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2018 Medicare Cost-Sharing

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Medicare cost-sharing

RBI National Sales Manager: Charlie Ferrell

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! Charlie’s field experience with senior insurance sales has made him an expert in our insurance CRM: Medicare Sales Engine. 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!

2018 Medicare Cost-Sharing

Medicare has released the 2018 Medicare cost-sharing amounts and MOOP for standardized Medicare Supplement Plans. Without further ado, here it is!

Medicare cost-sharing

Part A – Hospital Insurance

Hospital

  • $1,340 (+$24) deductible per benefit period.
  • $335 (+$6) for days 61-90.
  • $670 (+$12) for 60 lifetime reserve days (days 91-150.)

Skilled Nursing

  • $167.50/day (+$3) for days 21-100.

Part A premium

  • $422 if you’ve worked less than 30 quarters.
  • $232 if you’ve worked over 30 quarters but less than 40.

Part B – Medical Insurance

  • $134 premium. Deductible remains at $183.
  • Cost-sharing remains the same for Part B services, Medicare pays 80% and the beneficiary pays 20%.

Part D – Prescriptions

Deductible – $405

  • The standard part D deductible for 2018 is $405.  Many plans however have eliminated the deductible entirely.

Initial coverage limit – $3,750

  • After the deductible has been met, beneficiaries enter into stage 2, the Initial Coverage Limit.  At which point beneficiaries will either pay 25% or more typically they will have co-pays for tiers 1 – 5.
  • Once the retail amount (what you pay + what the carrier pays) of your prescriptions reaches $3,750 for the year, beneficiaries will enter into gap also known as the “doughnut hole.”

Coverage Gap/”Doughnut hole” TROOP- $5,000

  • Once in stage 3, more commonly referred to as the “Gap” or the “Doughnut-Hole” beneficiaries will be paying 35% for brand name drugs and 44% for generics.
  • After out-of-pocket (what you and the manufacturer pay) costs reach $5,000 beneficiaries will enter into stage 4 or “Catastrophic Coverage.”

Catastrophic Coverage

Medicare cost-sharing

  • Once in stage 4, beneficiaries will pay the greater of:
    • 5% OR
    • $3.35 copay for generics and $8.35 copay for all other drugs.

Prescription drug coverage premiums range from $12.70 and up.

Part C – Medicare Advantage plans

Premiums for Medicare Advantage plans range from $0 and up.

Max-out-of-Pocket – $6,700

Cost sharing for Medicare Supplement plans

  • Deductible for the High Deductible plan F is $2240 (+40)
  • MOOP
    • Plan K – $5240 (+$120)
    • Plan L – $2660 (+$60)

We hope everyone is having a successful AEP and thank you all for your hard work!  While AEP ends in a little over a week, it’s important to remember that there is an incredible year-round opportunity in the Medicare market that most agents aren’t taking advantage of.  To jump start your business in the new year, the time to start is RIGHT NOW!  Plan out community events and any marketing necessities to keep the momentum going.  If you want help with marketing, contact us to do a MAPS plan.

Not yet contracted with RB Insurance Group?  Give us a call today to learn how RBI will take your Medicare business to new heights! 1-800-997-3107!



CMS call recording

CMS Call Recording Guidelines For 2023

2022 AHIP

2023 AHIP Certification

2020 ahip discount certification

2020 Medicare Agent and Broker Compensation Announced | CMS | RBI

OEP

MA-OEP is back!

2018 Medicare Cost-Sharing

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Medicare cost-sharing

RBI National Sales Manager: Charlie Ferrell

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! Charlie’s field experience with senior insurance sales has made him an expert in our insurance CRM: Medicare Sales Engine. 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!

2018 Medicare Cost-Sharing

Medicare has released the 2018 Medicare cost-sharing amounts and MOOP for standardized Medicare Supplement Plans. Without further ado, here it is!

Medicare cost-sharing

Part A – Hospital Insurance

Hospital

  • $1,340 (+$24) deductible per benefit period.
  • $335 (+$6) for days 61-90.
  • $670 (+$12) for 60 lifetime reserve days (days 91-150.)

Skilled Nursing

  • $167.50/day (+$3) for days 21-100.

Part A premium

  • $422 if you’ve worked less than 30 quarters.
  • $232 if you’ve worked over 30 quarters but less than 40.

Part B – Medical Insurance

  • $134 premium. Deductible remains at $183.
  • Cost-sharing remains the same for Part B services, Medicare pays 80% and the beneficiary pays 20%.

