Wrong Info Coming Out Of 1-800-MEDICARE

[midwestbroker]

Here are the Medicare suffixes and what they mean

Answer

 

[Joe Moore]

This happened to me yesterday!

I had a lady who had her letter that she was approved for Medicare A & B. The letter had her effective date (she's under 65 on disability) and the claim number was her SS# with HA at the end of it. I'd never seen an HA and since it was December 31st I wanted to call and verify.

Luckily I had her on speaker phone so the client could witness how lame the Medicare employee was. I asked if her Medicare number really ends in HA or if it is just A and the genious told me "it's just A. They all are the SS# with an "A" at the end.

I actually had to insist that she look this one up in the system to verify. It was news to her that some people have other letters besides "A" and some even have a spouse's SS#

Here is some helpful information. We keep this in our office and supply it to our in-house agents, as Medicare should.


Answer

You may want to print this off. It can save time and avoid wrong answers.
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Joe... it is time we start holding Medicare accountable for their unethical behavior. Please call your congressman and complain about this. You have a classic case of "churning" on the part of Medicare!

This will be done tomorrow. I was planning on doing it, but you inspired me to make it sooner, better than later. Thanks retread.
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It's not only Medicare that is giving out ridiculious information. I've had home health providers, pharmacists, etc..., tell my customers that they either didn't need, or shouldn't have changed to, a plan that I wrote for them. To my knowledge, none of these trusted professionals were LICENSED to render such an opinion. It amazes me that CMS chases licensed agents to no ends, but ignores laymen who are out there advising seniors in insurance matters. How is it acceptable, or even legal, for a pharmacist to advise seniors on part D options??? God help me for the wrath I'd receive if I advised a senior on prescription drug choices...

Agents are "soft targets". No organizations, no attorneys, no money and no lobbying groups.
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Here are the Medicare suffixes and what they mean

Answer

Well at least we both went looking.
And we found the same reference.
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It's not only Medicare that is giving out ridiculious information. I've had home health providers, pharmacists, etc..., tell my customers that they either didn't need, or shouldn't have changed to, a plan that I wrote for them. To my knowledge, none of these trusted professionals were LICENSED to render such an opinion. It amazes me that CMS chases licensed agents to no ends, but ignores laymen who are out there advising seniors in insurance matters. How is it acceptable, or even legal, for a pharmacist to advise seniors on part D options??? God help me for the wrath I'd receive if I advised a senior on prescription drug choices...

You can add to that list relatives, neighbors, friends, pastors, and anyone else that has ever heard of a Part-D.

We had a director of a senior citizen center send a member to Walgreens, so they could determine the best plan for her. Walgreens has a print-out they supply of the best plans considering the drugs used. This was an underage disabled person and when she asked about better health coverage than Original Medicare, the Walgreen's lady had no answer.

The client finally found us when her brother-in-law told her he had coverage with us.

Also, some Mom and Pop drug stores are recommending a certain plan that has no mail-order (don't tempt the client). It usually has much higher premiums to the client, but a higher reimbursement to the drug store.

 

[MedSuppPro]

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Quote: Originally Posted by retread
Joe... it is time we start holding Medicare accountable for their unethical behavior. Please call your congressman and complain about this. You have a classic case of "churning" on the part of Medicare!

This will be done tomorrow. I was planning on doing it, but you inspired me to make it sooner, better than later. Thanks retread.
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I would hold your powder... Acting CMS Administrator Kerry Weems is currently cleaning out his desk. Kerry Weems will be rewarded for his 3rd commission revision and his 5 year Agent-Client Term-Limit. He will ride off into the $unset of humana life. Mark my words -- this guy will be rewarded for his efforts to thwart the replacement of bad plans.

Indy agents are agents of change. They shut us down because of our ability to help our clients.

I will start 2009 with a letter to Tom Daschle, the new director of CMS, and will send copies to my US Senators and Representative:

1.) I will request sanity replace the divider's CMS Katrina mentality. We need to be partners with CMS. We are certified and contracted third parties and we should be treated the same as their other third party contracted parties (i.e. Call Centers).

2.) I will request the removal of the non-consumer friendly 5 year Rent-A-Agent Term-Limit. My clients don't deserve to be left out in the cold so that carriers can profit. Our Clients need our continued advice and counsel.

3.) I will request the removal of the "Cherry Picking" FIRST year commission rule. My turning 65's are being hammered by MA offers. First year should be the same regardless of prior coverage history. We spend that same amount of time regardless of prior plan history.

