The idea of hosting an educational Medicare event intimidated me for a long time thanks to compliance. I worried about unintentionally breaking a rule and getting into some red tape, so I just avoided them.
But now, educational events are one of the main ways I grow my book of business, next to referrals.
And yes, I am living proof that you can turn attendees into clients while staying compliant the whole time.
Hosting educational Medicare events was a natural fit for me because my approach has always been education-first.
An educational Medicare event is designed to teach beneficiaries about Medicare. You can cover everything from Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans to other Medicare programs.
The key to keeping it educational is keeping your personal opinions to yourself. You’re not trying to steer potential enrollees toward any specific plan or path.
I simply focus on informing and educating. Here’s what Medicare is, this is what the parts are, this is when you can enroll, and these are the general choices you have.
Interested in a sales event? Check out these articles next: 10 Medicare Sales Event Tips for a Smooth, Compliant Seminar and How to Hold a Medicare Advantage Sales Seminar
So much of Medicare compliance is focused on what you can’t do, and I’ll get to that.
But first, I like to focus on the positive. Here are all the things you can do:
Also, educational events must be held in a public venue, and they must be advertised as educational.
I find that labeling and advertising the event as educational helps people feel more comfortable. We make it clear there are no sign-in sheets and no sales pitches.
I collect testimonials from people who have gone to the event to reiterate that it truly is educational-only and there is no reason to put your guard up for it.
Get more tips from my many years of doing these workshops here: 15 Tips for Hosting an Educational Medicare Seminar
Now that we’ve covered what’s allowed, you can probably guess all of the things that are against the rules.
Here’s a quick list of things you can’t do at an educational event:
Educational events have been a great way to get my name out there and position myself as a source of knowledge in my area.
I can’t sell anything or collect any applications at the event, but I wouldn’t want to. I really enjoy providing everyone with the clarity and the education, and they have my contact information to reach out to me when they’re ready.
And they do!
The majority of the time, I hear back from event attendees that are excited to meet with me one-on-one afterwards. I’ve just made Medicare clear for them and they need help.
Why would they choose another agent in town when they are now comfortable with and trust me?
The key to turning an educational event into a steady stream of clients is collecting BRCs or handing out business cards at the event. For me, keeping it simple with business cards has worked perfectly.
Remember that you cannot call attendees of an educational event unless they have given permission to be contacted, and the permission is supposed to be documented.
But I just avoid that altogether by having them reach out to me when they’re ready to schedule an appointment at my office.
As you know, compliance is changing constantly – every year, a few things get adjusted and we have to rethink our plans.
Here’s a quick look at recent changes.
While that does make it harder to follow-up with attendees, remember that you can make available and collect BRCs.
CMS states that it will interpret using BRCs at educational events like it permits plan materials to be located in common areas of a provider’s office.
I got a little back-up from our marketing team here to answer a few commonly asked questions about educational events.
If you have other questions, please drop them in the comments and they will step in to help.
Yes, sales events may no longer immediately follow educational events if they are in the same location. A sales event may not follow an educational event in the same location within twelve (12) hours. “Same location” is defined as the entire building or adjacent buildings. However, an agent may immediately conduct a sales event following an educational event as long as it is not in the same location.
Alternatively, an agent may conduct a sales event in the same location following an educational event as long as twelve (12) hours have passed.
No, the agent would either have to change the location of either the educational event or the personal marketing appointment or schedule the personal marketing appointment outside twelve (12) hours of the educational event.
Medicare 101 presentations are given at educational events with beneficiaries. Educational events must be designed to generally inform beneficiaries about Medicare, including Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug programs, or any other Medicare program.
Accordingly, agents and brokers can inform beneficiaries about Original Medicare. This could include general explanations about what Parts A and B cover and don’t cover. This could also likely include a statement that Parts A and B do not cover routine vision, dental, or hearing benefits, as many beneficiaries may believe that these are covered Original Medicare benefits.
However, agents and brokers may not market “specific MA [or PDP] plans or benefits” and may not conduct sales or marketing presentations in an educational event. Agents and brokers should therefore be mindful not to make any statements about any MA benefits, including a general statement that MA plans offer dental, hearing, or vision benefits.
Agents and brokers should also be mindful not to make the statement that Original Medicare does not cover routine vision, dental, or hearing benefits in a way that is intended to convey that MA plans do cover those benefits, as CMS could find that the statement meets the content and intent standard to constitute “marketing.”
There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of when it comes to educational events.
I personally get help with running local Facebook ads, but at this time, I’ve been able to fill up the room without spending any money. People who have gone to the event find it so helpful that they tell their friends.
If you’ve been wanting to host an educational workshop or seminar to teach about Medicare, I highly suggest you give it a try. With the compliance roadmap above, you’ll be good to go.