Part D – Prescriptions

Deductible – $405

  • The standard part D deductible for 2018 is $405.  Many plans however have eliminated the deductible entirely.

Initial coverage limit – $3,750

  • After the deductible has been met, beneficiaries enter into stage 2, the Initial Coverage Limit.  At which point beneficiaries will either pay 25% or more typically they will have co-pays for tiers 1 – 5.
  • Once the retail amount (what you pay + what the carrier pays) of your prescriptions reaches $3,750 for the year, beneficiaries will enter into gap also known as the “doughnut hole.”

Coverage Gap/”Doughnut hole” TROOP- $5,000

  • Once in stage 3, more commonly referred to as the “Gap” or the “Doughnut-Hole” beneficiaries will be paying 35% for brand name drugs and 44% for generics.
  • After out-of-pocket (what you and the manufacturer pay) costs reach $5,000 beneficiaries will enter into stage 4 or “Catastrophic Coverage.”

Catastrophic Coverage

Medicare cost-sharing

  • Once in stage 4, beneficiaries will pay the greater of:
    • 5% OR
    • $3.35 copay for generics and $8.35 copay for all other drugs.

Prescription drug coverage premiums range from $12.70 and up.

Part C – Medicare Advantage plans

Premiums for Medicare Advantage plans range from $0 and up.

Max-out-of-Pocket – $6,700

Cost sharing for Medicare Supplement plans

  • Deductible for the High Deductible plan F is $2240 (+40)
  • MOOP
    • Plan K – $5240 (+$120)
    • Plan L – $2660 (+$60)

We hope everyone is having a successful AEP and thank you all for your hard work!  While AEP ends in a little over a week, it’s important to remember that there is an incredible year-round opportunity in the Medicare market that most agents aren’t taking advantage of.  To jump start your business in the new year, the time to start is RIGHT NOW!  Plan out community events and any marketing necessities to keep the momentum going.  If you want help with marketing, contact us to do a MAPS plan.

Not yet contracted with RB Insurance Group?  Give us a call today to learn how RBI will take your Medicare business to new heights! 1-800-997-3107!



CMS call recording

CMS Call Recording Guidelines For 2023

2022 AHIP

2023 AHIP Certification

2020 ahip discount certification

2020 Medicare Agent and Broker Compensation Announced | CMS | RBI

OEP

MA-OEP is back!

Stay focused on earning money

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RB Insurance Group Managing Member: Bob Bever

Bob is the managing member of RB Insurance Group, LLC, an FMO based in Arizona, specializing in providing senior insurance agents with family-style customer service, without sacrificing the tools and resources of a much larger corporation. Bob is an expert in direct sales and leadership, and a proud 4th generation Arizona Native! Bob has over 35+ years of experience in the health insurance industry, and his past experience includes working as a field agent for Intergroup, Health Net, Cigna and Farmers. Since 1978 when Bob first got licensed as an insurance agent, to now, his focus has been on bringing excellence to the senior health insurance industry. Bob has a heart for seniors, and his no-nonsense approach and dry humor have endeared him to the clients and the agents he works with. Bob is semi-retired now, but his values of hard work, a positive attitude, and being an advocate for the needs of his clients continue to be the guiding principles of RBI.

Stay Focused on Earning Money

RBI’s Managing Member, Bob Bever


At the beginning of the year, we talked about how to set realistic goals for the year, and how to make sure your opportunities from AEP didn’t slip away.  If you’ve been dedicated about working hard on your plan this whole time, chances are you’re getting a little worn-out. Not to mention, this time of year brings its own set of challenges. There’s so much sunshine and good weather all around, and fun events like graduations, vacations, baseball games, etc. Human nature being what it is, it’s easy to get busy on the things that don’t actually make you money. Everyone needs a break to get your motivation back, but be careful not to get caught up in the day-to-day of summer fun and forget to check in on your goals. Pull out the list from the first of the year every week and evaluate how you’re doing. Do you need to get back on track?

Stay focused on earning money

stay focused on earning money

This time of year is full of great activities, but stay focused on earning money!

My advice for this time of year is simple: return to the basics.  For those agents that work in the senior insurance market and are not “hobbyists,” you should be spending half to two-thirds of your time in your business. That’s between 30 to 40 hours of your week on work time. And there’s plenty to do this time of year.

