2023 AHIP Certification

It’s that time of the year again where Medicare brokers across the US spend hours re-certifying to market and sell Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. You’ve probably seen the emails coming directly from AHIP telling you that AHIP has been released for 2022. Sure, you can go ahead and follow those links and pay the full retail price of $175 or…. You could follow this handy link and get the exact same course for a whopping $50 off. No strings attached. Okay, just one. You have to sign up for our blog in order to get the discount, but I promise we won’t SPAM you. Since you are reading this article, there is a good possibility you’re already signed up anyway. 

That’s not all!

Because we are so excited about this offer, we have decided to sweeten the deal. Let us pay for your AHIP certification!

  • Contract directly with RB Insurance Group with 3 Medicare Advantage carriers.
  • Make 5 Medicare Advantage enrollments with RB Insurance Group during AEP.
  • We will pay you $125 to cover the cost of your test.

Want more reasons to sell Medicare Advantage plans?

How about we just got a raise! This year CMS increased the initial compensation to $573 for a beneficiary just enrolling into Medicare and raised the renewal rate to $287 in most states and the best part is most carriers pay lifetime commissions on MA plans. With more than 10,000 people aging into Medicare each day in the US, combined with our Medicare Sales Engine CRM system and with our quick and easy Fast-Track contracting process that eliminates 90% of your paperwork, now is a great time to add Medicare Advantage plans into your portfolio.

Incase you missed the link for your $50 discount above – Click Here to claim your discount now!

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.



2022 AHIP
USA Senior Care Network
AEP
New Agent

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 1

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 1 (ICYMI)

So if you’ve been following along this week on all our emails and event calendar, you know that April is “Carrier Spring Training” month! We are so excited for this new initiative, and just finished up our first week of webinars! But if you missed these webinars 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 1!

This week, we heard from three tremendous carriers: Aetna/American Continental, Equitable and Medico. A big thank you to our presenters, William Davis (American Continental), Bill Ellsworth (Equitable), and Carrie Haubensak (Medico) who did a really amazing job introducing their products and telling us why members like their plans!  We have three videos below so you can get all the highlights on what makes each carrier a perfect fit for your portfolio!

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 1

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

When you think about these three carriers, each has something a little different to offer. And at RBI, we like having all three carriers in our portfolio so that we can speak to any client’s individual needs.

Watch the recording: American Continental. Watch the recording: Equitable. Watch the recording: Medico.

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.

Subscribe to the RBI Agent’s Advantage Blog today!


All videos are for agent use only.



2022 AHIP
USA Senior Care Network
AEP
New Agent

Video: Direct Mail Madness Roll-up

Don’t you just hate missing amazing content? Now you don’t have to: watch Direct Mail Madness Roll-up now!



Have you thought about using Direct Mail to market your senior insurance business? Maybe you thought it was a lot of money for leads. Maybe you thought that it was too complicated for you. Perhaps you thought that tracking your investment would be impossible.  If any of these scenarios have you nodding along, you need to watch our 60 Second Roll-up “Direct Mail Madness Roll-up.” 

What are the things agents hate most about marketing?

  • Spending lots of money and not getting anything in return, or in other words, bad Return on Investment (ROI)
  • It’s tough to get the message to the right people, or targeting the message
  • Getting leads that are not effective

RB Insurance is here to help!  We de-mystify Direct Mail, and can help you determine ROI, targeting the right leads, and ultimately get leads that you can convert into a client for life.

Direct Mail Madness Roll-up

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

Now that you’ve got a taste for Direct Mail, you should watch the full recording! Then you should check out your Agent Market Edge account and get started today!

Don’t forget to sign up for next week’s webinar, which talks about how to use Direct Mail to grow your Medicare business. Check out our Carrier Spring Training series starting in April and get started contracting for the selling season! Call 1-800-997-3107 to get more details! 


2022 AHIP
2020 ahip discount certification
OEP

Video: Make Community Marketing Work for You Roll-up

Did you miss Webinar Wednesday? Instead, watch Make Community Marketing Work for You Roll-up!

