When $100,000 a year isn't enough to pay the medical bills

[Northeast Agent]

When $100,000 a year isn't enough to pay the medical bills | BenefitsPRO

Umm, how does someone work 120 hours per week?

 

[Yagents]

Easy. I worked 130 hr weeks for past 2 months. 6am to midnight x 7 days. It's called oep and aep

 

[Northeast Agent]

Yes, that's possible during that time frame, but not indefinitely.

All things aside, not counting ACA plans, etc how many MAPD plans do you think it's possible for an individual field agent to write during AEP? I know an agent who knows someone who claims to have written 500 MA & Med Supps during that time. She doesn't know if he used an appointment setter. Said he spent close to $45,000 on DM leads and the carrier matched the same. I asked her how would he have been able to check the doctors, networks, Rx, etc and remained compliant? And on top of all this he supposedly wrote FEX, etc too.

 

[Yagents]

I do 500-550 ACA and med supp apps in 60 day timeframe. Zero marketing. All current clients and referrals. Im not a 1 trick pony. 3 tricks only.

Not 1 face to face meeting. Cant do 500 if f2f

 

[rousemark]

Hate to be so callous but I have a hard time sympathizing with the people in that story.. The one couple is making $100K per year and are having a hard time paying $700 per month on the medical bills.. That tells me they are living much higher on the hog and they should be.. . Bet they have a house that is larger than they need, two new cars and possible a boat, new Harley, etc. The guy drew the gravy in the guard and when he was about to be deployed he bailed, leaving his insurance behind. It was his choice to give up his free health insurance.. I will give him credit for being willing to bust his butt to pay it off..

 

[somarco]

I know an agent who knows someone who claims to have written 500 MA & Med Supps during that time. She doesn't know if he used an appointment setter. Said he spent close to $45,000 on DM leads and the carrier matched the same. I asked her how would he have been able to check the doctors, networks, Rx, etc and remained compliant? And on top of all this he supposedly wrote FEX, etc too.

People can say anything. Doesn't make it so.

$90k on DM? ($45k by agent matched by carrier). Even at a buck each that is 90k mailers. During AEP you are competing against ARP who mails something every other week to the same folks.

500 apps is 70/week. Even if you hit the jackpot and got twofers with every sit that sounds like a fish tale to me.

But I digress.

I agree with Louis. Something doesn't add up in the Cano story

 

[goillini52]

When $100,000 a year isn't enough to pay the medical bills | BenefitsPRO

Umm, how does someone work 120 hours per week?

Lots of coffee and lots of speed(white cross).

 

[sshafran]

Yes, that's possible during that time frame, but not indefinitely.

All things aside, not counting ACA plans, etc how many MAPD plans do you think it's possible for an individual field agent to write during AEP? I know an agent who knows someone who claims to have written 500 MA & Med Supps during that time. She doesn't know if he used an appointment setter. Said he spent close to $45,000 on DM leads and the carrier matched the same. I asked her how would he have been able to check the doctors, networks, Rx, etc and remained compliant? And on top of all this he supposedly wrote FEX, etc too.

Some people start "counting their apps" on 10/1 rather than 10/15 - but even at 10/1 500 seems like it's not possible for an individual agent working AEP only (maybe an agency or team of agents, but not the single agent).

I felt like I could barely keep up this AEP and I only recorded 138 apps from 10/15 to 12/7 - but that's everything (48 med supps, 30 mapd, 44 pdp - and the rest ancillary). I probably did closer to 155 apps total as I had a few declines which I deleted from my system and several PDP's that I did on medicare's site because it was a carrier I didn't contract with. All of it was done over the phone.

So many people we talk to during AEP are current clients who end up keeping things as-is. Those conversations don't end up in taking an application, but they take time nonetheless, and retention is important. If you talk to 200 current clients who want to explore options but end up keeping things as-is, that probably take about 80-100 hours right there, as most conversations require some discussion longer than 15 minutes no matter how fast you are.

I guess if I recommended a flip on every single conversation and had a book of business bigger than what I have, then I could see writing 350 maybe - but even that would be a stretch.

The only way I could possibly see someone writing 500 is one-to-many selling via seminars and having help take care of renewals from current clients - and in those environments, from what I'm told, you don't check their doctors, medications, networks, etc. (I've never done mapd seminars, so I'm really not sure).

 

[somarco]

So many people we talk to during AEP are current clients who end up keeping things as-is. Those conversations don't end up in taking an application, but they take time nonetheless,and retention is important

YES!

in those environments, from what I'm told, you don't check their doctors, medications, networks

I suspect a lot of the slam bam agents that never bother to check and let the chips fall. They are production machines and client service be damned.

Always surprised at the number of agents who say in a cavalier manner "all providers are in the network"

I only have two personal docs. Internist and dermatologist. Both have a list at the reception desk of insurance plans they do not accept. There are always at least a few MA plans listed.

The very first Medigap plan I wrote (8 years ago) was a fellow with COPD. He switched from original Medicare and a Medigap to an MA plan to "save money". First time he saw his doc in January the doc told him if he wanted to come back he needed to ditch the MA plan.

 

[goillini52]

Some people start "counting their apps" on 10/1 rather than 10/15 - but even at 10/1 500 seems like it's not possible for an individual agent working AEP only (maybe an agency or team of agents, but not the single agent).

I felt like I could barely keep up this AEP and I only recorded 138 apps from 10/15 to 12/7 - but that's everything (48 med supps, 30 mapd, 44 pdp - and the rest ancillary). I probably did closer to 155 apps total as I had a few declines which I deleted from my system and several PDP's that I did on medicare's site because it was a carrier I didn't contract with. All of it was done over the phone.

So many people we talk to during AEP are current clients who end up keeping things as-is. Those conversations don't end up in taking an application, but they take time nonetheless, and retention is important. If you talk to 200 current clients who want to explore options but end up keeping things as-is, that probably take about 80-100 hours right there, as most conversations require some discussion longer than 15 minutes no matter how fast you are.

I guess if I recommended a flip on every single conversation and had a book of business bigger than what I have, then I could see writing 350 maybe - but even that would be a stretch.

The only way I could possibly see someone writing 500 is one-to-many selling via seminars and having help take care of renewals from current clients - and in those environments, from what I'm told, you don't check their doctors, medications, networks, etc. (I've never done mapd seminars, so I'm really not sure).

Maybe that agent operated like Westfall and had 5 agents putting business under his writing #.