My letter will not be about me. I will not complain about my retroactive commission cuts. My letter will give real life stories of Medicare eligible's who have been directly impacted by the current CMS mismanagement. I know there are other issues. I will keep it simple and stick with the 3 above.

 

[midwestbroker]

Excellent post Medsupp.

 

[stormtracker]

The only thing anyone associated with CMS is concerned about it keeping the train on the tracks. Doesn't matter where in the hell it goes-- just that it is on the tracks...

 

[Joe H]

"We had a director of a senior citizen center send a member to Walgreens, so they could determine the best plan for her. Walgreens has a print-out they supply of the best plans considering the drugs used. This was an underage disabled person and when she asked about better health coverage than Original Medicare, the Walgreen's lady had no answer."


The information the so-called Professionals are giving to the seniors is horrible. Senior citizen volunteers at the local elder centers are mis informed, over step their boundaries and trash our reputations.

They have ZERO training, ZERO oversight, and think they know all about this stuff...I've seen ,and heard dozens of times these people giving seniors wrong advise and telling them to stay clear of the insurance guys.

How can they get away with this untrained misinformation and if we sneeze with out three signed forms two weeks in advance we get creamed....

The sad part is the senior gets hurt.....Next time some billing clerk/nurse/ pharmacist/ senior advocate comes near me or one of my clients I'm going at them with "are you CMS certified in these products"......"than the information you have given out could put you in a financial lawsuit with the seniors you advise, be careful very careful"........actually they probably could be sued if their not certified. Where's a lawyer when you need them..

 

[midwestbroker]

One way to combat this is to carry a Medicare and You book. I have mine all marked up and highlighted.

So, when a client tells me that they do not have the same rights under a MA plan as they do with Medicare, I can show them page 52.

If they say they lost their Medicare coverage I turn to page 50 and show them these plans are part of Medicare.

If they have Medicaid I show them page 82

New to Medicare...page 43 for the chart of their options

Have a supp and worried about changing to a MA...page 76 shows them they have a 12 month window (if they go back they will pay the current premium rate)

Got group insurance and looking at MA plans...page 57

etc...etc...

Show them it in writing in Medicare's book. If they do not believe you, then do you really want them as a client?

 

[retread]

One way to combat this is to carry a Medicare and You book. I have mine all marked up and highlighted.

So, when a client tells me that they do not have the same rights under a MA plan as they do with Medicare, I can show them page 52.

If they say they lost their Medicare coverage I turn to page 50 and show them these plans are part of Medicare.

If they have Medicaid I show them page 82

New to Medicare...page 43 for the chart of their options

Have a supp and worried about changing to a MA...page 76 shows them they have a 12 month window (if they go back they will pay the current premium rate)

Got group insurance and looking at MA plans...page 57

etc...etc...

Show them it in writing in Medicare's book. If they do not believe you, then do you really want them as a client?

I think we are two guys running in the same ditch.... I use the Medicare & You book in every presentation. As a matter of fact, I have them fetch THEIR copy, have them dog-ear page 50, show them the back cover with the SHIP info, and when I come to the required reading paragraph on the app where it talks about "Counseling services may be available in my state...", I say "remember that info on the back of your Medicare & You book?"... all this goes a long way to reassuring them the plan is integrated with Medicare.

 

[jdeasy]

I think we are two guys running in the same ditch.... I use the Medicare & You book in every presentation. As a matter of fact, I have them fetch THEIR copy, have them dog-ear page 50, show them the back cover with the SHIP info, and when I come to the required reading paragraph on the app where it talks about "Counseling services may be available in my state...", I say "remember that info on the back of your Medicare & You book?"... all this goes a long way to reassuring them the plan is integrated with Medicare.

There's 3 of us then. I never make a presentation, even on a replacement, without using the Medicare and You booklet.

It's amazing to me still the people that are on MA plans and have never had it explained to them. I met with a couple this morning that had been on Coventry's Advantra Freedom for 2 years and looked at me with wide eyed wonder when I went over page 50. I asked them how they got on the plan and they said "some guy did it over the phone".

 

[theinuranceguy]

I aslo use the Medicare & You Handbook, however, are we allowed to use that?

I always show my clients the plan I recommend to them in the back of the book, the back of the book also has every other plan in the county.

Does anyone know for a fact that we are even allowed to use the Handbook?