How can it lapse, if it's zero premium?
Medicare Sales Allegation
- Thread starter pdbrian
- Start date
Yep
- 5,804
Had something like this many years ago when I was still playing around in the MA minefield. Ended up being "unfounded". Long story, friend had her complain after I switched her out in to clearly a better plan. (The friend worked for a non-profit that had an agent do a seminar for their folks. You can figure what happened from there.) This is why I don't swim in this soup anymore. You place yourself and your lic. at risk far above an acceptable tolerance level for me.
Do this:
Answer the allegation as you will be asked to do so. Clearly state the truth and make a time line of the events in question. Follow-up with the reasoning you used to make the decisions you did. Close with why you believe that the allegation is unfounded.
A must:
Review the wording of the allegation and if there is anything in it you feel is not correct, call it out and explain why it is incorrect. Make sure that it is all documented and submission dates are noted.
I'm sorry you have to go through this. For me it was a major wakeup call to just how easy it has been made to scape goat an agent. It left me feeling vulnerable and betrayed. If you provide this product you need to be ever aware of the potential issues you can face, and all the while the rules change from year to year.
Best of luck.
- 4,607
Is Yep another acronym like Lep (Late Enrollment Penalty)?
- 5,804
YEP: Your Ever present Proctologist
I agree with most of what you said except it can put your license in jeopardy. That’s not true unless you signed someone’s name and THEY can prove YOU signed it . Other than that all FACE TO FACE are your word against there’s .Now with recording and telesales it’s a different story . But one area your correct . I bet 90% of complaints are initiated by another agent you replace . That’s why on all leads I ask if they have an agent that calls them yearly and sends birthday and Xmas cards . If the answers yes I walk .
- 6,479
(Caveat, not an agent)
It could lapse when the premium amount changes if the Medicare Beneficiary is not aware of the changes.
Asking for a payment method is just like the magazine companies that give me a "free annual subscription" asking for a credit card number as part of the application process.
I did not know the premium on MAPD could go from $0 to a charge. Given that it can, I think Newby's comments make a great deal of sense and are the answer to what you are asking about. If I was an agent and I sold MAPD's, I believe that is the approach I would take.
If questioned, I would just use the magazine subscription parallel and use that parallel as a reason to emphasize the importance of checking with me each year about their coverage. (And that is a reason I don't think I would try to sell MAPD's or do SHIP advising, I find MAPD's to be quite complex and difficult to follow but if I was selling them, that is how I would handle the situation you are talking about.)
As far as awareness of premium changes go, clients NOT READING ANOC's for PDP's is a recurring theme of agent posts here. I have trouble thinking it would be too much different for MAPD's. I don't know if there is a significant difference between the amount of PDP clients and MAPD clients that choose to communicate with their agent during AEP.
I don't think I disagreed absolutely with Newby, as much as I was looking for clarity He and Don made some great arguments that I had not thought of for suggesting payment via SS. Going forward, I think I will adopt their method of payment.