Stay in touch with your clients

Don’t forget to be making an effort to stay in contact with your existing clients, whether through a friendly phone call, or a postcard. Your clients are your primary source for new business so be sure to take very good care of them, and ask them to refer others to you as well.  9 times out of 10 the hottest leads you get are referrals from someone the beneficiary trusts.  Over time, this will secure your future for years to come, I can assure you.

Look over your portfolio

Evaluate your contracts, make sure you’ve got all the plans that are competitive in your market. Do you have all the product training that you need to serve your members?

Look for new opportunities

Stay focused on earning money

Grow your business with new opportunities.

If you’re looking for other opportunities, it’s a great time of year to start to make additional contacts with providers, nursing homes, and other community resources for seniors. Many agents will be going on vacation or slacking off this time of year, and if you are able to build a relationship now, or sponsor community events, you’ll be able to reach more potential clients later. Something to keep in mind is that with the changes in government and the rumblings about a new under-65 healthcare roll-out, many beneficiaries are concerned about their coverage. Now is a good time to meet with members to provide some reassurance, and hold educational events to explain how Medicare works with Medicare 101 classes.

Want some ideas of new and different ways to market in your community?

Check out our “Community Marketing” webinar where we talk about the different events and ideas you can do to generate new business! RBI can teach you how to “own your own backyard” and become known as the Medicare expert in your community. Have you completed a contract yet? Call our team at 1-800-997-3107 or click here to complete the Fast-Track and get appointed even quicker!



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5 Quick Opportunities Now to Unlock Your Best AEP

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RBI Sales Coordinator, West Region: Rebecca Howard

If you’ve ever called RBI’s 800 number, chances are good that you’ve spoken to Rebecca! With a background in health care and customer service, Rebecca’s journey to Medicare insurance is a relentless pursuit of the human story. Fascinated by interpersonal relationships, and passionate about treating everyone right, it’s no surprise that Rebecca joins us from the South. A transplant to Arizona from Georgia, Rebecca is a customer service expert and sales coordinator extraordinaire! Rebecca manages agent relationships for the West Coast, and loves training her agents in all the tools and services that RBI offers. In addition to her regular duties, Rebecca is a bit of a word nerd, and serves as RBI’s content editor for the Agent’s Advantage Blog and RBI Classroom.

5 Quick Opportunities Now

to Unlock Your Best AEP Later

RBI Sales Coordinator, West Region: Rebecca Howard


I know, I know. It’s only the first week of May — AEP seems so far away! But the truth is if you haven’t already planned out your marketing leading up to AEP, now is definitely the time to start. AEP is the busiest time of the year in our industry and a great way to avoid that last-minute rush and make sure you have a plan in place is to decide your goals now. Figure out how many sales you want to make first and then decide on a marketing plan. RBI has the tools to help! In fact, here’s 5 quick opportunities to take advantage of now and unlock your best AEP yet.

Number 5: Organize your existing businessUnlock Your Best AEP Yet

If you haven’t reached out to all the old leads in your books, now is also a good time to touch base with a final phone call and personalized letter. It’s also time to make sure that each of your clients’ needs are being met. Pick up the phone and call your clients, or consider sending out a postcard. Make sure that you are asking for your clients to think of you for any referrals. Not sure what to say? Click here and read some advice from the RBI team. Make sure you’re going through your records and reconciling any commissions at the end of the month or interactions inside the Medicare Sales Engine!

Number 4: Learn about additional products

If you’ve had a laser focus on one type of product, it might be time to diversify. One of the best ways to make sure you’re able to serve your clients’ is to be able to address multiple concerns they might have. Have you talked to your members about Hospital Indemnity? What about Final Expense? Does your member qualify for extra help or LIS? Learn about the portfolio approach and then get the product training you need. Check out our calendar to sign up for informative webinars or go back and watch one of our recorded sessions!

Number 3: Pick up additional contracts

Now that you’ve learned about the additional products that will help you better serve your clients, it’s time to pick up contracts! Processing contracts can take the carriers from just a couple of days to several weeks, so it’s important to get started on this in advance. Carriers tend to get backed up with contracting requests right before AEP as well. Don’t get caught in that mess, get contracted now and miss the rush! Click here to see a list of carriers, or request information here.

Number 2: Prepare for the AHIP

It’s that time of year again – AHIP comes out at the end of next month. Get a jump on studying for the AHIP now and be ready to take the exam right away!  Click here to sign up for our 2018 Ace the AHIP webinar and be sure to use our link and get $50 off the price of the AHIP course!

