Thursday, October 30, 2014

Can You See The Advantage?

You probably know that Medicare is a health insurance program for Americans aged 65 and older. It doesn't pay for everything, so if someone wants more complete coverage they can opt to purchase a Medicare Advantage plan from a private insurance company.  Today I evaluated an insurance agent who was giving a formal marketing event for one of their Medicare Advantage plans.  There was nothing secret or unethical about my attendance.  The health insurance carrier hired me to be there.

When agents sell those plans, Medicare has a list of dos and don'ts they have to abide by.  For example, they can provide light snacks and give out gifts worth less than $15 as long as they provide them to anyone, not only in exchange for plan enrollment.  They can't provide or pay for meals or offer gifts worth more than $15 (or money or gift cards in any amount).  There are also statements they can and can't make regarding their plans.  My job was to listen and observe everything that went on so I could report back.

The event was held in the meeting room of a local bank.  I was a little apprehensive when I walked into the building with my letter of authorization from the insurance company.  The agent was standing outside the room greeting people as they walked in.  I introduced myself and handed her the letter; she took it in stride and invited me to have a seat.  Including me, there were six people in the room.   Everyone else was of Medicare age.  I brought a notebook to write things down, and was a little afraid I'd stand out.  Fortunately, there were a lot of other people taking notes, too. 

There was a lot of information covered.  The agent did a good job and covered all the bases.  Her information was very clear, and  she didn't make any unapproved statements.  At the end of the presentation she offered to help people fill out the application form.  That was my clue to leave. 

Five years ago today: Turn Off The Lights

7 comments:

  1. So glad she was nice and professional...and you didn't have to report back anything negative!

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  2. It's difficult to become well versed in supplemental Medicare plans, and this is a good way to send information along. It pays to attend meeting by several different agents before picking.

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    1. I'm not even close to Medicare age yet (and the plans will probably change substantially by time I get there), but I thought the seminar was a nice introduction. I'll keep your tip to talk to several agents in mind.

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  3. I went to two or three of those events when it was my time to select a plan. Once was at a restaurant and we were served hot apple pie after. I'm guessing that's considered a snack not a meal. LOL. It was interesting, not just because of plan info, but met interesting people who shared their retirement stories and medical nightmares. So interesting that, if I were bored with life, I'd go to one of these every chance I could.

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    1. I'm thinking apple pie isn't a meal, either :-)

      I didn't have much time to talk to the other attendees, but the little bit of socializing I did WAS very interesting.

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