If you’re not known in your area as the authority on all things Medicare, this webinar is for you! We want to help you grow to be the person in your neighborhood that everyone goes to with questions…and of course, the agent who enrolls these members! To get you to this goal, we’ve prepared this week’s Webinar Wednesday to cover how to take charge of your education efforts, become an expert at working in the field, and start earning the trust of your community. Did you miss the webinar? We’ve got you covered with the Make Community Marketing Work for You Roll-up!

Make Community Marketing Work for You Roll-up

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

Not sure how to get started? Take the first step by clicking here to watch the full recording. Then take a look at our carrier-partners to get started contracting.

If you have additional questions, call RBI at 1-800-997-3107 to speak to our amazing team! 




Medicare Supplements 201 Revisited for 2017

If you read our Medicare Supplements 101 Revisited article last week, you know that we are all about understanding supplements. This week it’s time to go deeper: Medicare Supplements 201 covers more about the unusual or specialized plans you might need. This article has also been revisited for 2017, so you’re getting the latest of fresh updates.

Part 1 of our series went over what the different Medicare Supplements cover and how they work with Original Medicare.

Medicare Supplements 201 coverage A-N chart

In Part 2 of our series we are going to discuss the different enrollment periods for Medicare supplements as well as some of the underwriting criteria major carriers use in pricing their plans. Remember, in order to enroll into a Medicare Supplement policy, beneficiaries must have Medicare Parts A and B.

Open enrollment for Medicare Supplements is the 6 months following a beneficiaries Part B effective date. No health questions asked. Full commission paid according to contracted rates.

Guaranteed issue. According to federal guidelines, carriers must issue a Medigap Plan A, B, C, F, K, or L that’s sold by any insurance company in the state under the following conditions;

  • During a Medicare Advantage members 12 month trial period
  • A beneficiaries’ current Medicare Advantage plan is leaving the area either due to financial reasons or is no longer going to offer that plan.
  • Beneficiaries’ employer group plan that pays after Medicare is ending. This includes retiree and COBRA coverage
  • Beneficiaries leave a Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan because the company hasn’t followed the rules

Underwritten policies can be issued at any time after the open enrollment period and beneficiaries are able to pass underwriting questions. Some policies have relaxed underwriting for a higher premium. Full commissions paid according to contracted rates.

Underwriting guidelines vary from carrier to carrier. Some carriers allow diabetics with no issues and other carriers will not issue policies at all for diabetics. Almost all Medicare Supplement carriers have a “prohibited prescriptions” list that tells you the application will be declined if a member takes the medication on the list for a specific condition. Some carriers include this list in every kit they send out.

Medicare Supplements for Beneficiaries under age 65. Not all states require Medigap plans to cover beneficiaries under age 65. In some cases states may only require carriers to offer certain plans for those under age 65 or cover certain conditions such as ESRD. In all cases, under 65 policies are more expensive than a regular Medigap policy since carriers know the beneficiaries will be using more benefits than those over 65 on original Medicare.

This is just brief overview of Medicare Supplements. For an in depth explanation and more, click the button below for the recording of Part 2 of our webinar series on Medicare Supplements: “Medicare Supplements 201.”

Contact us today to get contracted with the highest rated carriers in your area. Many plans are only competitive in certain zip codes so don’t be fooled by all their hype. Call us at 1-800-997-3107 and let us help you with all of your Medicare Supplement contracting needs.

Updated 3/13/2017; Originally Published 5/16/2016

Video: Agent Market Edge Basics Roll-up

Did you miss Webinar Wednesday this week? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with Agent Market Edge Basics Roll-up!

You look like a person who loves getting a great value for your money, without sacrificing quality.  We are too!  That’s why we have partnered with print and fulfillment companies to bring our agents exclusive pricing on marketing!  When you contract with RBI, you get access to the Agent Market Edge online portal, where you can watch your marketing credits stack up, and plan flyers, mailers, business cards and more! If you haven’t heard how it works, don’t despair!  Watch our Agent Market Edge Basics Roll-up and get the short-and-sweet.

