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Hello April!

Spring has sprung, and IFG agents have closed out another OEP season stronger than ever, finishing with a record number of applications—189,234 to be exact.

While it may be a slower time of the year for some agents, thousands of seniors continue to turn 65 every day. For those seniors, there will be Special Election Periods to allow them to choose the Medicare option that best fits their needs.

How do you plan to market to these consumers and grow your business? Now may be the perfect time to test some new marketing strategies.

To capture this market, IFG has new compliance-approved Turning 65 materials to share, including a T65 Medicare 101 presentation, script, postcard template, and intro letter. If interested in receiving the T65 marketing package, email marketing@teamifg.com. 

Your IFG Regional Sales Director Team is here to help you explore marketing opportunities tailored to your business and budget. If you have questions or want to dive deeper into developing a marketing plan, contact your IFG Regional Sales Director Team on our New RSD Hotline 910-834-6780.

Inside Innovative: Meet Your RSD Team

IFG is excited to share interviews with our Regional Sales Director team premiering mid-April on YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn leading up to MedicareCon 2024. Learn more about how this talented group can help you scale and grow your business through the IFG platform.

Subscribe, Like and Follow to see this and other valuable content from Innovative Financial Group.

IFG Communication Update

Getting to the correct department is now easier, thanks to IFG’s new phone, email, and ticketing systems!

We are excited to announce that our new Zoom phones are up and running. When you call the new toll-free main office number, +1-888-200-1777, or local 910-834-6410, you are directed to a specific department or the operator. IFG Team members in those departments are standing by to take your call Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. 

Access our Ticket System for faster service. Ticket requests have a same-day response time and are answered in the order they are received.

We have also enhanced our service to agents with Department Emails to expedite your requests. Visit https://www.teamifg.com/who-we-are for a complete list of department emails. 

Upcoming Training Webinars

As the role of an agent continues to change to include deeper conversations with clients about quality of care, we at IFG want to provide you with the training and resources to help you meet the needs of continually evolving consumer behavior.

• CenterWell Pharmacy Training – April 12, 17, 29

• Final Expense & More Training Call – Wednesdays in April

• Marketing Compliance Baseline Training – April 10

• Agent Activation CRM Training - Tuesdays and Thursdays in April

• IFG National Sales Call – Coming Soon

CenterWell Pharmacy Training:

Join our partners from CenterWell Pharmacy for special IFG-only training on Book of Business Retention, CMS changes to Diabetic Testing Supplies and Continuous Glucose Monitors, and Member Cost Savings Benefits.

April 12, 2024, 3:30 pm Eastern Time
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://humana.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Trt06FNCTtaUPTI5tA-_1A

April 17, 2024, 12:30 pm Eastern Time
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://humana.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oovIYYmGSQC1LE5IL7Y_aA

April 29, 2024, 09:00 am Eastern Time
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://humana.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SkKDTvXBRsGyxLcr7UCadQ

Final Expense & More: April Call Calendar

Join Don Fransko, IFG's Vice President of Final Expense, every Wednesday at 10 am Eastern Standard Time via Zoom for Final Expense & More. April will be incredible, with special appearances from A-rated carriers, top producers, and industry experts who will help you scale and grow the life side of your insurance business.

April 3, 2024, 10 am Eastern Time
Connecting with Your Client: Tips on warming up and establishing likability and trust with your prospect. 

April 10, 2024, 10 am Eastern Time
Door Approach: Tune in for tips on getting into doors with Final Expense Leads. We will also handle rebuttals.

April 17, 2024, 10 am Eastern Time
Liberty Bankers Life: Mark Aremia will join us to discuss the Liberty Bankers' specifics. 

April 24, 2024, 10 am Eastern Time
Closing the Sale: Proven techniques to close quality sales in Final Expense.

Register below to receive your Zoom call login.
link.teamifg.com/widget/form/NbVS5xrQ4CztEvW7eEMW

Marketing Compliance Baseline Training
Wednesday, April 10, 1 pm ET | The Road to Compliance

Now is the time to ensure that your marketing is compliant and be prepared for the 2025 AEP and OEP seasons.

