Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/09

[jdeasy]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

I to have seen them misrepresent the duet product and chose not to recontract with a deceptive company, after all the clients only remember I recommened it and now I have lost crediability. I think this market is so unstable I will not waste my time on it any more. CMS and there constant rule changes. My time is much better spent on other Insurance products.

I don't know how the Duet was marketed here before last year as I wasn't contracted with Wellcare until the first of last year. I know I never marketed the Duet as an SNP.

In this area, Wellcare has far and away the best benefits. The Duet is still marketed under the Melody name. Wllcare has been very good for my clients and they have been good to me. I wish I wasn't with RBI as my FMO, but, other than that, they have not been a problem. Wellcare has even been giving me leads at no cost to me and they are great leads.

I had the pleasure of meeting Scotfree from the board at the end of of the week. I think he sees Wellcare just as I do. He has alos been getting leads directly from Wellcare.

I'm not doing much MA business anymore, but, I hate to see the best one in my area be closed for future enrollments.

 

[allhealthandlife]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

Here is the story from Bloomberg.
Here is the story from Tampa Bay Online Blog.
Here is my blog of the story.

A little birdie told me today that WellCare has decided to cease enrollments as of 3/1/09 before the mandatory CMS date of 3/7/09

 

[AffordableLife]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

Here is part of an email I received from Wellcare today - its over.

As you may know, WellCare was recently notified by CMS that it must suspend sales and marketing of its Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans beginning March 7, 2009.

However, we have chosen to halt all sales and marketing activities by both employed and independent insurance agents beginning March 1, 2009.

Effective immediately, WellCare sales staff and independent insurance agents must stop making new sales appointments or scheduling new marketing events for WellCare Medicare products.
Only previously scheduled appointments and sales events that will be completed on or before February 28, 2009 may be conducted. Any appointments or events to sell or market WellCare Medicare products that are scheduled to occur after February 28, 2009 must be cancelled immediately. Please see the FAQ's document (see link below) for cancellation instructions.
Both WellCare and CMS have intensified secret shopper monitoring of WellCare sales and marketing activities which will continue through February 28, 2009.

 

[Miss Texas Insurance]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

Forgive my first post.... as it may be too long! So sorry.
I am an mga with WC in Texas. I was one that was even invited to be in the 'focus' group two years ago. We all know that we as agents are held to strict rigorous compliance. My question is... Why isn't Wellcare? If you Google them, they were breaking federal compliances as far back as 2004. Not to mention the political donations under bogus names that they are being invested for now. I am one that has been highly pro WC... I have spoken to large groups and enrolled 60 plus people per month and my total focus was on their awesome products. What I saw from 2005 to now is utter disarray. They have displayed an inability to keep a plan longer than months, and pulled their DUET PLAN off the market at 12.01Am in the morning, on March 31, 2008. Helloooo that is stealth isn't it? I worked my Texas tale off last year, enrolling in Galveston County... their plan was awesome and people loved it. So here I roll into 2009, thinking yes... renewals.. well October they announce that they are pulling all PFFS and that county, no presence. So all of my renewals... puff gone. They to add insult to injury, they charge us all back... and then later reconsider when they lose their agent presence.
I am in the process of filing a suit against WC which looks like it will be a class action, with other agents.
My huge issue is that I represented them and WAS compliant. I would tell any agent to Google them and see what they have been doing, while we in the field have 'had' to be or be put in chains for not. Look at what they did with enrollees. Read the CMS letter that sanctions them, and see if you believe they aren't deserving major problems. Again... I was hugely a WC fan, until the latter part of last year. I for one am not going to sit back after I have represented them for years and have them 'mis-behave, break all the rules and mishandle enrollees and screw me financially because they can't stay out of trouble with CMS and apparently the federal and state authorities. It is being defamed by an associated that you can't get rid of...

