Introducing Short Term Home Health Care!

Medicare SEP

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.

What would YOU do for Short Term Home Health Care?

What would you do for the opportunity to protect your clients from lengthy and costly stay at a Skilled Nursing Facility?

Would you jump up and down on one foot? Absolutely

Would you act like a chicken? Sure, why not!

Now what if I also told you that there are plans available that can pay for themselves without even utilizing their Home Health Care benefits?

Would you eat liver and onions? Not my favorite,but yeah sure.

Would you do an interpretive ribbon dance in front of a group of people? Well… How big of a group and who?

Finally, what if I told you that these plans are not only extremely affordable for your clients, but you can also make good money offering these plans?

Would you hug a cactus? Getting a little crazy now…

How bout free swimming with sharks? Yeah, no…

Beyond the Monetary Savings

Maybe I started getting just a little carried away there. But on a more serious note, these new Short Term Home Health Care plans that have been hitting the market recently are an amazing way to not only protect your clients pocket book, but also give them the option to recover in the comfort of their own home. Some carriers even have EXTREMELY relaxed underwriting questions. One of my favorite carriers, Guarantee Trust Life, has 2 or 3 underwriting questions depending on which plan your client selects.

The value of these plans can go way beyond just the intrinsic monetary value. Just from my personal experience, these plans may have saved my Grandpa’s life. A few years ago, he had fallen while stepping off a ladder and ended up breaking his hip. The fall wasn’t what ended up taking his life though, it was a bacterial infection that he ended up contracting in the Skilled Nursing Facility he was staying at. Had he been able to recover from this in the comfort of his own home, he might still be here today.

I love talking about the amazing benefits that these new Short Term Home Health Care plans provide. Give me a call to see which carriers offer these plans in your area. You can reach me directly at 1-800-997-3107!



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Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3 (ICYMI)

Hey, you! We’re back again! As you know, this whole month we’re bringing you the scoop on our RBI Carrier-Partners with “Carrier Spring Training” month! It’s been a great month so far (we’ve definitely learned new things every day!) and we cannot believe that next week is our last week! The time certainly has flown by. If you missed the webinars this week and don’t have time to re-watch them, here’s the RBI sales team to break down the highlights of each carrier, and what they do for your portfolio. Watch the videos below: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3!

To start things off this week, we heard from Mutual of Omaha, on Monday! Then Tuesday, we had a webinar from GTL or Guarantee Trust Life, followed by RBI’s own Quoting Tool on Wednesday, and wrapped up the week with a presentation on SilverScript on Thursday! Our presenters this week — thanks a million: you guys are the best! — were Ken Colvard (Mutual of Omaha and SilverScript), Greg Esposito (GTL) and Brien Welch (RBI Quoting Tool). We watched these webinars and were so impressed with the knowledge base that they bring to the table, as well as some of the great new plans available to agents and members. There was a lot to go over, so here’s the four highlight videos from this week!

RBI Carrier Training Highlights Team:

  • Mutual of Omaha by Charlie Ferrell
  • Guarantee Trust Life by James Gramp
  • RBI’s Quoting Tool by Justin Bever
  • SilverScript by Rebecca Howard


Monday, April 17, 2017 at 9 AM


Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 9 AM


Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 9 AM


Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 9 AM

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3

Look for this symbol on all our new “Carrier Hall of Fame” videos!

When you think about these three carriers, it’s important to understand how each brings something different into your portfolio. Whether you focus on Medicare Supplements, Hospital Indemnity or PDP plans, it’s important to have products that fit well together. And not just each other, but products that will serve the needs of your clients. In addition, this week you may have noticed a bit of a technology theme developing. Each carrier this week has a focus on making your life as an agent easier with online enrollments. And RBI’s quoting tool fits right into this theme. If you aren’t taking advantage of the technology and tools available to you at RBI, now is the time!

Watch the recording: Mutual of Omaha. Watch the recording: Guarantee Trust Life. Watch the recording: RBI Quote Tool. Watch the recording: SilverScript.

Click here to get contracted. Click here to see all our contracted carriers.

Sign up for the next webinars today! Click here to see the full calendar.

  • Monday, April 24 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Hit a Fastball with Molina” Register
  • Tuesday, April 25 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Be a Power Hitter with Cigna” Register
  • Wednesday, April 26 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Be a Clean-up Hitter with Gateway” Register
  • Wednesday, April 26 at 10:30 AM MST/12:30 PM CDT – “Pitch a Shut-Out with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas” Register
  • Thursday, April 27 at 9 AM MST/12 PM MST – “Be a Hometown Slugger with Harbor Health Plan” Register
  • Thursday, April 27 at 10 AM MST/12 PM CDT – “Load the Bases with Allegian” Register

Subscribe to the RBI Agent’s Advantage Blog today!

