Need AHIP Cert for Renewals

[GreenSky]

20 minutes?

The AHIP is several hundred questions and I don't care how slick we may be or well versed, it takes time to read the questions. Then you must make sure of your answers.

Twenty minutes....maybe I took the wrong AHIP test?

The 20 minutes I was referring to was to certify for each carrier. AHIP takes more like 45 minutes.

Not only do you need AHIP but you need to certify with each individual carrier on their products in order to receive renewals. I do the AHIP anyway. My objection is that I must certify with carriers that I do not plan on using or can't use (like Aetna) to continue to get renewal commission.

Rick

 

[Norwayguy]

I'm sorry you guys I can not see retiring and thinking I can just sit back and collect my renewals on MA and PDP products the companies change these products so much each year I can't see at least in my area a memember staying in the same plan for more than a year or two which means you have to resell the plans each year...which is not what I consider semi-retiring on renewals unlike say Med Supp or Life products.

 

[Bob_The_Insurance_Guy]

While Dr. WHO makes a valid point, he doesn't realize that those that came before us, who used and abused their position and swindled honest people, are the ones to really blame for all this. There is no profession I know that doesn't have certification and annual testing of knowledge.

Perhaps the good Dr. would like to take his car to a mechanic who worked on Pintos, but didn't see the need to get certified and continually educated on BMW's or Audis.

I don't LIKE taking tests - didn't like it in school, college, and don't like it now - but it is a fact of life.

Not a great lover of the background checks either, but not too many people gripe about that.

 

[URDRWHO]

I have a great mechanic that works on our Caddie and my Jag and he never goes through any government certification. For over 15 years I had a S7 license and was a State RIA for three more. I do know what it is like to take CE and my State requires Insurance CE, the old NASD required CE. I have a lot of CPA friends that need CPE and most of the time it is a piece of cake, the same for Real Estate CE.
The CMS type of CE is ludicrous, as well is the enrollment time frames. Probably 70% of the CE is about things like when you can hand out a business card, how you can't cross sell, when you can or can't talk about the MA plans, how close to a pharmacy may you be, etc. It is ALL a Gordian knot that everyone must try and work out.

Nobody but government could think to have multiple sign up times for a product. It is a waste of time and resources. Companies have to ramp up personnel for the big push for the time period seniors have to make a decisions. It stinks for seniors because they HAVE to make a decision during a certain time frame. Why do I think that the reason for the CMS enrollment rules is not about adverse selection and is all about government wonk rules? They did so well with their Social Security idea. NOT!

1. But it is good to know I can hire a magician for $200 "if" I am having 40 people attend. But what if only 10 people attend.....do you send the magician home?
2. It is really nice to know that the government allows me to hand out a business card at an education event. Such a free country we live in isn't it.
3. It is good to know that if an event is canceled after the 48 hour line you must find someone to go man the facility doors. You can't just have a sign, you need to man the door. Why? The seniors aren't going to be any more happy or any less happy of the cancellation?

The above were test questions. But really what do you do with the $200 magacian if only 10 people show up? Must you pay him to not preform? Don't pay him and he could sue you for breach if you had a contract. No CGL covers breach so you are SOL.

I've been in this business since 1983 and still remember a time before the government sniffed up my butt. I was moral and ethical then, I am no less or more ethical with all the government sniffing.

People of a certain age don't remember what living in a free world was like and that is sad. :(

But hey, we have government officials that tell us we must pass the Bill before reading it and that is what gets us all the stupid laws. And people defend this crap. I don't get it?

While Dr. WHO makes a valid point, he doesn't realize that those that came before us, who used and abused their position and swindled honest people, are the ones to really blame for all this. There is no profession I know that doesn't have certification and annual testing of knowledge.

Perhaps the good Dr. would like to take his car to a mechanic who worked on Pintos, but didn't see the need to get certified and continually educated on BMW's or Audis.

I don't LIKE taking tests - didn't like it in school, college, and don't like it now - but it is a fact of life.

Not a great lover of the background checks either, but not too many people gripe about that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You see that much change in pans each year? If so you should bring that to the attention of the media, scream from the tower about it, call your government officials because that is not good.

These plans should not and from what I see, do not, have such negative changes where a senior must or should change each year. If that is happening it is a waste of taxpayer dollars. An agent selling ew plans every year should be considered a form of churning because doing so adds to the cost of health care. But there are a lot of people that don't look at the big picture and need to make / find this weeks $ nut. So the plan you are changing a client from, the egregious old plan, will be somebody's new plan that another agent is selling. Hm? How does that one wash out? All the CE and someone is selling a crappy plan.