Number 1: Plan your marketing now

AEP is short. What’s the best way to make sure you are able to complete the maximum appointments? Get a steady flow of leads and line up your appointments in advance. RBI’s team loves to help plan this out for our agents. If you don’t know the best way to get that steady flow of leads, watch this recording. Consider hiring a part time assistant to help you set appointments. The better organized you are on the front end, the smoother your AEP will be in the long run.

If you aren’t ready to sell with the most popular plans in your area, let us help you get started! Call our team at 1-800-997-3107 or click here to start the contracting process! It’s time to unlock your best AEP.



2022 AHIP

2023 AHIP Certification

2020 ahip discount certification

2020 Medicare Agent and Broker Compensation Announced | CMS | RBI

OEP

MA-OEP is back!

S.S.D.Y. – Same Stuff Different Year – Here’s Your 2019 AEP Checklist

Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 3

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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: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2

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Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2 (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 second 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 video below: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2!

This week, we collaborated with Aetna, Humana, and United Healthcare. A huge shout-out to our presenters, Daniel Santos (Aetna), Kirk Sanich (Humana), and our own Charlie Ferrell stepping in for Ken Colvard (United Healthcare), who did a fantastic job showcasing their products and what makes them compelling for members.

RBI Carrier Training Highlights:

  • Aetna by Rebecca Howard
  • Humana by James Gramp
  • United Healthcare by Charlie Ferrell
Video: RBI Carrier Hall of Fame Week 2

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

The RBI bottom line is that all three of these carriers offer something different and that they work together nicely to fill out your portfolio as a senior insurance advisor. We recommend that you contract with all three today because everyone is different and it’s important to have the products that fit the needs of your clients.

Watch the recording: Aetna Webinar. Watch the recording: Humana Webinar. Watch the recording: United Healthcare Webinar.

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

Sign up for next week’s webinars today!

  • Monday, April 17 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Hit a Homer with Mutual of Omaha” Register.
  • Tuesday, April 18 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Steal Second with GTL” Register.
  • Wednesday, April 19 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Bat 1.000 with RBI’s Quoting Tool” Register.
  • Thursday, April 20 at 9 AM MST/12 PM EDT – “Out of the Ballpark with SilverScript” Register.

Subscribe to the the RBI Agent’s Advantage Blog today! 

Did you miss last week’s webinars? Watch the full recording: American Continental Webinar. Watch the full recording: Equitable webinar. Watch the full recording: Medico webinar.


All videos are for agent use only.




2022 AHIP

2023 AHIP Certification

2020 ahip discount certification

2020 Medicare Agent and Broker Compensation Announced | CMS | RBI

OEP

MA-OEP is back!

Medicare cost-sharing

2019 Medicare Cost-Sharing

Zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage? Think again.

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James Gramp

RBI Senior Sales Coordinator/

Independent Agent: James Gramp

With his signature common sense, quiet good humor, and brilliant customer service, Jim is the other half of the RBI phone answering dynamic duo! 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 over a year, and has worked at RBI for 2 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.

Zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage?

Think again!

RBI Senior Sales Coordinator/Independent Agent: James Gramp


As a Senior Sales Coordinator at RB Insurance Group, I talk with agents from all over the country.  Every now and then I’ll talk to an agent who has zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage(MA). These agents usually fall into 1 of 2 camps, either they don’t like the product, or they are afraid of the certifications to be ready to sell.  But MA products are proving to be a really good fit for many beneficiaries and members continue to enroll into the plans. Market penetration for MA plans is growing, and the excuses could be costing you money. Let’s take a look:

Market Penetration for Medicare Advantage

According to Mark Farrah and Associates, in 2015 Medicare Advantage covered over 18 million members or about 33% of the Medicare population and is still showing growth year over year. Medicare Supplement beneficiaries account for just under 12 million.  You can educate people all you want on why you think Medicare Supplements provide superior coverage (and I would agree in a lot of situations) but the fact is Medicare Advantage is here to stay.

Reasons Why Members Choose an MA Product

Zero interest in selling Medicare Advantage

Some members like the additional benefits with an MA plan, like dental or vision.

We recently hosted a webinar about Aetna by Daniel Santos, the Medicare Broker Manager for Arizona. (If you missed the webinar, watch the recording here) If you aren’t aware, Aetna has some great MA plans in Arizona, but also across the nation in other markets. Daniel’s presentation highlighted a few reasons that members like MA plans: many folks prefer to have full coverage in 1 plan, with predictable out-of-pocket costs, and a lot of the time with a $0 premium. Some people like that there is no underwriting with an MA plan. And some folks like the extras that you can qualify for with an MA plan, such as dental or vision benefits.

