Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP)

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Jan 12, 2023 @ 02:45 PM

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period

What is the Medicare OEP (Open Enrollment Period)?

Well, it's that time of year again. Agents have just finished up the AEP season, and are now thrown into OEP.

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) was reinstated in 2019 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The new MA OEP replaced the previous Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP), which only allowed people to leave MA and return to Original Medicare.

When is the Medicare OEP?

The MA OEP extends from January 1 through March 31 each year. During this time, MA-eligible beneficiaries will be able to change their MA Plan or elect Original Medicare and coverage under Part D.

The effective date for an MA OEP election is the first of the month following receipt of the enrollment request.

Note: If your client uses either the AEP or MA OEP to go back to original Medicare, it is important that they think about the various ways in which they can protect themselves from the costs associated with Original Medicare, like: deductibles, coinsurance, and co payments. They would also need to consider their prescription drug coverage.

Who can use the MA OEP?

Beneficiaries who enrolled in an MA plan as of January 1.

New Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in an MA plan during their ICEP.*

*Note: If a beneficiary is enrolled into an MA plan using their ICEP election, they have an open enrollment period for the next 90 days.

What changes can be made during the MA OEP?

Individuals may add or drop Part D coverage during the MA OEP. Individuals enrolled in either MA-PD or MA-only plans can switch to:

MA-PD
MA-only
Original Medicare (with or without a stand-alone Part D plan)

The effective date for an MA OEP election is the first of the month following receipt of the enrollment request.

Note: The MA OEP does not provide an opportunity for an individual enrolled in Original Medicare to join an MA plan. It also does not allow for Part D changes for individuals enrolled in Original Medicare, including those enrolled in stand-alone Part D plans. The MA OEP is not available for those enrolled in Medicare Savings Accounts or other Medicare health plan types (such as cost plans or PACE).

Some may see it as an opportunity and others as a bother. Nevertheless, prepare yourself and your clients and you should be able to navigate the OEP with ease.

If you have any questions or need assistance in getting appointed with our leading Medicare Advantage and Part D companies, call us today and one of our knowledgeable marketers would be happy to assist.

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Tags: medicare advantage updates, medicare updates, Medicare Open Enrollment Period, OEP

2021 Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) Defined

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Dec 10, 2020 @ 10:17 AM

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Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, OEP, 2021 OEP

2021 Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP)

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Nov 19, 2020 @ 09:37 AM

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Tags: Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Part D, OEP, 2021

OEP - It’s Not for Everyone

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Wed, Jan 22, 2020 @ 12:40 PM

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Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare, Medicare Part D, OEP

Recent Changes Add Complexity to Medicare’s Fall Open Enrollment Period

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Mon, Nov 25, 2019 @ 04:11 PM

Additional Updates:

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Tags: Medicare Part D, OEP

Medicare Advantage Contract Year 2019 Agent and Broker Compensation Rate Adjustments

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Tue, May 29, 2018 @ 04:23 PM

Medicare Agent Broker Compensation Rate Adjustment - Medicare Advantage Contract Year 2019

This memorandum provides contract year (CY) 2019 compensation limits for agents and brokers, directions for submitting amounts into the Health Plan Management System (HPMS), as well as training and testing requirements.

Compensation Rate Adjustment for CY 2019
As provided in 42 C.F.R. §§422.2274(b)(1) and 423.2274(b), the compensation amount paid to an independent agent or broker for an enrollment must be at or below the fair market value (FMV) cut-off amounts published yearly by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The CY 2019 FMV cut-off amounts for all organizations are as follows:

Compensation Grid

5.9% increase ($27) on first year Medicare Advantage and 5.7% increase ($13) on renewal for 2019*.
PDP also increased the writing agent commission by 2.7%.

(*National rates referenced above. For Agent Use Only.)

NOTE: The FMV amounts for CY 2019 are rounded to the nearest dollar. The Initial Year amount is the maximum allowable to be paid for enrollments during compensation cycle-year 1. The renewal amount is the maximum allowable to be paid for enrollments during compensation cycle-years 2 and beyond.

Compensation Rate Submission for CY 2019
As in past years, all organizations must inform CMS via HPMS whether they are using employed, captive, or independent agents. Organizations that use independent agents must provide the initial and renewal compensation amount or range of amounts paid to these agents. Additionally, if an organization pays referral fees, the organization must disclose the referral fee amount. CMS has provided instructions for data entry in the HPMS Marketing Module User Guide.