Did you miss last week’s webinars? Watch the full recording: Aetna. Watch the full recording: United Healthcare. Watch the full recording: Humana.


All videos are for agent use only.



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Video: Mastering Hospital Indemnity Roll-Up

Did you miss a Webinar Wednesday? Check out our Mastering Hospital Indemnity Roll-up below!



This week, we focused on Hospital Indemnity: so here is Charlie Ferrell, in our Mastering Hospital Indemnity Roll-up! But first, here’s a quick summary:

Are your clients struggling to pay for a hospitalization, chemotherapy or skilled nursing? Hospital Indemnity is the answer, especially relevant for those struggling to cover the financial gaps in traditional Medicare Advantage. A hospital stay comes with ancillary costs that are a burden to many Medicare Advantage clients. Hospital Indemnity works as cash-in-hand for these clients, and provides the peace of mind they need! Watch below for a 60 Second Roll-up of the details!

Hospital Indemnity Roll-up

Look for this symbol on all our new “60 Second Roll-Up” videos!

Register here to watch the full recording of the “Mastering Hospital Indemnity” webinar. For other great tips on why you should pick up a Hospital Indemnity product, or how to sell Hospital Indemnity, subscribe to our blog!

RBI has a number of great Hospital Indemnity carriers that we work with, including Equitable, Medico, as well as GTL.  If you would like to pick up a carrier, please click here for contracting information, or call our office at 1-800-997-3107.

Short Term Home Health Care
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Hospital Indemnity Earn $2k on Take Action Tuesdays

hospital indemnity

Hospital Indemnity – Take Action Tuesday: weekly action items to build a stronger business



POST AEP BLUES? — HERE IS A QUICK $2K IDEA FOR FEBRUARY!

Senior Agent Contributor: Tom O’Neil

Note from the Author: While most of this blog post is a product of my gray matter, I will borrow shamelessly some content from RBI’s Charlie Ferrell, our National Sales Manager.  He has some great insights into our business, surely developed when I was training him as a young pup new agent many years ago!


Now that AEP is over, we enter into the MAPD world of reduced commission advances for the next 11 months.  What is a good way to keep up the cash flow?  What about the business you left on the table with your turning-65 new-to-Medicare clients? Hospital Indemnity plans offer good commissions for agents year-around, and a unique opportunity for all those T-65’s you enrolled going back for the last 5 or so months.

Drop the excuses and sell Hospital Indemnity

Hospital Indemnity Image

Agents often tell me that Hospital Indemnity plans are too hard to sell, their clients are broke, underwriting is difficult, the clients enrolled in a supplement and so have no need for Hospital Indemnity, yada, yada.  GTL (Guarantee Trust Life) has the cure.  They offer guaranteed issue status to all applicants ages 64 ½ to 65 ½.  How do you beat that?  GTL may be a perfect fit for your MAPD clients who can afford a $40 or $50 premium.  If you sold a supplement to a client who is still working, GTL can provide some loss of income protection for days spent in the hospital as well.

Have a new client in the age range 64 ½ to 65 ½ who anticipates a hospital stay later in the year?  This plan is a slam dunk.  Yes, there is a 6-month pre-existing condition clause.  Accidents covered at issue, of course.

In my state, Arizona, GTL’s Hospital Indemnity plan pays around 50% commission for the first year, with a 9-month advance.  Let’s do the math.  My last guaranteed issue GTL application with a $39 monthly premium was submitted online on a Monday, and the approximately $200 advance was in my bank account on Thursday.

Start with Existing Clients

Okay, so where do I get the $2K teaser in the blog title?  I am guessing that any busy agent that goes over the last 5 months of enrollments will be able to find at least 10 clients that fall into the guaranteed issue age range.  Reach out to these clients about the benefits of having Hospital Indemnity coverage. Don’t stop there.  The fully underwritten GTL can also be a gold mine.  They have an easy “yes” or “no” online app, as well as a paper app.  One of our top agents estimated that about 70% of his clients pass underwriting easily.

One of the best Hospital Indemnity training videos I have seen was produced by Bill Ellsworth, VP of Equitable. It is available on Equitable’s broker page as well as on YouTube. Check it out to get started on training.

For those agents working in areas where GTL is not available, of course, we also offer contracts for Equitable, Medico and other Hospital Indemnity plans with more traditional underwriting.  If you do not have a Hospital Indemnity contract in your portfolio, or to request a specific market analysis for your area, give RBI a call at 800-997-3107 and talk to Charlie about these great products and how to present them.

