Cigna Is Back After 18 Month Sanction

But as you know, it's the medication that is the biggest factor in determining the lowest cost plan. If I come across some taking no medication or maybe one or two generic medications, I usually recommend two options and let them pick. I tell them they can go with the lowest premium plan (in my market that's the EnvisionRx plan at $14.60 with a $260 deductible) or the lowest premium plan without a deductible which is SilverScript.

I just had this conversation with a referral who had already done some "research". Based on his personal Medicare and You booklet he wanted to go with SilverScript. I asked him if he had confirmed that his medications were on their formulary or done a comparison. He had not. After running the comparison, SilverScript was nowhere near the least expensive plan.

Unfortunately this isn't a rare occurrence where someone decides which plan they want without comparing the costs. I really enjoy preventing someone from making a costly mistake like this.
Agreed. I spend more time than I wish I had to trying to explain to my clients that the plan with the $400 deductible is better than the plan without one for their situation. SS and the Walmart plan catch more than a few who are better served by other plans by being the lowest premium plan with no deductible and the one with the lowest premium. Another scenario that happens too often is when one spouse comes up with the $17 plan as lowest annual the other the $74 plan. "Why does mine cost more? I want the cheaper one, too." Ironic that the way we help our clients most is in the area that compensates us least.
 
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Agreed. I spend more time than I wish I had to trying to explain to my clients that the plan with the $400 deductible is better than the plan without one for their situation. SS and the Walmart plan catch more than a few who are better served by other plans by being the lowest premium plan with no deductible and the one with the lowest premium. Another scenario that happens too often is when one spouse comes up with the $17 plan as lowest annual the other the $74 plan. "Why does mine cost more? I want the cheaper one, too." Ironic that the way we help our clients most is in the area that compensates us least.

Oh boy did you nail it. And to add insult to injury, I probably enroll 30-40 people per year in a plan where I get paid nothing. I only do this for my Med Supp clients though.
 
Oh boy did you nail it. And to add insult to injury, I probably enroll 30-40 people per year in a plan where I get paid nothing. I only do this for my Med Supp clients though.

This is just education for me:

Is that because there are some of the drug plans that pay no commission at all, or because the best plan based on meds is one another agent has already written in the prior year, or because (something I don't know to ask about)?

Thanks.
 
Agreed. I spend more time than I wish I had to trying to explain to my clients that the plan with the $400 deductible is better than the plan without one for their situation. SS and the Walmart plan catch more than a few who are better served by other plans by being the lowest premium plan with no deductible and the one with the lowest premium. Another scenario that happens too often is when one spouse comes up with the $17 plan as lowest annual the other the $74 plan. "Why does mine cost more? I want the cheaper one, too." Ironic that the way we help our clients most is in the area that compensates us least.

It always amazes me how consumers fail to understand their drug plans. I have a good friend who takes lots of meds (including high priced ones) and each year I ask him for an updated list so I can run a comparison (he originally enrolled in Silver Script 5 years ago because it was the best one for him even though I wasn't appointed with them at the time). He finally did it for 2018 and I ran his meds and showed him that an Aetna plan was far better (annual cost savings of over $3K) even though his pharmacy wasn't preferred in the Aetna network, we probably spent 30 minutes discussing all of the options. He calls me in January and wants to switch because his generics are now $10 instead of the $3 copay he had with Silver Script. He's a retired Silicon Valley exec and is a smart guy but just couldn't understand that my comparison was based on the overall cost including the $7 'extra' charge for that med. He wound up staying with the plan but isn't happy in spite of the cost savings and will most likely want to go back to Silver Script next year.
 