Agent Market Edge Basics Roll-up

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

Want to get the full details? Click here to watch the full recording! If you would like to get access to our bargains and marketing co-op dollars, click here to get started contracting!



2022 AHIP
2020 ahip discount certification
OEP

ICYMI Contracting for Success Wrap-up

Charlie Ferrell

National Sales Manager


Charlie started his senior insurance career after a brief 30-year stint in the restaurant industry. In the 12 years since then, he has been blazing trails and setting standards for excellence all over! A native son of Utah, he has been a state manager for RBI as well as a managing general agent for UHC, Coventry, Molina and other carriers! Charlie came to RBI as the National Sales Manager in 2015, and is an invaluable resource for our agents and staff for marketing, compliance, and sales topics! If all of that wasn’t enough, Charlie specializes in the Dual-Eligible market and is leading the charge behind RBI’s new “Dual Eligibles for Newbies” seminars!”

ICYMI Contracting for Success Wrap-up

Charlie Ferrell, National Sales Manager



If you know anything about RBI, you know that we are passionate about saving YOU time and money. One of the ways that we do this is by helping you to work smarter not harder! Our most recent Medicare Intensive “Contracting for Success” was all about building a portfolio of products that does the heavy lifting! If you weren’t able to attend, here’s the ICYMI Contracting for Success Wrap-up! 

ICYMI Contracting for Success

What we covered:ICYMI Contracting for Success Course

Would you like to sell to 80% of the people you meet? With our portfolio approach to senior insurance, this goal is within reach. Most insurance agents focus on a single product, and stay in their comfort zone to try and make sales. Instead, we urge our agents to work smarter, by picking up a few other types of products.  When you have a portfolio that is more extensive, you have the ability to convert more of the people you meet, because you’ll have the plans that they need.

We help you convert 80% of your leads to clients

The three types of products we focus on are

  1. Final Expense
  2. Indemnity Products – such as Hospital Indemnity, Dental and Cancer policies
  3. Medicare products – such as traditional Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage products

We suggest that you pick up 3 or 4 carriers for each category, and become the expert in who those carriers are and how they work together.  Clients will be able to tell that you have done your research. As an added bonus, when you have more to offer to clients, you’ll be able to spend more time with fewer clients, with better results. In essence, you inoculate them from being poached by another agent. This means that your clients are less likely to move to a different agent because they recognize your commitment to their needs.

What’s the bottom line?

Agents who approach their business as a whole portfolio are more successful! Consider this powerful example: this past AEP, one of our agents in MI added Hospital Indemnity to his portfolio. During AEP, he included this additional product in his client meetings and 90% of his new clients signed up for a hospital indemnity product! This translated into over $20,000 in commissions received before the end of AEP.

RBI – We Make It Happen for You

If you weren’t able to attend the Contracting for Success class this week, you can watch the recording by clicking here. You can learn more about RBI’s carrier partners by clicking here. Call our office today at 1-800-997-3107 if you want to get more information on how to get started! We are here to make it happen for you!


2022 AHIP
2020 ahip discount certification
OEP

Medicare Supplements 101 Revisited for 2017

If you’re not an expert in Medicare Supplements, it’s time to get educated! Our Medicare Supplements 101 article and webinar is here to help! Newly updated for 2017, this article will help you get started now!

A Brief History

Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans have been around almost as long as Medicare, and just like Medicare, have transformed over the years. It began as a variety of different coverages state by state, and was ultimately standardized by Medicare in 1992. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 replaced many voluntary guidelines with new Federal standards. Nearly all states adhere to these standards with a few exceptions. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are three states complying with Federal guidelines without using the standardized A through N plans.

Medicare Parts A and B cover most medically-necessary inpatient and outpatient services. Unfortunately for consumers, Medicare does not cover all medical costs, leaving beneficiaries responsible for a portion of the costs. Let’s take a quick look at Medicare Part A and B, and then take a look at Medicare Supplements 101!