Organizations may submit their agent/broker information in the HPMS Marketing Module June 4, 2018 through July 27, 2018, 11:59 pm EST. Please note that CMS does not consider the submission process complete until the organization’s CEO, COO, or CFO has completed the attestation in HPMS. Organizations that fail to submit and attest to their agent and broker compensation data by July 27, 2018 will be out of compliance with CMS requirements. Organizations will not be able to make changes to those submissions after the July 27, 2018 deadline.

CMS expects organizations to keep full records documenting that they are updating compensation schedules and paying agents and brokers according to CMS requirements.

Please note that the CY 2019 compensation information submitted will be made available for the public to view on www.cms.gov prior to the annual election period for CY 2019.

Curricula for Training and Testing Agents and Brokers for CY 2019
Regulations at 42 C.F.R. §§422.2274 and 423.2274 require that agents and brokers selling Medicare products, including employees, subcontractors, downstream entities, and/or delegated entities, be trained and tested annually on Medicare Parts A, B, C, D, and plan specific information. CMS further requires that agents and brokers obtain an 85% passing rate on the test.

In order to ensure the quality of all agent and broker training and testing programs, CMS annually provides minimum training and testing requirements to organizations. Organizations should review these requirements before developing their own agent and broker training and testing program to ensure compliance with CMS requirements. CMS permits and encourages organizations and third-party training and testing vendors to include other relevant topics, in addition to the minimum required elements.

The CY 2019 CMS training and testing requirements for CY 2019 may be found here.

Source

Additional Updates:

Medicare Agent Broker Compensation Rate Adjustment - 2019 - View
Medicare Part D in 2018: Latest on enrollment, premiums and cost sharing - View
Continued Growth for Medicare Supplement Plans - View
Express: Mutual of Omaha Weekly Updates - View

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Tags: medicare advantage updates, medicare updates, Medicare Open Enrollment Period, OEP

2019 Aetna Medicare Advantage Expansion Details

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Tue, May 29, 2018 @ 01:38 PM

We have some exciting news to share. Aetna is expanding their Medicare plan offerings to new counties for 2019!

Aetna_Logo_No_Border

We are excited to tell you more about this opportunity! Give our Marketing Team a call at 800-998-7715 for more information!

Now is a great time to review carrier expansions and incorporate them into you 2019 AEP marketing plans.

Additional Updates:

Medicare Part D in 2018: Latest on enrollment, premiums and cost sharing - View
Continued Growth for Medicare Supplement Plans - View
Trump Administration unveils drug pricing strategy - View
Express: Mutual of Omaha Weekly Updates - View
VALUES Quote of the Week - View
Current Agent Incentive Trips and Contests - View

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Tags: medicare advantage updates, aetna, medicare updates, Medicare Open Enrollment Period, OEP

Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is Back for 2019

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Tue, May 22, 2018 @ 10:14 AM

Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP)
is Back for 2019

Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is Back for 2019-1

There are several changes for 2019 Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollments.

Please review the important information below regarding new CMS Guidance for Section 30.5, Chapter 2 of the Medicare Managed Care Manual.

30.5 - Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP)

42 CFR 422.62(a)(3) (Rev. 1, Issued: July 31, 2018; Effective/Implementation: 01-01-2019)

During the MA OEP, MA plan enrollees may enroll in another MA plan or disenroll from their MA plan and return to Original Medicare. Individuals may make only one election during the MA OEP.

This chart outlines who can use the MA OEP and when:

OEP Chart

Individuals may add or drop Part D coverage during the MA OEP. Individuals enrolled in either MA-PD or MA-only plans can switch to:

MA-PD
MA-only
Original Medicare (with or without a stand-alone Part D plan)

The effective date for an MA OEP election is the first of the month following receipt of the enrollment request.

NOTE: The MA OEP does not provide an opportunity for an individual enrolled in Original Medicare to join a MA plan. It also does not allow for Part D changes for individuals enrolled in Original Medicare, including those enrolled in stand-alone Part D plans. The MA OEP is not available for those enrolled in Medicare Savings Accounts or other Medicare health plan types (such as cost plans or PACE).

Some may see it as an opportunity and others as a bother. Nevertheless, prepare yourself and your clients and you should be able to navigate the new OEP with ease.

Review the full legislation here.

Additional Updates:

Medicare Agent Broker Compensation Rate Adjustment - 2019 - View
Medicare Part D in 2018: Latest on enrollment, premiums and cost sharing - View
Continued Growth for Medicare Supplement Plans - View
Express: Mutual of Omaha Weekly Updates - View

0 Comments Click here to read/write comments

Tags: medicare advantage updates, medicare updates, Medicare Open Enrollment Period, OEP

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