Medicare Town Hall: Post-Meeting Update

Hello everyone!

Thanks again for your participation in our Medicare Town Hall Meeting On January 19th. It was good to hear your ideas, suggestions, compliments, and even complaints about what went well over the last open enrollment and what did not. As members of NAHU, and involved agents in the Medicare world, we owe it to each other to learn from our experiences and share lessons learned. In addition, we have an extra degree of respect from the insurance carriers and our input is valuable to them.

As promised, I forwarded our comments and suggestions to the corporate people with each company. In the case of all four companies, we got an immediate response and a heartfelt thank you for our input and a promise to take these things into consideration when planning for 2023. In an effort not to make this too lengthy and difficult to read, I will mention that we followed the same format on each email sent to the carriers, and made sure to stick to the facts. Fortunately, I received some additional input via email from people who were unable to attend, so they are included in these notes:

Let's start with United Healthcare:

Here are the compliments that were passed along regarding working with UHC:

• Really appreciate that the benefits are so consistent, and there is little need to move our clients from year to year.

• Thanks for implementing the health assessment and reimbursement!

• Like the LEAN enrollment tool, especially like the MBI verify tool up front

• OptumRx is usually good to work with, but the challenge is getting clients to utilize it. (Maybe offer a bonus on the first order??)

• Appreciate that each plan has its own enrollment booklet

Here are some suggestions:

The dental benefit brings a lot of calls from disappointed clients. Most visits are out of network, and the reimbursement amounts are far below 50%. Could there be a straight reimbursement for out of network dentists, even if lower than the in-network benefit?

• The OTC benefit can be frustrating because some items are often out of stock. Clients have complained that they didn't use the entire $ amount because they couldn't get the product.

• We're not really sure what the agents are allowed to do, and not allowed to do on behalf of the clients. One service rep says "can't do that", and the next one says "no problem." Training is needed both in-house and among the sales agents.

• Question: Why is it that when we print off a copy of the submitted app it is now horizontal and not vertical?

• Question: How much effort is put into getting a dentist into the network once a name is forwarded to UHC?

HealthTeam Advantage:

Here are the compliments that were passed along regarding working with HTA:

• The customer service is the best - second to none

• Julie, who handles agent communications, is the best and most professional contact of any company

• The consistency of quality benefits is to be applauded.

• The online enrollment process is quick and smooth. The optional SOA at the beginning of the process is a welcome addition!

• Congrats on the 5 star rating!

Here are some suggestions going forward:

The dental benefits are a disappointment. Delta's network is not great, and the benefits just don't excite anyone

• Add just a little more pizazz to the plan. Perhaps an OTC card that can be used in-person?

• How about adding Novant??

• We need an agent portal that can track clients and their info & verify enrollments

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC:

Here are the compliments that were passed along regarding Blue Cross:

• The agent call center is better than the competition, and does a nice job trying to get us answers. In particular, Peggy, Wanda, Orashunda, and Tatiana were singled out as being outstanding

• The customer service is local and usually "spot on."

• Absolutely love the new OTC benefit and the fact that it can be used in person

• Agent portal is user friendly and gives us access to a lot of helpful client information

• Blue to Blue rule makes the MAPD products more attractive for tentative buyers

Here are some suggestions:

• Could BCBSNC come up with a Health Assessment upon submission of an application?

• The Liberty Dental Network (just kicked out by WellCare as noted by one agent) is probably not going to "win us any friends".

• Could the dental benefit be reduced, and allowed to be used at any doctor for reimbursement?

• Agents agreed that $1000 reimbursement is better than $2000 that "can't be accessed."

• Could BCBSNC have a Medicare eligibility verification at the beginning of the online app, and then pre-populate the app with the provided information?

• Enrolling clients online with BCBSNC takes a little more time than other carriers. Can the process be streamlined a bit? (for example: is the attestation form really necessary?)

• Why does BCBSNC print the apps on glossy paper, which smears when we write on them?

Aetna:

Here are the compliments that were passed along regarding working with Aetna:

• Really like the dental benefit on most plans, don't take away the reimbursement and replace it with network only benefits. In-network only benefits have not worked well for other carriers.

• Thanks for implementing the health assessment and reimbursement!

• It is "awesome" that if a member calls member services they can request an AOR change to a new agent who will take care of them

• As noted by more than 1 participant... their Regional Sales Exec, Terry Herlica, was the best of the group, (actually used the term ("A number 1) and a reason for doing business with Aetna over the competition.

Here are some suggestions:

• The health assessment is "clunky" and could be streamlined just a bit. Some questions are repetitive and could be redesigned to make it more effective.

• Customer service can be really weak. One service rep didn't know what the donut hole is, and often the first person can't solve the problem.

• Give the agents more access to customer info and be able to access an image of the ID Cards. Make it easier to request an ID card, change the PCP, and change an address.

• Be sure that the online dentist find tool is reviewed and updated more often.

• Producer World isn't user friendly and not very helpful

• Will we be able to do a health assessment after an "e-signature?"

Looking forward to "Think Agent" and what it might bring to the table.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. If something else comes up and you would like to pass it along, feel free to reach out to me. I stay in contact with most of the execs with the major insurance companies.

We will continue to do these types of meetings in the future. Not only do we learn from each other, but we can offer suggestions that make the Medicare products more helpful to our clients and the enrollment process more effective for us.

Stay tuned! We have plenty more planned in 2022!

Don Hild