Medicare Part A

The two largest costs associated with Part A are the Hospital Deductible ($1316 in 2017) and days 21-100 ($164.50 co-pay per day) of the Skilled Nursing Benefit. There are also some costs associated with Hospice care which Medicare does not cover. Medicare DOES NOT cover the cost of room and board if someone is using a private hospice facility. While the Hospice benefit does cover the doctors and additional care needed, it does not cover the facilities charge of around $300 per day in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility. As you can imagine, the bills pile up quickly!

Medicare Part B

Part B has a yearly deductible ($183 in 2017) and 20% coinsurance for all Part B-covered services, including chemotherapy. There is no cap on how much a beneficiary is responsible for under traditional Medicare Parts A and B so chemotherapy treatments for example, could be financially crippling.

Medicare Supplements 101 to the Rescue!

 Medicare Supplements 101 coverage A-N chart

Depending on the plan, Medicare Supplement A through N policies cover all or a portion of the gaps in Medicare coverage. Because of the Federal standardization, the included benefits for each plan type is identical across all insurance carriers. The only difference is the premium. It is no coincidence that 57% of all Medicare Supplements have enrolled on Plan F policies- the benefits are generous and the added coverage provides financial protection.

  • National Guaranteed Issue rights only apply to Medigap Plans A, B, C, F, K, or L . Some states have their own Guarantee Issue periods. With Plans D, G, M and N, the beneficiary will likely be subject to medical underwriting.
  • Excess charges can occur when a doctor does not accept Medicare assignment. The beneficiary can be charged up to an additional 15% of the Medicare allowable rates.
  • Plans C, D, F, M and N all include a Foreign Travel benefit.  Beneficiaries pay a $250 deductible and their Medigap policy will pay 80% of the remaining charges, up to $50,000.
  • HD-F, K and L all have deductibles and maximum out of pocket expenses which are set by CMS every year.
  • Plans C and F cover the Part B deductible. For those of you familiar with the Medicare Access and CHIP Re-authorization of 2015 (MACRA for short), Medicare Supplement plans C and F will not be available for sale to new Medicare beneficiaries after Jan 1, 2020.
  • Plan N has a $20 co=pay at a doctors office and a $50 co-pay at the Emergency Room

Keep an eye out for more information on Medicare Supplements 201, Open Enrollment, Underwriting and Guaranteed issue situations.

This is a just brief overview of Medicare Supplements. For an in depth explanation and more, click the button below for the recording of Part 1 of our webinar series on Medicare Supplements.



Contact us today to get contracted with the highest rated carriers in your area. Many plans are only competitive in certain zip codes so don’t be fooled by all their hype. Call 1-800-997-3107 and let us help you with all of your Medicare Supplement contracting needs.

Updated 3/6/2017; Originally Published 5/16/2016

Video: Marketing for Success Roll-up

Did you miss Webinar Wednesday this week? Catch up by watching our Marketing for Success Roll-up, below!



We couldn’t close out the work week without telling you about our fantastic Webinar Wednesday topic this week! If you’ve been following along on our webinars, you’ll know that we love bringing you amazing (and useful!) content to help you improve your sales! Our Marketing for Success Roll-up is here to tell you exactly what you need to know in order to increase your ROI on marketing!

Many agents think about marketing on an as-needed basis.  The problem with approaching marketing in such a haphazard way is that there is no way to track your results. Instead of practicing the “RAM” method of marketing, RBI is here to help our agents follow the MAPS method.

What is the RAM method? Random Acts of Marketing

What is the MAPS method? Building a marketing system that is Measurable, Actionable, Profitable and Scalable.

Watch our roll-up below for more information!

Marketing for Success Roll-up

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

Like what you heard? Click here to watch the full recording of “Marketing for Success.”  To learn more about how RBI can help you be a better agent, click here.

Want to get started? You can see a list of all our carrier partners by clicking here. For more details, call us at 1-800-997-3107 and speaking to our experienced sales team!   



2022 AHIP
2019 AHIP
AEP
New Agent