Interested in selling Medicare Advantage products from home?
It can sound intimidating, especially when you consider the compliance rules. But we're breaking it down into a series of actionable steps so you can start selling MA products remotely.
It's definitely different from Medicare Supplement, but you can become the go-to person for MA sales in your area.
How to Get Prospects to Call You
In general, you can't make outbound calls to sell Medicare Advantage plans. There are a couple of exceptions, like calling existing clients or returning phone calls, but it's mostly off-limits.
In order to sell Medicare Advantage over the phone, the obvious hurdle is finding a way to get on the phone with prospects! Here are some ideas for getting prospects to call you.
Get involved in your community
There are several marketing tactics you can employ, but I think a requirement is having a presence in your community.
Some agents write newspaper articles on a consistent basis, others do seminars at the local library, some get involved with local affinity groups, and others join a business organization to start networking with business leaders. You never know when you'll get an opportunity, so you need to become a community-minded person.
Your reputation inside your community is critical – you need to be known as the go-to Medicare guru.
Rules About Making Outbound Calls
Outbound call rules exist to protect consumers. Even still, they're not perfect. We often hear from clients in January and February that they had no clue they signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan. So, it's not a perfect system, but it's strict for a reason.
Sometimes, it's more helpful to focus on what you CAN do versus what you can't.
- You can call current enrollees, including those in non-Medicare products, to discuss plan business.
- You can return phone calls or messages.
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You can call when the beneficiary has provided documented permission to contact them, such as through a business reply card, website form, Scope of Appointment process, or other recorded request for contact.
Here are some things you can't do:
- You can't make unsolicited phone calls to prospective enrollees.
- You can't call about other business as a way to generate Medicare leads (bait and switch).
- You can't call referrals – the referred person needs to call you.
- You can't call someone who attended a sales event unless they gave express permission at that event for a follow-up call – and you need documentation of that permission.
- You can't call prospective enrollees to make sure they received something you mailed to them (i.e: did you get my postcard?)
As you can see, the best way to do compliant MA business over the phone is by getting your prospective clients to call you first.
Complete a Scope of Appointment (SOA)
With IntegrityCONNECT you can email or text an SOA, making it easier than ever to stay compliant.
Even agents who see clients face-to-face love using the texting feature, because IntegrityCONNECT automatically stores the scope and you don't have to do any scanning or paperwork filing.
Also, IntegrityCONNECT will store the scope of appointment for you, so you can be sure you have it on file for the required 10 years.
If you're selling Medicare Advantage over the phone, you cannot skip the Scope Of Appointment. Utilize the handy email or text feature and you'll be done in less than 3 minutes!
Use IntegrityCONNECT
To find the best Medicare Advantage plan for your client and enroll them in it, we also recommend using IntegrityCONNECT. It's a tool that allows you to compliantly sell Medicare Advantage plans over the phone.
If you plan to sell MA remotely, IntegrityCONNECT will be a valuable tool for you and it is provided at no cost to the agents that are contracted with us.
It includes:
- Universal login: no need to log in to different carrier platforms.
- Scope of appointment: sign and store your SOAs in one place, plus utilize the popular texting capability.
- Sort and select plans: enter your client's information and compare plan benefits.
- Enroll the client: add the plan to your cart and start the application!
If you're not contracted with all the carriers in your area, it can be helpful to reference Medicare.gov in addition to IntegrityCONNECT.
Only the carriers you are contracted with will appear, so using Medicare.gov will ensure you see all available plans. We can help you get contracted with all the competitive plans in your zip code – just fill out the contracting form and check the box for Steve to get in touch with you.
Call Recording Considerations
Depending on the carrier and enrollment method used, telephonic Medicare Advantage enrollments may require call recording.
Agents should follow carrier-specific requirements regarding recording, disclosures, retention, and storage of enrollment calls.
If using a platform such as IntegrityCONNECT, agents should verify whether the recording requirement is handled by the carrier's enrollment system, the platform, or the agent.
Telephonic Enrollment Steps
When you're ready to enroll a prospect over the phone, there are a few bullet points you need to hit to stay compliant and provide excellent service.
First, clearly inform the beneficiary that they are enrolling in a Medicare plan, including the specific plan name and plan type.
CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) also requires plans to provide a Pre-Enrollment Checklist to help beneficiaries understand important plan features before enrolling. Encourage beneficiaries to:
- Review plan benefits and coverage details, including services they use most often.
- Confirm their providers participate in the network, if applicable.
- Confirm their pharmacy and prescription drugs are covered, if applicable.