Join Charlie Ferrell for a introduction to Hospital Indemnity with RBI’s Webinar Wednesday topic for January 18: “Mastering Hospital Indemnity!” Register now!

Upcoming Events:

Increase Your Cash Flow with Hospital Indemnity plans

As the National Sales Manager, I have spent countless hours on the road, teaching agents, conducting training sessions, and hosting recruiting events. I have realized that, no matter how diverse my audiences may be, certain things are universal- such as the unmistakable way my audience’s eyes glaze over as soon as I mention Hospital Indemnity plans. Most agents understand Indemnity plans in theory. They also agree that it is important to include a variety of ancillary products in their portfolio. But when it comes down to it, the majority of agents do notHospital Building bother to pitch Indemnity plans to their clients. Whether they don’t fully recognize the value, or the flat out don’t know how to sell it- RBI is here to help!

“Never leave money sitting on the table.” The old sales adage rings true. If you are not selling your clients an indemnity policy to complement their low-premium Medicare Advantage plan, that is EXACTLY what you are doing! Indemnity plans are extremely affordable, and you will quickly become your client’s hero once he or she experiences the benefits after that first hospital visit.

The primary concern of my Medicare Advantage clients is often, “How on earth will I pay for a hospital stay?!” I have also had several clients who grew frustrated with the high cost of Medicare Supplements, yet were afraid to switch to Medicare Advantage with their higher Hospital co-pays.. In either case, my solution was to enroll them into a low-premium (or no-premium) Medicare Advantage plan, along with a hospital indemnity plan for added coverage.

I never sign up a client for the “bare minimum.” It is better to have more coverage and not need it – than to not have it when you need it! Hospital costs continue to rise, and insurance plans evolve, but the health of my clients is generally not improving. I make sure to cover them for a hospital stay a little above and beyond the current hospital copay amounts. I do this because if a higher amount of coverage is needed at a later time, chances are they probably will not be healthy enough to pass the underwriting necessary to increase coverage. So far, not one of my clients has turned down the extra money they received from filing a claim.
RBI offers agents a variety of ancillary product carriers- GTL, Equitable, American Continental and Medico. GTL’s Advantage Plus plan is the only plan with a guaranteed issue period for ages 64 ½ to 65 ½. Bill Ellsworth, Vice President of Equitable, recorded an excellent presentation last year on how to sell hospital indemnity during a Medicare Advantage appointment. Frankly, it is probably the best training example I have ever seen, and I strongly recommend all Equitable agents seek it out on the Equiline broker site. Following Bill’s outline, I am confident you will be able to increase your commissions throughout the year.

Health products are the only products you can discuss during a Medicare appointment. You must make sure your client understands the need as you make your presentation. Show them the holes in their current plan, then fill it with an indemnity policy. All of the indemnity products can be cross-sold during an MA appointment. There is even a “Hospital Indemnity Plan” checkbox on the generic CMS-approved Scope of Appointment form most of us already use.

An Indemnity Webinar Invitation

Join us on Thursday, April 7th at 10:00 am (MST) for a webinar about how to cross sell indemnity products year round to protect your clients and increase your commissions. This is particularly important since carriers are now prorating all MA commissions other than a person that is new to Medicare.

 

 

 

Don’t leave money on the table this AEP: Sell Hospital Indemnity with Medicare Advantage

My first insurance sales trainer loved to tell me, “Don’t leave money on the table.” When it comes to coupling hospital indemnity plans with Medicare Advantage, his advice resonates a little louder. Hospital indemnity plans are very affordable for your clients and pay excellent first-year commissions, often in the 50 percent range (Of course, commission varies by states).

Most hospital indemnity plans offer inpatient confinement benefits ranging from $100 to $600 as well as an ER benefit. Depending on the carrier, optional features include benefits for skilled nursing facility days, follow-up appointments, outpatient surgery and even payment for the dreaded observation status. A cancer rider is an important option you can review with clients when discussing hospital indemnity.

Guarantee Trust Life, Equitable and Medico are carriers we are proud to affiliate with and offer to our agents. Just click on our Carriers page for more information or contact us at the number below. For those of you who concentrate on the T-65 market, note that GTL’s Advantage Plus plan is guaranteed issue for ages 64 ½ to 65 ½.