Do you think most seniors are stupid? They are made aware of changes and my 68 year old sister would take a whip to you for considering her stupid. My 87 year old mother would take exception to your feeling that they "need" help each year.

I know agents very well and the conspirator theorist in me wonders is it about help or money? After all, that new commission just might be greater than that stogy ole renewal. It is why I push for level commission. If an agent is in it for the long haul, from a business standpoint, over time they will appreciate the level cash flow. Agents that are in for the quick buck don't like level cash flow.

Someday you may want to sell your agency, your book of business, and then you will understand the long time insurance business model. To most agency owners and brokers, their agency, their book is their retirement plan.

When I take my risk management for construction CE it is good for 2 years.

Just IMHO.

I'm sorry you guys I can not see retiring and thinking I can just sit back and collect my renewals on MA and PDP products the companies change these products so much each year I can't see at least in my area a memember staying in the same plan for more than a year or two which means you have to resell the plans each year...which is not what I consider semi-retiring on renewals unlike say Med Supp or Life products.

 

[AndreaSti]

I am confused URDRWHO on your last post. When it comes to MA MAPD products, you make the same $$ if you keep the client where they are or you move them. The pays the same. There is no incentive for an agent to move a senior because the pay is the same whether they move or they don't. So why move em? Maybe because something better comes along the next year and you don't want to lose them, or, the plan they are currently on goes away and they have to move.

 

[Norwayguy]

I am confused URDRWHO on your last post. When it comes to MA MAPD products, you make the same $$ if you keep the client where they are or you move them. The pays the same. There is no incentive for an agent to move a senior because the pay is the same whether they move or they don't. So why move em? Maybe because something better comes along the next year and you don't want to lose them, or, the plan they are currently on goes away and they have to move.

Andrea is dead on right...If you are selling in this market you would know that you only get a true FYC on the Seniors FIRST in an a MA or PDP plan. Plans in my area using Medicare.gov show a plan that would be the most cost efficient plan for the senior 1 year and then the next year is signifigantly more the next...look at AARPs PDP plan last year premium was $32/month this year its $27/month last year the client had only $232 of oop cost on the plan this year the first refill (Which is a 90 day supply based on how he purchases) will more than exceed all of last years oop cost they made a huge change in the co-pays I spent 2 hours trying to get this senior to understand while we enrolled him and his signifigant other in new Med Supps and the funny thing is I could have written the new plan or the old PDP but don't want to touch them I just couldn't leave there while this gentleman thought everything is great with his PDP because once he found out it would be too late friggin lock in.

 

[URDRWHO]

Don't be confused because one thing I don't do or know and that is how much commission percentage is paid out to me. I am licensed to sell everything from L / A&H to P&C and Surplus Lines. I don't take the time to memorize how much commission percentage I get nor do I really care that much. The first year commission was higher than the second year commission and I said I was for level commission. I do remember there were commission changes.

Allow me to digress to a previous discussion on this forum......


2009 MA Commissions - Page 2

"CY2009. We will consider this the first renewal year for all enrollment changes. Plans that pay the renewal compensation amount for enrollments in 2009 will still be required to pay renewal compensation for four additional renewal years if the agent/broker is still in good standing with the plan and the State, and the beneficiary is still enrolled in the plan."

"The MAPD plans that I wrote in 2008 only paid $200 1st year commission, $50 second and $0 3rd. It was a great plan but low commission."

"I think that the companies will just go level commissions from day one. $300 first and the following 5 years. At least that is what I am kinda hoping the commissions will be. Each company will have their own structure."

And you are correct, I am not working on new sales for CMS. You may if you want but to tell you the truth it is a suckers game. This has been hashed out before on this forum and there are those that love the MA business. To me, it is not a model to build a long term business upon. Often I see many MA only salespeople that don't look worried about 10 years down the road. To many of them, ten years ago they were watching Barney on the TV singing I love you ...you love me and 10 years seems a lifetime to them. It is all how you look at the perspective of things and they probably have no plans to be selling insurance in 10 years.

About the changing them is better for them. Many seniors are old school and still have loyalty. New kids on the block will sell them the idea that they should change just to save a penny. The new kids have yet to realize that this years Provider contract / premium dog, will in two years will turn into the Provider white swan premium / contract. The seniors build relationships and know that everything turns around. The new kids on the block have been weened on internet buying and have no loyalty nor do they care about building relationships. To them it all comes down to saving a penny. It has little to do with "I am satisfied with their service" but has everything to do with saving a few dollars. Is that true with the people you know? Or do the people you know and sell to value the service they receive from the providers, the network, etc.?