 

[Todd King]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

Forgive my first post.... as it may be too long! So sorry.
I am an mga with WC in Texas. I was one that was even invited to be in the 'focus' group two years ago. We all know that we as agents are held to strict rigorous compliance. My question is... Why isn't Wellcare? If you Google them, they were breaking federal compliances as far back as 2004. Not to mention the political donations under bogus names that they are being invested for now. I am one that has been highly pro WC... I have spoken to large groups and enrolled 60 plus people per month and my total focus was on their awesome products. What I saw from 2005 to now is utter disarray. They have displayed an inability to keep a plan longer than months, and pulled their DUET PLAN off the market at 12.01Am in the morning, on March 31, 2008. Helloooo that is stealth isn't it? I worked my Texas tale off last year, enrolling in Galveston County... their plan was awesome and people loved it. So here I roll into 2009, thinking yes... renewals.. well October they announce that they are pulling all PFFS and that county, no presence. So all of my renewals... puff gone. They to add insult to injury, they charge us all back... and then later reconsider when they lose their agent presence.
I am in the process of filing a suit against WC which looks like it will be a class action, with other agents.
My huge issue is that I represented them and WAS compliant. I would tell any agent to Google them and see what they have been doing, while we in the field have 'had' to be or be put in chains for not. Look at what they did with enrollees. Read the CMS letter that sanctions them, and see if you believe they aren't deserving major problems. Again... I was hugely a WC fan, until the latter part of last year. I for one am not going to sit back after I have represented them for years and have them 'mis-behave, break all the rules and mishandle enrollees and screw me financially because they can't stay out of trouble with CMS and apparently the federal and state authorities. It is being defamed by an associated that you can't get rid of...

You go get'em girl! Oh.....Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Miss Texas Insurance]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

Yes, we intend to do that. If any on the forum has either lost what they worked for with them... or more, feel that they need to be held accountable to 'us' for their practices... let me know! I will put you in touch with the attorney!

Between some of the 'marketing organizations' and slimy insurance companies, the industry has suffered!. Call me out of here!

 

[GreenSky]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

After the way they treated me, and especially after the way they tried to screw my son, I'm not disappointed in seeing them fade away. I can only hope that their sales manager is held liable personally.

Rick

 

[Russ]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

Google search WellCare....top link.....

"
WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

FDA Recall Notice. Get the latest information on the FDA Peanut Butter and other Peanut Containing Products Recall:. Peanut Butter Recall. About WellCare ..."..........


Wellcare and peanut butter What a class!

 

[Miss Texas Insurance]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

Well, I do not see them recovering. They have no other line of biz other than gov sponsored. Since they continue to muck that up and can't go 6 months without being raided or investigated, I do not see a comeback. I hope not! Listen, as agent, if we conducted our practice this way, would 'any' company give us an 'appointment'. They check credit, vectors, where we have been, etc., all to see if they want to have us, to what, go spend our own money, buy our leads and wait to be paid for over a month? That is a hello moment! So I think that Wellcare or any company like them, that can't keep their pants up, needs to face the axe.
What agent would sell for them now. There's absolutely nothing good about them or what they do. Sure they can create great plans... keeping them on the market for more than 6 months is the key. The sad thing is when I became an MGA 4 years ago, I was told by my FMO that I had a 'million dollar' contract. On paper worked so I focused on them. Well, their inability to keep plans on the books greatly effected my practice. Each year, I think I am coming into the year with renewals, so I work my butt off... But NOOOOO, WC pulls the plan, cancels the counties where they were, so I lose the client, they go from Pffs and hyping the dual market, to the next year, saying, do not 'sell' the dual market. We do not have a plan that they want us to sell... What the hell happened to 'sell it, sell it' the year before. They say they have the deeming handled, but when I am there on the 'Focus Group', I find that they haven't done it. They move there internal call center three times to different places... their people answering 'our' enrollee calls are either like 'valley girls' without a clue, or someone that sounds flatlined. Am I ticked off? What I am is in a place where they have royal screw me and every other agent. Your name and mine, is who the enrollee thinks of when they see WC raids, being sanctioned, admitting that they 'cheated' Florida Medicaid and misrepresented their plans to their enrollees.
Soooo... I and other agents across this country are making a strong statement using a killer law firm to do that. They deserve no less because they defamed me and all of us, by not just making mistakes... I can understand that. What I will not tolerate from WC is all of this. Not without trying to 'showcase' their behavior.

 

[rbrewer]

Re: Wellcare Ordered by CMS to Halt New Enrollments of MA & PDP Plans Effective 3/7/0

You know the saying whats goes around comes around I am glad they will be held accountable for all the fraud they have committed to agents as well as clients. Personally I have had enough with this market and CMS and all the restrictions because of a few bad agents, It has taken the joy out of this work.
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