Join Danielle Van De Hey, Associate Director of Sales Integrity for Innovative Financial Group, and Michael Shelton - Senior Compliance Professional for the MarketPoint Sales Integrity at Humana, for baseline training to help you get your consumer-facing communication and marketing through the required carrier review process and compliant with the CMS guidance.

Danielle will explain the process, the why, and how now more than ever, every word counts. Don't wait; register for the Zoom webinar today: https://startwithhealthy.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4fQLDBXIQ1uC_T3FoYOQ9A

Agent Activation CRM Training

Ready, Set, Learn! 'LIVE' CRM Training & Tech Support calls are now available every Tuesday and Thursday in April with IFG's CRM Engineer, Chris Banner.

Visit https://ifgagenttools.com/crmtraininghub to select and register for your preferred CRM training, and access our top-notch tech and service support team, ready to assist you with your IFG CRM.

Compliance Matters

Chain of Enrollment Call Recording

In the Final Rule, CMS reaffirmed call recording remains a compliance requirement for interactions within the 'chain of enrollment'. The following calls with members and prospects are considered part of the chain of enrollment:

Calling leads, scheduling appointments, collecting SOAs, educational calls/presentations, sales calls/presentations, collecting medication and pharmacy information, provider discussions, telephonic enrollments, and verification calls (calls made post enrollment to confirm understanding and intent to enroll). Note: this list is not all-inclusive, and there may be other calls within the chain of enrollment that require recording.

Chain of enrollment calls made using web-based technology such as WebEx, Zoom, Skype, and similar also require call recording, as CMS considers these technologies to be akin to traditional telephonic discussions.

SEP for Dual-Eligible and LIS Individuals

CMS Chapter 2 guidance states those who are Dual-eligible or receiving Low-Income and have not had a change in level may enroll, disenroll or switch to another Part D plan (either a PDP or MAPD) once per calendar quarter during the first nine months of the year.  This means they may only make one plan change during each of the following time periods:

• January – March

• April – June

• July – September

It is considered a best practice to check BEQ or MARx to confirm eligibility and to determine if the quarterly SEP is available for use.  Keep in mind there can be a delay with DE information displaying on MARx or BEQ.  As such, if the eligibility query does not show the individual is currently eligible, the consumer’s verbal attestation that they qualify as dual eligible can be utilized to process the application.

SEP for Individuals Affected by a Disaster or Emergency

Please be advised that as of March 21, 2024, changes to the January 1, 2021, SEP for Individuals Affected by a Disaster or Emergency are now available for download.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10R-e7UvslaDDfxCpiJ-grV3sfo0rN4jY/view?usp=sharing

Changes from Previous Communication:

• New or Amended declarations appear in ORANGE.

• NOTICE – CMS has clarified its position on using SEP-DST for COVID-19. Disaster and/or Emergency declarations issued prior to 1/1/2021, including the ongoing COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (and any subsequent extension and renewals, even if extended after January 1, 2021) do not serve as a basis for eligibility for the new disaster SEP. Individuals impacted by COVID-19, who were unable to change plans while they were eligible for an election period, currently have access, on a case-by-case basis, to the SEP for Exceptional Circumstances, and may call 1-800-MEDICARE to make that request. Agents should not apply SEP-DST for COVID-19 impacts and should refer affected beneficiaries to CMS.

If you need guidance, please contact your Regional Sales Director, the IFG Compliance Team (compliance@teamifg.com), or the IFG Marketing team, (marketing@teamifg.com).

Medicare in the News

Links:

Biden Said Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Cut the Deficit by $160B. That's Years Away. - KFF Health News
March 21st, 2024

Covid and Medicare Payments Spark Remote Patient Monitoring Boom - KFF Health News
March 18th, 2024

Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All - KFF Health News
March 14th, 2024