and tell them their lowest PDP. What takes long is the questions especially on carriers I don't work with. I don't want to be rude and say, "go ask them," but when you have several hundred clients even one or two questions per client beyond "this is your lowest estimated PDP" can accumulate to hours and hours during AEP.

Yes, it generates referrals. But at what cost in time?

I "could" go with this approach, "This is the lowest estimate but I do not have time to discuss details - just trust my judgment" but I doubt that would go over well. Sure, most would trust, but it "feels like" I'm brushing them off.

I'm not brushing them off...but questions like, "What's the difference between 30 day at pharmacy vs 90 day at pharmacy" actually requires entering the Rx's differently into the system. Mail order is easy to answer...

When I recommend a switch to a current client - and they ask for the exact amount of savings with the new PDP - calculating that takes time. Sure, just a little bit of time.... but it adds up.

People without computers asking for estimates at each and every stage... it just gets monotonous. Sometimes I just send them the .pdf - but then they call because the printout is confusing. (And, frankly, it can be confusing and I do want to help, so I don't blame them for calling to ask. At all. I just don't get paid for answering...)


I know I've been rambling in this post - but my bottom line question is - has any agent found a way to get to "this is the lowest estimate but I do not have time to discuss details" with their clients - without sounding like you are brushing them off.

It's natural for them to follow up with, "By the way, Scott, What does the Spiriva cost in the donut hole?"

It's really an irrelevant question when looking at annual costs... but they want to know and I answer them - but answering questions like this hundreds of time during AEP when people are calling in is simply "new business prevention" and 100% unprofitable. We make next to nothing on this time sucker...


or

"Scott, we go to Wal-Mart now and the printout you gave us shows Wal-Mart pricing, but we were thinking about switching to CVS. Can you run us the estimates for CVS?" If you say yes, that will take at least 3-5 minutes to do even when you have the drug ID and date (which I keep for everyone). You have to go to to Medicare and switch the pharmacy and see if it makes any difference.... then answer them... and the phone just rang again.


Some times I think that I should just stop doing drugs. OR find a way to be more efficient. Maybe hire an assistant to do this part? It wasn't as much of an issue last year because my book was smaller.

What I did this AEP is have the assistant run all the drugs. She put the ID into the CRM and then I scheduled time with the clients. Most of them took less than 15 minutes.

And since I only "advise" on Part D if you are a supplement client, when they told their friends to call me, I picked up several Supps because Part D is so confusing.

Todd-Sent you a PM. What the heck is the Silver Script referral program?

 

[Todd King]

What I did this AEP is have the assistant run all the drugs. She put the ID into the CRM and then I scheduled time with the clients. Most of them took less than 15 minutes.

And since I only "advise" on Part D if you are a supplement client, when they told their friends to call me, I picked up several Supps because Part D is so confusing.

Todd-Sent you a PM. What the heck is the Silver Script referral program?

SilverScript has two different ways that they could appoint you. You could go the regular way and get paid for the plan as normal, with renewals. Or, you could simply sign up as a referral agent without having to do anything but give them an 800 number with your agent code and have the client make the call and let SilverScript do the selling and enrolling for you.

 

[senior-advisor-indiana]

SilverScript has two different ways that they could appoint you. You could go the regular way and get paid for the plan as normal, with renewals. Or, you could simply sign up as a referral agent without having to do anything but give them an 800 number with your agent code and have the client make the call and let SilverScript do the selling and enrolling for you.

It's just as easy to be contracted and just send your client an email link(takes 2 seconds). You will get renewals that way.

 

[Todd King]

It's just as easy to be contracted and just send your client an email link(takes 2 seconds). You will get renewals that way.

I agree. It's just that some agents don't want to have to go through certifications and at the same time be liable for stuff or even have to deal with the clients down the road about it. That's where the referral program fits.

 

[GreenSky]

I agree. It's just that some agents don't want to have to go through certifications and at the same time be liable for stuff or even have to deal with the clients down the road about it. That's where the referral program fits.

How would that be giving a client advice. "Hi, I get $25 for referring you to a carrier that may or may not cover your medication."

Either get certified or don't give advice. It's $125 once a year for AHIP. Even I'm not that lazy.

Rick

 

[Todd King]

How would that be giving a client advice. "Hi, I get $25 for referring you to a carrier that may or may not cover your medication."

Either get certified or don't give advice. It's $125 once a year for AHIP. Even I'm not that lazy.

Rick

Believe it or not, not all agents like getting certified to sell MA's and PDP's. There are many agents that just won't do it. It's the next best thing to at least be able to send their client somewhere. I never said it was the best thing they could do!

 

[yogooglethis]

I agree. It's just that some agents don't want to have to go through certifications and at the same time be liable for stuff or even have to deal with the clients down the road about it. That's where the referral program fits.

It's ironic that the product ( med supp) that needs the least amount of explaining and that lends itself the best to DIY consumers is the product that agents want to help their clients with for but for the mind boggling confusion that is part D nobody wants to be AOR .If you are appointed with 3 or 4 of the biggest part D plans 80% of the time you can put your client on a suitable plan while still providing the consumer the benefit of having an AOR

I think the liability in not being appointed with any part D carrier but using part D knowledge to open the door to sell other products is that the consumer is not fully aware of what they are forfeiting when not having an AOR - things such as agents the responsibility for suitability , contractual obligation to service after the sale and ability as AOR to access consumer account to help resolve issues.

 

[TwoCents]

For those of you thinking about producing a drug finder video for Medicare.gov have you check YouTube yet? CMS actually has a channel and there may already be a video.

 

[GreenSky]

Believe it or not, not all agents like getting certified to sell MA's and PDP's. There are many agents that just won't do it. It's the next best thing to at least be able to send their client somewhere. I never said it was the best thing they could do!

So because they don't care to help their client, they'll send them to a company that may or may not even cover their medications.

Send them to me. I'll write their PDP and steal the overpriced supplement their current agent sold. If the current agent cares so little that they won't at least pass AHIP then they certainly don't care enough to explain different supplements.

It's lazy agents that keep me in business.

Rick

 

[Todd King]

It's ironic that the product ( med supp) that needs the least amount of explaining and that lends itself the best to DIY consumers is the product that agents want to help their clients with for but for the mind boggling confusion that is part D nobody wants to be AOR .If you are appointed with 3 or 4 of the biggest part D plans 80% of the time you can put your client on a suitable plan while still providing the consumer the benefit of having an AOR

I think the liability in not being appointed with any part D carrier but using part D knowledge to open the door to sell other products is that the consumer is not fully aware of what they are forfeiting when not having an AOR - things such as agents the responsibility for suitability , contractual obligation to service after the sale and ability as AOR to access consumer account to help resolve issues.

And there's another part where an agent will justify doing the referral program; Servicing the client. There are many agents who won't do anything with Part D simply because they don't want to get service phone calls from the client wondering, "Why did they take my drug out of the formulary?" Or, "I think Wal-Mart charged me too much for this medication. What are you going to do about it?"

Sometimes it's just not worth getting the service calls on a product that you got paid a whopping $28 on! Of course, some agents don't mind it at all and just see it as part of the job. Either way, it comes down to what the agent wants and doesn't want.