Bill Ellsworth, VP of Equitable, recorded an excellent presentation last year on how to give a good explanation of hospital indemnity during a Medicare Advantage appointment. Frankly, it’s the best training example I’ve seen, and I refer all of our Equitable agents to Bill’s training located on the password-protected Equiline.com broker site. My contact information is below if you’re an Equitable agent and are interested in learning more about Bill’s winning presentation.

In fact, Bill came out to our Arizona office last year to give us additional pointers on presenting Equitable’s EquiCash product. He definitely made me a believer. If you follow Bill’s outline, you should be able to double your MA commission for a surprisingly large number of your AEP and Lock-In appointments.

Cross selling you say! Presenting a hospital indemnity plan with a Medicare Advantage plan is totally compliant with the Medicare Marketing Guidelines.
Hospital indemnity plans are right there on the Scope of Appointment form. If the CMS-approved Scope form you are using does not list hospital indemnity, Medicare Supplements and DVH products, I’ll be glad to email you a copy.

Finally, don’t forget the younger members of the household. Many of these hospital plans are offered from 40-80 years of age. They’re particularly reasonable for the younger folks and can really help fill in those hefty ACA deductibles. Just remember that hospital indemnity coverage is not minimum essential coverage.

For contracting opportunities with GTL, Medico and Equitable, and to receive more useful training content, call RB Insurance at (800) 997 3107 or email me.

Hospital indemnity coverage is not minimum essential coverage

Hospital indemnity plans, often referred to as HI, have become a valuable add-on for many Medicare beneficiaries. With Medicare Advantage plans’ increasing copays and coshares, these HI options can be a relatively inexpensive solution for your senior clients. Yet seniors are not the only ones who can benefit from HI — you have the opportunity to sell these plans to younger prospects who are not eligible for Medicare.

Your non-Medicare clients may also benefit from a hospital indemnity plan. Just make sure clients have a health plan that fits minimum essential coverage requirements before you write. (Image courtesy of iStock)

Make sure your non-Medicare client is enrolled in a health plan that meets the minimum essential coverage guidelines as defined in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) before you write. All Medicare clients enrolled in Medicare Part A or who have a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan are deemed to have minimum essential coverage. The on-exchange and off-exchange ACA plans also meet the guidelines, as do most of today’s employee group plans and a limited number of other health plan types.

If your non-Medicare client does not have a plan that complies with the minimum essential coverage guidelines, you should not write him or her a hospital indemnity plan. The carrier will most likely not issue the policy, which would result in a declined application and a disappointed client. An explanation of CMS’ regulation and guidance on the matter is available — start at page 54 after clicking on the link.

RB Insurance works with numerous carriers offering Hospital Indemnity coverage, including GTL, Equitable, Medico and others. Visit our Carriers page to find immediate contracting opportunities.

RB Insurance-affiliated agents can explore the excellent commissions HI can generate with our available online training and one-on-one training. Call (800) 997 3107 or email me for more information.

Click here to get our agent’s original content once a week by email.

Contract with Guarantee Trust Life (GTL) hospital indemnity to earn more commission

Find out how to sell Guarantee Trust Life hospital indemnity plans. Click here to contract with GTL today!

We all know our Medicare Advantage commission advance shrinks as the year progresses, so what can we do to maintain our income stream?

Guarantee Trust Life has your answer. Commissions for its Advantage Plus hospital indemnity plan are paid weekly, directly to you from the carrier, and simple yes-or-no underwriting makes for jet-speed submission. Advantage Plus helps fill the gaps in popular Medicare Advantage and ACA individual plans at a superbly reasonable premium, something your clients will undoubtedly appreciate.

What you and your clients can expect from this plan is impressive to say the least. For them, daily hospital confinement benefits range from $100 to $600 daily and are paid directly to the policyholder. Observation stays that last 24 hours or longer are also covered at 100 percent of the daily benefit, giving your clients peace of mind. Reach aging-in clients (guaranteed issue for 64 ½ to 65 ½ years old) with this plan and offer it to your younger, ACA-covered clients whose deductibles may still present a financial risk — Advantage Plus is issued starting at age 40.

Some of GTL’s Advantage Plus Hospital Indemnity’s other great features:

  • Great first year and renewal commissions (50-55% First Year in most states!)
  • Emergency room coverage is included in base plan and, there are four optional riders, including Lump Sum Cancer
  • Presenting a hospital indemnity plan is totally compliant with Medicare Marketing Guidelines! Hospital indemnity plans are right there on the Scope of Appointment form.

Agents interested in contracting now with GTL and RB Insurance can click here. Call me, Tom O’Neil, at (800) 997 3107 if you’ve got any questions.

*This is not a GTL-approved advertisement for prospects and clients.