Selling Medicare Remotely through Online Enrollment

There are many different options for online enrollment.  Each of the carriers has introduced or enhanced their online platforms in recent years to help make the process easier for both agents and clients.  United Healthcare has LEAN, Aetna has Ascend/Rate, Anthem has mProducer, Humana has FastApp, and the list goes on.  Each of the carrier’s online tools allows you to search for Providers as well as enter drug information for the client.  You would still need to complete a compliant presentation, but these tools give you everything you need to complete the application.   Remember you can also use the Medicare website to see all the plans as well.  Any agent who works with Pinnacle also has the option to use Connect4Medicare, which combines all companies into one portal.

Selling Medicare Remotely using Connect4Medicare

Connect4Medicare allows you to see almost any company that you are active within one portal.  You can quote the plans and enroll the client all in one place.  This tool also allows you to enter all the client’s medications to show them the true cost for the year and make a more informed decision. You can lookup providers and pharmacies as well.  Using Connect4Medicare is compliant and the sites are all individually filled with CMS, but you still need to abide by the Medicare Marketing Guidelines.  The tool will help facilitate this for you.  In addition to sitting with the client, Connect4Medicare provides the option of sending the application to be finished and signed by the client at home. You can also use your personal URL to build your own website to send to clients to quote and enroll on their own.

Selling Medicare Remotely with Voice Signature

You may work with clients who don’t have the use of email or computer. You still have the option of enrolling them without having to visit them in person. You always start by completing a compliant presentation by phone, but when you get to the actual application portion, you would call or connect them with the option of the specific carrier with which they are looking to apply.  Most of the carriers, if they did not already, have provided options for voice signature since the COVID-19 epidemic started.

The first rule in the Medicare industry is to always be compliant. Compliance shouldn’t be feared, but should come naturally as a second-nature. The only way to develop this, is to be constantly learning and increase your knowledge. The top priority for an independent agent is to find new prospects and close more cases. The more comfortable with the products, features, and rules around what you’re selling, the easier it will be to do the right thing by your clients. You can find help when you have the right partners however, ultimately you are responsible for seeking out that help. As a Medicare FMO, Pinnacle Financial Services is asked about training every day. Our team makes available a variety of tools to help our agents develop their second-nature compliance skills.

In-Person Medicare Agent Training Meetings

All Medicare carriers have training sessions throughout the year, especially once within certification season. The main benefits of the carrier meetings are getting in-depth information on local products and networks within a specific market. For example, one can look at a quote and see a side-by-side benefit comparison of copays in Independence Blue Cross’ Focus and Select plans. What you won’t see however, is that the Focus plan has a more defined network and won’t necessarily include all the doctors that clients typically associate with IBX. These meetings are also a great opportunity to pick up sales materials and promotional items when they become available.

Pinnacle Financial Services also holds similar meetings across the country and throughout the year. These meetings are typically focused on local updates in the general landscape of a selected area, and provide training on our state-of-the-art technology platforms. Coming up is our inaugural National Sales Summit, just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in King of Prussia. In attendance are the national carriers, to provide their view on the direction of Medicare, as well as  speaker John Greene, NAHU’s Vice President of Congressional Affairs.

Self-Learning and Medicare Agent Training

An agent’s schedule may not always accommodate in-person meeting times or agendas, therefore it’s important to spend some free time learning independently. Each carrier has webinars to attend that cover a variety of different topics. Pinnacle holds webinars through the month, that can cover product updates, technology, cross-selling, certifications, and more. One can also visit our website for updates in our news and blog areas. Join our email list to receive updates delivered via email in real-time. Don’t forget to also use the Medicare site as a resource!