There are Just 24 months Between S.S.D.I. and Medicare Automatic Qualification

There are 24 months Between S.S.D.I. & Medicare Automatic Qualification

What You Need to Know to Grow Your Book of Business.

The Social Security Administration estimated in December 2018 that 8.5 million Americans received Disability Income or S.S.D.I.. To get a sense of who is covered by S.S.D.I., check the Administration’s Definition of Disability and view its complete list of impairments for adults and children.

What does this mean for you the agent? S.S.D.I. and Medicare work together to support individuals with disabilities. Independent Medicare agents have a rewarding opportunity to serve these disadvantaged beneficiaries. Whether someone is physically disabled and needs assistance with mobility or those with intellectual disabilities or those suffering with mental illnesses, they all need assistance with finding the right health coverage for them. Many times, S.S.D.I. beneficiaries qualify for Medicaid due to lower earnings over their lifetime. This provides you with a unique opportunity to partner with others to assist these beneficiaries. Once they have Medicare, you have a client for life!


“Realizing the the implications that Medicare is not just for seniors 65 and older opens up your book of business to new streams of income.”


It’s fairly simple, once a person has been on S.S.D.I. for 24 months, he or she automatically qualifies for Medicare. You can read more about eligibility for S.S.D.I. here. Individuals with S.S.D.I. can receive Medicare benefits before 24 months if they are fully disabled & have no expectation to work because of their disability. This is not granted automatically; the beneficiary must apply for it. I have had some clients receive Medicare benefits within three months of applying once they began receiving S.S.D.I..


Independent Medicare Agents have a Rewarding Opportunity to serve these Disadvantaged Beneficiaries

Most states do not have Medicare Supplements available to individuals under age 65. If Medicare Supplement plans are available, they can be cost prohibitive because most companies are group or age rated. An individual on Medicare due to Disability is bound to have higher health costs, so they often go with a Medicare Advantage plan simply because that is their only choice. Many Medicare Advantage plans have different networks than your new S.S.D.I. clients may have used in the past, so make sure they are comfortable changing their doctors and specialists.


“It’s fairly simple: Once a person has been on S.S.D.I. for 24 months, he or she automatically qualifies for Medicare”


It’s often the case that many individuals with a disability & families with a disabled family member don’t know where to turn for help. Some have Medicaid, some have no insurance and some live off of their savings.  Tragically, we have bared witness to cases where disabled clients have been Bankrupt by medical bills and are now on Medicaid after burning through their entire life savings because they had no insurance. Most are in their Forties or Fifties and believed they had at least 10 to 20 years or more to work.

Knowledgeable and caring Medicare agents can really make a positive difference in the lives of Disabled prospects by helping these individuals understand S.S.D.I. & Medicare. Realizing the the implications that Medicare is not just for seniors 65 and older opens up your book of business to new streams of income.

Call RB Insurance at 800-997-3107 or email to learn more about Social Security Disability Income, Medicare for Disabled individuals and how to Market yourself to new prospects. RB Insurance Group, llc. A Field Marketing Organization (FMO) for Insurance Agents and Agencies, specializing in the Senior Insurance market. The Agent Advantage Blog is designed with your business agents in mind. Explore the information below & subscribe to our blog to get CMS and regulatory updates with the agent’s perspective. Then give us a Call:800-997-3107 or Email: Producer@rbi-group.com  to find out how RBI can help you expand your business!

Disability Evaluation Under Social Security*

Listing of Impairments –  Adult Listings (Part A)

The following sections contain medical criteria that apply to the evaluation of impairments in adults age 18 and over and that may apply to the evaluation of impairments in children under age 18 if the disease processes have a similar effect on adults and younger children.

1.00
Musculoskeletal System

2.00
Special Senses and Speech

3.00
Respiratory Disorders

4.00
Cardiovascular System

5.00
Digestive System

6.00
Genitourinary Disorders

7.00
Hematological Disorders

8.00
Skin Disorders


9.00
Endocrine Disorders


10.00
Congenital Disorders that Affect Multiple Body Systems

11.00
Neurological Disorders

12.00
Mental Disorders

13.00
Cancer (Malignant Neoplastic Diseases)

14.00
Immune System Disorders

Listing of Impairments – Childhood Listings (Part B)

The following sections contain medical criteria that apply only to the evaluation of impairments in children under age 18.

100.00
Low Birth Weight and Failure to Thrive

101.00
Musculoskeletal System

102.00
Special Senses and Speech

103.00
Respiratory Disorders

104.00
Cardiovascular System

105.00
Digestive System

106.00
Genitourinary Disorders

107.00
Hematological Disorders

 108.00
Skin Disorders


109.00
Endocrine Disorders


110.00
Congenital Disorders that Affect Multiple Body Systems

  111.00
Neurological Disorders

 112.00
Mental Disorders

113.00
Cancer (Malignant Neoplastic Diseases)

114.00
Immune System Disorders

*Information from Social Security Administration Website:
https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/ChildhoodListings.htm
https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm

M.A.P.S. Method for Success: AEP Planning

RBI’s Senior Sales Coordinator: James Gramp

About the Author: With his signature common sense, quiet good humor, and brilliant customer service, Jim is an integral part of the RBI team — we’d go so far as to say we’d be lost without him! An Arizona native, Jim manages agent relationships for the East Coast and specializes in the RBI agent tools, especially the Agent Market Edge. Jim has been a licensed health insurance agent for 2 years, and has worked at RBI for almost 3 years. An accomplished bassoonist, he is known around the office for his amazing musical skills. In addition to keeping busy around the office, Jim frequently contributes to our blog, bringing a new agent’s perspective to the RBI online presence.