- Understand important plan rules and costs, including any premiums and the continued requirement to pay the Medicare Part B premium unless otherwise specified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Remote Medicare Advantage sales can be a challenge, especially when you're doing your best to stay compliant. Here are some common questions we get from agents interested in selling Medicare Advantage over the phone.
Q: Let's say I sell a customer a final expense policy. As soon as I complete the app, can I have them sign a scope of appointment and present and enroll them in an MA plan in the same meeting?
A: Current CMS Medicare marketing rules do not include a specific 24-hour or 48-hour cooling-off-period requirement for this situation. If the beneficiary wants to discuss Medicare Advantage products during the same appointment, the agent may obtain a valid Scope of Appointment and proceed with the Medicare discussion, provided all CMS and carrier requirements are followed.
Agents should always ensure the beneficiary has requested the discussion, that the SOA is properly documented before discussing plan-specific benefits, and that no cross-selling or other prohibited marketing practices occur. Always follow any additional carrier or agency-specific compliance requirements, which may be more restrictive than CMS rules
Q: If a client becomes a final expense customer at a meeting, am I free to bring up MA even if they don't ask anything about Medicare?
A: Unless a client brings up Medicare Advantage to you, it's off-limits.
Q: Can you call current Med Supp customers and bring up Medicare Advantage?
A: Yes! If it's your client, you're able to bring up Medicare Advantage. Your current clients are not considered unsolicited contacts.
Q: Can I call current auto and home insurance customers and bring up Medicare Advantage?
A: Generally, yes. Existing clients are not considered unsolicited contacts in the same way as prospective beneficiaries. If you have an existing client relationship and are permitted to discuss Medicare products under applicable CMS, carrier, and agency rules, you may discuss Medicare Advantage options.
Be sure to comply with all Scope of Appointment and marketing requirements before discussing plan-specific Medicare Advantage benefits or enrollment options
Q: Can I make my own marketing materials or does someone have to approve them?
A: Agents should use caution when creating their own Medicare-related materials. Materials that market a specific Medicare Advantage or Part D plan must comply with CMS marketing requirements and may require review and approval through the carrier's compliance process before use. In many cases, the easiest approach is to use materials available through the carrier's agent portal, since those materials have already been reviewed for compliance.
Materials that do not promote a specific Medicare plan and are considered communications rather than marketing may not require the same level of CMS review. However, they still must comply with applicable CMS requirements and any carrier or agency guidelines.
Q: I have a P&C agency. Can I solicit my clients for Medicare products as they turn 65?
A: Potentially, but agents should not assume that every P&C client may be contacted under the CMS "current enrollee" exception.
Whether outreach is permissible depends on the nature of the existing customer relationship, how contact information was obtained, applicable CMS requirements, and any carrier, agency, or state rules.
Before marketing Medicare products to existing P&C customers, agents should follow their organization's compliance guidance and obtain any required permission to contact.
Q: How do you get people's emails to market to?
A: You don't want to buy an email list and just blast emails out. That's considered spam and can get your account shut down.
Start collecting your existing client's email addresses. If you have a website, provide something for people to download or offer an email newsletter signup.
Q: Are there any rules for writing articles for newspapers? Does it require CMS approval?
A: It's best to be generic when writing articles for newspapers. If you mention any specific plans or carriers, it would require CMS approval.
Stay generic and adhere to the language guidelines CMS provides (such as never referring to $0 premium plans as "free").
Q: What is the best marketing approach for turning 65 leads?
A: Become the go-to person in your local community. What are you doing locally to ensure your community knows you as the Medicare expert?
The best marketing approach is a well-orchestrated combination of several tactics. Ultimately, it's all about a deep engagement with your community.
Conclusion
The first hurdle agents have when considering selling Medicare Advantage plans over the phone is compliance. How do I make sure I do everything by the books?
It can be intimidating, but once you're familiar with the MCMG, it's really not so bad. All of those rules are there to protect agents and consumers, and when you think of it as a positive thing, it really changes your mindset.
Selling Medicare Advantage over the phone is completely doable – we know plenty of agents who do it successfully.
Here are your basic steps:
- Establish yourself as a Medicare guru in your community.
- Develop a marketing plan to ensure prospects are calling you (since you can't call them).
- Offer Medicare Advantage to your existing client base.
- Send a scope of appointment (SOA) using IntegrityCONNECT.
- Find the right plan for your client using Medicare.gov and IntegrityCONNECT.
- Enroll your client in their best plan.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!
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