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Just a reminder, the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) has been moved up this year and started October 15 and goes through December 7. During this time your clients will be able to switch their Medicare plans, effective January 1, 2012. Make sure you are prepared to meet their needs and the demands at the height of the season. Following are a few tips to keep you on track during AEP.

• Make sure your certifications are up-to-date for 2012. With Medicare Advantage plans you need to certify every year. If you would like instructions on how to do so for each company please call your marketer at 1-800-998-7715. With the exception of United Healthcare, there are no required certifications for standardized Medicare Supplement product.
  
  
• Electronic applications. The Sentinel Life E-App was released a few weeks ago, and E-Apps are also available with Mutual of Omaha and Universal American Medicare Supplement products. Electronic applications are available around the clock and allow for less mistakes and quicker processing times.
  
  
• Underwriting. When not using an electronic application, it is vitally important that you are very thorough in your field underwriting with paper applications. These apps are getting a bit more complex every year and with the volume of sales that come through during this period, nothing will delay your issue times more than submitting incomplete applications. This bogs your business down, frustrates your clients, and prevents you from utilizing time spent cleaning up apps to prospect for new clients.
  
  
• Identify the best rates. Several companies took increases in multiple states in the past few months. Plan ahead and check out which company has the most affordable rates in the areas you plan to prospect. To review who has the best rates in the states you sell, contact your marketer at 1-800-998-7715 for details.
  
  
• Distribute marketing materials. Senior centers, churches, and other public spaces where seniors often go in your community are wonderful places to put some of your personalized brochures. These have your name and number and offer additional information to educate interested seniors. You can also mail lead cards using a very affordable mailing list generated from USA Data.
  
  
• Request referrals. Now is the ideal time to see if your happy clients know anyone going through the AEP season. They might have friends and family who are confused and overwhelmed, looking for an agent who can help educate them on the best plans for their health and economic means. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Precision Senior Marketing will be here to support all of our agents during the Annual Enrollment Period. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your marketer today at 1-800-998-7715 and they will be happy to assist you.

Please give us your feedback!
How has the AEP season being going for you so far this year? Do you plan to change anything going forward? Do you have any tips for those in the midst of their first season?

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The Heartland National Life Insurance Company was founded in 1994 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Today, they have sales totaling 20 million which makes Heartland National one of the foremost Senior Health and Life Insurance distributors in the United States. The company has a conservative, no-nonsense approach, with unsurpassed service and quality insurance products for their agents and policyholders.

Heartland National Medicare Supplement is available in many states. They offer plans A, D, F, G, M, and N to all qualified, contracted agents. Plans are affordable and easy to sell with vested commissions and a quick turnaround on policy issue. Their application is a simple yes/no format and claims are usually paid in five days making the entire process quick and efficient.

The Heartland National Medicare Supplement product specializes in helping seniors with fixed incomes because they understand the importance of full coverage supplemental benefits for their consumers. With service exceeding expectations, you can be assured that your clients will have the support they need for their Medigap policy. Plus, Heartland National Medicare Supplement is available in all fifty states, no matter where they purchased their policy. Policies have unlimited lifetime benefits for as long as consumers keep their policy.

With low monthly premiums, the Heartland National Medicare Supplement is very competitive in several states. Be sure to include this economical plan in your portfolio to coincide with your client with fixed incomes. Please contact your marketer at Precision Senior Marketing, 1-800-998-7715, for more information and to get contracted to sell Heartland National Med Supp.

Please give us your feedback!
Have you heard about Heartland National from clients while prospecting? Are you excited to add this product to your senior market portfolio?

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As a senior market agent, it’s important for you to understand the best products for your clients as they age and experience retirement, income changes, and death of loved-ones. Younger seniors, older seniors, high and low income seniors all have different needs and it is your responsibility to understand them and choose the products from your portfolio to fit their needs best. These strong relationships will result in more referrals and assure the longevity of your business.

Here are five main senior-types to consider:

1. Young Seniors – These seniors are just reaching their Medicare eligibility and being bombarded with options to consider for their health and economic futures. The process is often confusing, so it is important to take time with these clients, find out their plans for the future, and choose the products right for them. For those ready to travel and do the things they couldn’t do when they were responsible for raising a family, a Medicare Supplement might be the best option. For those who are happy to stay at home and within a network, Medicare Advantage might be the right fit. It’s also important to review their retirement income and begin discussing annuity options, which will provide guaranteed income for as long as they live.
   
   
2. Older Seniors – For those aged 90 and up qualifying for insurance plans will be significantly more difficult. For these seniors it is important to review their portfolio and make sure all of their beneficiaries are correct and their investments are risk free. Review their supplemental insurance plan to see if there may be a better fit, especially in states like New York and Connecticut where there is no medical underwriting on Med Supps.
   
   
3. Low-Income Seniors – Start by reviewing their financial situation and confirm they are signed up for the best Medicare (and Medicaid, if necessary) plan. Also, many states have programs to help pay for their medications, so look to see if they qualify for that assistance. For a low income senior it is more about asset accumulation than asset protection.
   
   
4. High-Net-Worth Senior – If your client has assets over $1 million often times you will find you need to partner with other financial professionals like tax attorneys and CPA’s in order to insure all of the client’s financial bases are covered. For these clients you are working to protect their assets and insuring their returns are consistent.
   
   
5. Widowed Senior – For those who have recently lost a spouse it is important to make sure they have secured the benefits they are entitled to in their spouse’s death, and then work with them to develop a spending and asset protection plan. It is especially important to discuss long term care or short term care insurance with them, as they may not have any family nearby and should be protected in case they should need assisted care.

With all seniors it is important to be flexible and present the products that will work best for their individual needs. By customizing each client’s portfolio to fit their specific needs you are gaining clients who will be confident in your ability to adapt as their needs change.

Please give us your feedback!
Do you work with a variety of senior's in a variety of health and economic situations? What helps you customize each plan for them specifically? Or, do you prefer to prospect with one specific type?

Source: Agent's Sales Journal

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