It always amazes me how consumers fail to understand their drug plans. I have a good friend who takes lots of meds (including high priced ones) and each year I ask him for an updated list so I can run a comparison (he originally enrolled in Silver Script 5 years ago because it was the best one for him even though I wasn't appointed with them at the time). He finally did it for 2018 and I ran his meds and showed him that an Aetna plan was far better (annual cost savings of over $3K) even though his pharmacy wasn't preferred in the Aetna network, we probably spent 30 minutes discussing all of the options. He calls me in January and wants to switch because his generics are now $10 instead of the $3 copay he had with Silver Script. He's a retired Silicon Valley exec and is a smart guy but just couldn't understand that my comparison was based on the overall cost including the $7 'extra' charge for that med. He wound up staying with the plan but isn't happy in spite of the cost savings and will most likely want to go back to Silver Script next year.

So if you do these comparisons and the overall cheapest plan includes a more expensive drug at T4, will you recommend the plan with the drug at T4 or will you recommend a higher cost plan with the drug at T3 because you think the drug should be a T3 drug?
 
LD, just stop. Seriously. You are wasting everyone's time here. What tier a drug is in on one plan has nothing to do with its cost on another plan. A drug could be Tier 5 on one plan and be cheaper OOP to the consumer than a Tier 4 on another plan. You are now going on my ignore list. You want us to train you for you to go be a SHIP counselor and screw us all out of commissions. No thanks, not doing it anymore.
 
LD, just stop. Seriously. You are wasting everyone's time here. What tier a drug is in on one plan has nothing to do with its cost on another plan. A drug could be Tier 5 on one plan and be cheaper OOP to the consumer than a Tier 4 on another plan. You are now going on my ignore list. You want us to train you for you to go be a SHIP counselor and screw us all out of commissions. No thanks, not doing it anymore.

Hi,
A. What you choose to do in the future is your call. The posts I have made as a consumer which you have responded to have been of tremendous help to me and I appreciate it.

B. There is only one reason I am pursuing the specific issue with FLM2. I agree fully with the statement he made about helping someone with their drug plan and the details therein.

However, a few days ago he chose to make a specific, aside type comment about how I did not know how to choose a drug plan. The detail of his announcement was basically that the reason I was evaluating overseas drug suppliers was because I chose a drug plan carries a specific drug at T4 instead of T3. The thing he is overlooking, and will not concede, is that in November 2016 I followed precisely the advice of WCMason, sman and FLM2 in evaluating drug plans available in my market and when the med requirement was matched to PLANS AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME, the plan that carried the T4 drug was cheapest. I think FLM2 needs to concede the point that the Cigna plan was not available for consideration in Nov 2016. Getting him to do that is likely to be quite difficult because of the extreme anger he has for me and because he has me on ignore.

As far as SHIP is concerned, I did not think they were allowed to sell insurance. If you can provide documentation for something different in that regard I will be happy to extend you an apology for that misconception. I have not yet pursued that in depth because I don't have a sufficient knowledge base. Ship training, and insurance agent training, involve a lot more than just forum posting or thread reading. Those are the exposed ends of the iceberg, if you will, that point back to a lot more in depth material. One of the things Insurance Forums has taught me is how much I don't know, while at the same time guiding me to places I can learn more. That is totally different than talking with someone, knowing you have screwed up and having absolutely no idea how correct the situation or do differently another time.
 
Oh boy did you nail it. And to add insult to injury, I probably enroll 30-40 people per year in a plan where I get paid nothing. I only do this for my Med Supp clients though.

Same here.
I only assist on Part D if the insured has a Med Supp through my office.
I run the plan finder.
Whichever plan comes out at the top, that is what we go with.
As I'm certified with 19 of the 24 Part D plans, there is a good chance I'll make $71/36

Several years ago I probably enrolled 50 people in United American Essential plan through Medicare's web site. At no commission to me.
 
LD, just stop. Seriously. You are wasting everyone's time here. What tier a drug is in on one plan has nothing to do with its cost on another plan. A drug could be Tier 5 on one plan and be cheaper OOP to the consumer than a Tier 4 on another plan. You are now going on my ignore list. You want us to train you for you to go be a SHIP counselor and screw us all out of commissions. No thanks, not doing it anymore.

Is that what his deal is? Pathetic...
 
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