M.A.P.S. Method for Success: AEP Planning

You’ve probably heard us folks at RBI talk about M.A.P.S before and are probably wondering what a map has to do with Medicare.  Look no further!  When we talk about M.A.P.S, we’re referring to how we build our agents marketing plans, particularly for AEP.  What does M.A.P.S. stand for you ask?  At RBI, we believe your marketing plan should be:

AEP

M – measurable

A – actionable

P – profitable

S – scalable

This is by no means a one size fits all approach.  We will sit down with you, analyze your business and what your goals are in regards to your Medicare business and will tailor it to your specific needs and goals.

But wait, there’s more!

Every 5 Sales Drive

In addition to helping you develop a successful marketing plan, RB Insurance Group will actually make your marketing dollars stretch further with our Every 5 Sales Drive.  Here’s how it works:

  • Must be contracted with at least 2 Medicare Advantage carriers with RBI to participate
  • Earn $125 marketing credit for every 5 MA sales you submit with RBI as your upline
  • Credits roll over from month to month and across calendar years; you will never lose your credits!
  • Program available for direct contracted agents only
  • Similar programs available for agencies.  Credit amounts will differ

You can keep track of your credits through the Agent Market Edge portal, which is RBI’s own marketing portal where agents keep track of their marketing credits and can purchase marketing collateral.  We produce all of our marketing collateral through our partner, Touchstone Marketing, and are able to offer these services at steep discounts and wholesale pricing to our agents!

Watch our “Medicare Marketing Madness” webinar where RBI Director of Marketing, Justin Bever, shows you exactly what a successful marketing campaign looks like.  Simply click the link above, register for the webinar, and the recording will start playing automatically!

Now is the time to develop your plan of attack for the upcoming Annual Enrollment Period!  Don’t get caught off guard, give us a call to ensure that you have the most competitive products in your senior portfolio! 1-800-997-3107



Video: Medicare Marketing Madness Roll-up

So you registered for the Webinar Wednesday this week but couldn’t make it. (We get it, life gets busy.)

But just because you’re busy, doesn’t mean you should miss out on great advice! Watch this video Medicare Marketing Madness Roll-up to get the highlights in 1 minute!

Here’s just a few things to keep in mind with Medicare marketing, that Justin Bever (RBI Director of Marketing) highlighted:

  • As with any small business (but especially in senior insurance industry), marketing should be about getting your message in front of the most people compliantly, with the lowest possible cost.
  • The best bang for marketing bucks in Medicare is sending Direct Mail marketing. (Don’t know anything about Direct Mail? Watch now)
  • Direct Mail produces a consistent lead pipeline at an affordable and predictable price
  • The five key elements of Direct Mail marketing are the timing of your mailer, the mailing package (or type of mailer you choose), the copy or text, what the offer is, and the mailing list you choose.

And so much more! Watch the Medicare Marketing Madness Roll-up below now!

Now you’ve had the 1 minute sneak peak, click here and watch the full recording!

Don’t forget that next month starts our Carrier Spring Training month at RBI! Sign up to access the webinars! You can choose the webinars that are right for you by clicking here.


Agent Market Edge – Your Marketing Solution

Many of you know that RB Insurance Group works closely with print & fulfillment companies and are able to provide print and fulfillment services at cost to our agents.  Which is why we decided to create the Agent Market Edge, an online portal for our contracted agents, where you can see all the products and services we provide our agents to help drive your business.

Not only can you see different products RBI can produce, the Agent Market Edge is where you can see how many marketing dollars you have earned to date as part of our new marketing program the “Every 5 Sales Drive.”

Here’s a quick preview of what the Agent Market Edge looks like when you log-in.  You can see the available marketing credit total in the top right corner of the screen.

Agent Market Edge Dashboard


For those of you who don’t know, here’s how it works:

  • For every 5 Medicare Advantage applications you submit under RBI, you will earn a $125 marketing credit
  • Credits roll over from month-to-month which means you will never lose your hard earned marketing credits
  • Marketing credits are handed out at the end of the effective date’s month (i.e. If you write 5 MA apps for a 2/1 effective date, you will be given your $125 credit at the end of February.)
  • Program available for direct contracted agents only
  • Similar programs available for agencies but credit amounts will differ

Here’s a real life example of the “Every 5 Sales Drive”

We mail about 2,000 pieces a month for one of our agents who does about 40-60 enrollments per month.  When you look at the cost break down: $445 (price of 1,000 piece mailer) x 2 = $890.  40 enrollments x $222 (MA commission) = $8,800.  If you take into account the marketing credits he earned (40 enrollments = $1,000 in marketing credit) he is actually getting his two 1,000 piece mailers completely free. He did have to come up with the money for the original mailings, but after that he is able to get both of his 1,000 piece mailers for free every month.

There are all kinds of products on the Agent Market Edge that will help you grow your business, whether you’re trying to generate new business or if you’re trying to maintain your current book of business and work off referrals.  And if you want to use your credits towards an idea that’s not on the Agent Market Edge, just give us a call and we’re more than happy to accommodate you.

We commit to make it happen for you!

As part of our commitment to “make it happen for you,” RBI will actually help you create a custom marketing plan to help you reach your sales goals!  Keep an eye on our blog in the coming weeks for an article about how this works, or give us a call at 1-800-997-3107 for an in-depth look at RB Insurance Group’s MAPS method to success!