Overcoming Objections: “I don’t believe in the product”

In my day-to-day conversations with agents, I’ve come across one objection very consistently. “Well, Jim, I just don’t believe in the product.” Or “I just don’t want to sell a product I don’t believe in.”  This usually leads into how a Medicare Supplement plan F or G is the best coverage you can buy. While I agree that plan F and G provide excellent coverage, not everyone is the same. As we saw above, a lot of people are choosing Medicare Advantage for their coverage and the market is growing.  The bottom line is a lot of people (especially healthy people) can’t stomach paying for a Medicare Supplement policy and if you don’t sell them an MA plan then somebody else will.

Overcoming Objections: “There are so many certifications”

The second most common reason agents tell me they don’t sell Medicare Advantage is because of all the certifications involved with MA.  I’ll be the first to tell you how much I LOVE doing my annual AHIP test. (I’m kidding of course.)  I have good news for you though, it gets easier!  I’ve only been in this business for 2 years and if I had to put a number on it, it probably takes me a couple hours at most to knock out my AHIP plus my 5 carrier certifications.  With most carriers doing lifetime commissions for MA, I will gladly set aside 2 hours of my time every 365 days to collect my renewals. 

Now that I’ve convinced you to sell MA, why should you contract with RB Insurance Group? Stay tuned for my next article, “The RBI Difference” and learn how to get your AHIP reimbursed as well as how to earn $25 in marketing credit for each of your MA enrollments!


2022 AHIP

2023 AHIP Certification

2020 ahip discount certification

2020 Medicare Agent and Broker Compensation Announced | CMS | RBI

OEP

MA-OEP is back!

S.S.D.Y. – Same Stuff Different Year – Here’s Your 2019 AEP Checklist

5 Easy Tax Season Deductions – Filing Deadline: April 18

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Charlie Ferrell, National Sales Manager

About the Author: 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 many of RBI’s new training initiatives!

5 Easy Tax Season Deductions

Filing Deadline: April 18

As you are no doubt aware by the ads to “Get Your Billion BACK!” and others, it’s tax season!


Running a business as an independent agent is a great experience for the freedom it allows, but at this time of year it can be daunting. If you’re trying to figure out what deductions you can claim for tax season, you know what we’re talking about. The IRS has resources to help you
understand what types of deductions you are eligible for, so check out what they have to say to get started. Now if you get overwhelmed by this list, that’s ok! (That’s why an accountant is a good idea!) We aren’t licensed CPA’s and this isn’t a substitute for working with one, but here’s our RBI shortlist of 5 easy tax season deductions to think about as a small business owner in senior sales.  Let’s get to it!

Number 1: Mileage

easy tax season deductions

Make sure you are tracking your mileage for Medicare appointments.

As a Medicare independent agent, you should be tracking the miles you drive to and from appointments. You’ll want to be able to provide your accountant with this information at the end of the year. Getting this deduction is simply a matter of noting the distance to and from appointments. Don’t make this complicated: write down the mileage, take a photo of your odometer, or if you don’t want to do the old fashioned notebook-and-pencil way of tracking miles, you can always download the Mile IQ app on your smartphone. Download the app for free and get started! Read more about how this works.

Number 2: Marketing Expenses

A lot of people don’t track their expenses for marketing, and this counts as a business expense! Did you order flyers for a community event this year? Maybe you got a refresh on business cards? What about mailers? Save your receipts for marketing efforts and make sure you provide your accountant with those records as well.

Number 3: Meeting Room Rental

If you held any community marketing during AEP or throughout the year, you know that meeting rooms can cost money. This is also a tax deductible expense! If you had any giveaways or prizes at these meetings, you might be able to write them off as well. (Make sure you are following the CMS Medicare Marketing Guidelines for any giveaways or prizes at your events.)  Keep your receipts – your accountant will need them!

Number 4: License Fees

easy tax season deductions

Here are 5 easy tax season deductions for Medicare insurance agents!

Insurance agents in the senior insurance market know – keeping up to date on your license, E&O insurance, CE credits and more can add up! This is also a business expense, so make sure you keep track of all your receipts for CE credits, AHIP, and other appointment fees.

