CMS has announced a change in Medicare ID cards that will begin to take effect in April 2018. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 requires CMS to remove Social Security Numbers from all Medicare cards by April 2019. A new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) on the new Medicare cards for Medicare transactions, such as, billing eligibility status and claim status. The MBI will be confidential and should be protected as Personally Identifiable Information. The biggest reason CMS is implementing this change is to fight medical identity theft for people with Medicare. It will better protect private health care and financial information as well as federal health care benefit and service payments.
Tags: medicare, insurance, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Beneficiaries, CMS
Every now and then, agents run into clients that have a desire to change the way they pay their monthly Medicare Advantage or Part D Prescription Drug Plan premium. The typical way to have someone take care of this is to call Humana's customer service department. However, in this age of websites and do-it-yourself seniors, the mission can be accomplished quite easily online. Here's a quick rundown of what your more computer and internet savvy clients can do:
Tags: Humana Medicare Plans, Humana Medicare Agents, Bishop Marketing Agency, Humana, Humana Insurance, MAPD enrollment, MAPD and PDP membership, Changing Payment Methods, Humana’s Medicare health plans, PDP enrollment, Medicare options, Humana MAPD plan, Medicare Beneficiaries, Humana Account Advisor, Humana Guidance centers
Helping your clients with Medicare Part D coverage understand the mechanics of the Medicare Part D coverage gap can be a daunting task. We are going to cover a couple of the more difficult questions raised regarding the coverage gap in this segment.
Tags: Humana Medicare Plans, Humana Medicare Agents, MAPD enrollment, MAPD and PDP membership, Health Reform Bill, MAPD, PDP enrollments, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Prescription Drug Plans, Affordable Care Act, Coverage Gap, Part D Coverage Gap, Humana MAPD plan, Medicare Beneficiaries, CMS, CMS guidelines, health plan
One of the more common questions agents get asked from their Medicare clients is "what is the Medicare Part D late enrollment penalty?" It is fairly easy to explain that if a Medicare member spends more than 63 consecutive days without having Part D or creditable drug coverage, they will be required to pay a late enrollment penalty should they choose to enroll in a Part D plan in the future. The typical follow-up question is "will I have a late enrollment penalty?" This is also usually pretty easy to answer, assuming the agent asks the proper questions of the client and the client responds with accurate answers about prior coverage.
Tags: ICEP, MAPD enrollment, MAPD and PDP membership, MAPD, IEP election period, PDP enrollments, Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, Humana MAPD plan, Medicare Beneficiaries, CMS, AEP, Medicare election periods, Medicare AEP, IEP, ICEP election period, CMS guidelines, Medicare Part D late enrollment penalty
As agents we are pulled in many different directions, life and business events occur, and things occassionally slip through the cracks. Certifications can easily be one of those things that slips through the cracks. Here are two major reasons why it's a good idea to make sure your certifications are current:
Tags: Humana Medicare Agents, Bishop Marketing Agency, selling Medicare Advantage Plans, Humana Insurance, MAPD enrollment, MAPD and PDP membership, Marketing Humana Medicare Plans, PDP enrollment, certifications, Humana MAPD plan, marketing Medicare Advantage
Tags: Humana Medicare Agents, Bishop Marketing Agency, selling Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare choices, MAPD enrollment, MAPD and PDP membership, CMS marketing guidelines, PDP enrollment, Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, Medicare options, Humana MAPD plan, Medicare Beneficiaries, Medicare election periods, Change of Residence
Tags: Humana Medicare Plans, Humana Medicare Agents, Medicare supplement plans, selling Medicare Advantage Plans, MAPD enrollment, Marketing Humana Medicare Plans, Humana’s Medicare health plans, Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, Medicare Advantage growth, Humana MAPD plan, Medicare Beneficiaries, Get to know Bishop Marketing Agency, Lance Hoeltke, MAPD Distribution, Medicare lead generation
Take a look at the press release below detailing the most recent partnership Bishop Marketing has added to equip agents with another valuable product for their clients!
Tags: Bishop Marketing Agency, Humana, Humana Insurance, MAPD and PDP membership, Get to know BMA, Humana MAPD plan, Medicare Beneficiaries, Get to know Bishop Marketing Agency, Lance Hoeltke, Medicare leads
We often get questions relating to the enrollment of Medicare eligible veterans outside of the Annual Election Period. In short, veterans are treated just as any other Medicare eligible person. There are a few things to note, however, when working with a veteran who is Medicare eligible. Here's a short list of things to consider when helping veterans make an informed decision about Medicare Advantage enrollment:
Tags: Humana Medicare Plans, Humana Medicare Agents, Humana, Medicare choices, MAPD enrollment, MAPD and PDP membership, CMS marketing guidelines, PDP, HMO, Veterans and Medicare, Medicare Health Plans, Marketing Humana Medicare Plans, Medicare Advantage, Humana’s Medicare health plans, PDP enrollment, Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, Medicare options, Humana MAPD plan, Medicare Beneficiaries, CMS guidelines
This was a question from one of our clients this past week. They sell Medicare Advantage policies and, as a prerequisite to selling these policies, are required to go through AHIP’s marketing certification for MA policies. By going through this Medicare training and signing an agreement with the carrier, are they HIPAA compliant?
Tags: Humana Medicare Agents, Humana Insurance, MAPD and PDP membership, Health Reform Bill, Medicare legislation, Marketing Humana Medicare Plans, Medicare Beneficiaries, CMS guidelines, HIPAA compliance and training, HIPAA