I sell myself AO/HO insurance. I am sure I pay more than the minimum premium company on TV but when I need them, they pay quick, I get great service and well..good service does cost more.

This was on the forum a few years ago

"In 2009, CMS and the plans have insufficient information to reliably designate a beneficiary for an initial or renewal enrollment until our systems can be programmed to provide this information. Since we have become increasingly concerned about the potential incentives for agents/brokers to “churn” beneficiaries in order to receive the initial compensation amount, we have decided to transition to the new compensation structure by requiring that renewal compensation amounts be paid for all beneficiary enrollments in CY2009. "

This discussion has clearly been dragged off topic.

I am confused URDRWHO on your last post. When it comes to MA MAPD products, you make the same $$ if you keep the client where they are or you move them. The pays the same. There is no incentive for an agent to move a senior because the pay is the same whether they move or they don't. So why move em? Maybe because something better comes along the next year and you don't want to lose them, or, the plan they are currently on goes away and they have to move.

 

[kennethbroyles]

This almost sounds like a secret-shopper from CMS. The fact is a current member better do "due diligence" if renewing 2011 MAPD or PDP. Very few understand the implications until it is to late, and the only recourse is "ADP!" Someone please enplane the logic of that new rule. Tele-sales for MAPD or PDP has caused so many problems, I cant even imagine the cumulative effect of this on the senior population will be. It takes and average of 2 hrs to educate,advise and enroll on average a married couple to you do it right.

 

[URDRWHO]

Secret shopper. Such things are the exact reason I no longer participate in MA sales. The rules are so convoluted and sometimes vague (like the magician in the test question) that your license is at risk of breaking a value-less rule. I have spent way too many years having a squeaky clean record in the insurance business, the securities business to have some secrete shopper bust me for handing out a business card at the wrong time.

In my wildest dreams I don't see why some that posted on this subject don't see the lunacy of many of the CMS rules? As on most forums there are always the people that like to argue a position even if it is opposite of their belief. Could be what I have seen here from time to time.

If you have a meeting you can have a snack. Can anyone find the exact definition of a snack? If not then it is subjective and left up to the secret shopper to decide. But the problem is you then need to defend yourself but without a definition of a snack, how do you mount a defense? Is a snack 10 pretzels and cheese; 12 pretzels and cheese? Better not buy that $15 gift a Sam's Club because it is a discounted item and the MSRP is higher. Who the heck pays the MSRP on anything these days?------Well maybe on an Apple iPad but you get the point.

This almost sounds like a secret-shopper from CMS. The fact is a current member better do "due diligence" if renewing 2011 MAPD or PDP. Very few understand the implications until it is to late, and the only recourse is "ADP!" Someone please enplane the logic of that new rule. Tele-sales for MAPD or PDP has caused so many problems, I cant even imagine the cumulative effect of this on the senior population will be. It takes and average of 2 hrs to educate,advise and enroll on average a married couple to you do it right.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You are correct, it does take time. I always wondered how anyone could do it right when enrolling someone at a big seminar. I sat there and had the people pull out their drugs, searched the formulary, searched their doctors and it took time. I was amazed at the amount of drugs people take on a daily basis. There is one I will always remember and here drug usage was a full sheet of paper. The one item on the list that stuck out loud and clear was the monthly $300 injection. The injection had a generic term (not a drug name) and the woman had no idea what it was or what it was for. Over time I've talked to my Doc friends and several thought the injection may have been some vitamin concoction the doctor put together but none could say with any certainty. Heck it could have been a water injection for $300???

In the same building as the above woman they had a Doc come in once a month to cut toenails. There is a code for the medical procedure of cutting toenails. The Doc was billing Medicare at $100 a person to cut toenails. The building had about 100 rooms. Not all had the doc cut toe nails but I am sure it was a lucrative gig. It is all in the coding. Finding an ICD-9 code may not find medical necessity but in that big book of codes, there probably is one. But CMS is more worried about possibility handing out a business card at the wrong time than making sure they aren't being bilked for invalid codes.

And we wonder why health care costs sooooo much.

This almost sounds like a secret-shopper from CMS. The fact is a current member better do "due diligence" if renewing 2011 MAPD or PDP. Very few understand the implications until it is to late, and the only recourse is "ADP!" Someone please enplane the logic of that new rule. Tele-sales for MAPD or PDP has caused so many problems, I cant even imagine the cumulative effect of this on the senior population will be. It takes and average of 2 hrs to educate,advise and enroll on average a married couple to you do it right.