Number 5: Business Travel:

If you went to any conferences, like the AHIP conference last year, or other business travels, those receipts need to be saved. Airline costs, hotel, rental car and fuel, parking expenses at the airport – all of these expenses are a business expense.  You should also be tracking your daily meals or per diem. If using the per diem method, don’t forget that your first and last days of travel are calculated at a reduced rate! You can also download this app that will help to track per diem rates.

Bonus round: If you have a home office that is designated as purely for business purposes, you might be able to write off such costs are your cell phone, internet, office supplies, or postage.

Did you see some types of business expenses on our list that you didn’t think about last year? If you didn’t keep track of these 5 items in 2016, now is the time to get started for next year. Above all, don’t wait to get organized! What you do now will have a big impact on your filing in 2018 for the fiscal year 2017. And remember, we aren’t experts — these are only 5 easy tax season deductions that we track every year. Your accountant or CPA will be able to point to other expenses you should track that might be a great way to save money.

Have you checked the RBI Calendar for April? It’s Carrier Spring Training month! Click here to get emails about our webinars! Want to get contracted? Call us up at 1-800-997-3107 or click here to see a list of carriers.


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Video: Medicare Marketing Madness Roll-up

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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.


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Targeting Your Ideal List — the most misunderstood Direct Mail concept

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Justin Bever

Director of Marketing: Justin Bever

About the Author: In his 9 years since joining the family business in 2008 as a Broker Support Representative, Justin has made innovation his top priority. Justin is passionate about bringing technology into the agent’s toolbox, and has developed tools such as a direct mail program for lead generation (2011); Medicare Compare (2013), an online tool for beneficiaries complete with its own brand identity; and the Medicare Sales Engine (2014), a fully integrated Client Relationship Manager for agents.  Justin’s most recent accomplishment is the Agent Market Edge (2016), an online portal that integrates RBI and their print + fulfillment partners to make marketing accessible to agents. When he is not leveraging technology to produce exciting new tools for agents, Justin’s hobbies are skiing, hiking, and cooking exquisite meals in the company of his high school sweetheart and wife, Cassie. 


Targeting your ideal list

Targeting Your Ideal List:

the most misunderstood Direct Mail concept

Director of Marketing: Justin Bever


When you think about marketing for Medicare, you probably think of Direct Mail. Thanks to CMS Guidelines restricting outreach methods for Medicare Advantage, Direct Mail is a popular way to find new leads.  What you may not know is that Direct Mail is also very effective to reach other types of prospects in the senior insurance market. If you have been following our webinars this month, you’ll know that we tackled the basics of how Direct Mail works last week. Let’s take a closer look at the single most important part of a Direct Mail campaign: targeting your ideal list.

Targeting your ideal list matters

Building a list is not only the most important part of any Direct Mail campaign, but also the most misunderstood concept in Direct Mail. You can have the best copy, the best offer, the most beautifully designed postcard and if you send it to a list that isn’t relevant to what you are selling, you’ll get a 0% response. Think about this for a moment. Talk about a waste of marketing dollars.

Relevance drives sales

Why does this happen? Simply put, prospects buy what is relevant to them. Television ads are a great example of this: big companies pay lots of money to know what demographics are watching so they can target their ads to those consumers. In our business this concept is pretty obvious: you wouldn’t send a Medicare lead piece to an 18-year-old college student, because it is completely irrelevant to their needs and desires. So, how do you select a list that will be relevant to the piece you are sending?

Types of lists for Direct Mail

Targeting your ideal list

How do you select a list that will be relevant to the piece you are sending?

There are four primary types of lists that you can target in Direct Mail:

  1. House lists (your clients, past and present, and your previous responders)
  2. Consumer Lists (rented or purchased)
  3. Business lists (rented or purchased)
  4. Specialty lists (think specific magazine subscribers, for example)

Each type of list is going to require a different type of mailer or outreach. For finding new prospects specifically, in our industry we rent or purchase consumer lists. There are a number of ways that you can rent or purchase consumer lists, but the retail price you’ll find is typically between $0.05 – 0.08 per record. (Stay tuned for RBI discounts available to contracted agents!)

Not all lists are created equal!

When you purchase a consumer list, you want to look at three demographics (or selectors as list brokers call them): age, income and geography. Using geography as a selector makes sense: you don’t want to get leads that are out of state, for instance. Age and income are a little trickier, but a rule of thumb for a higher success rate is to target ages 64.5 to 85 for Medicare Advantage, and 64.5 to 75 for Medicare Supplement. Replacement Medicare Supplement plans are more effective up to the age of 75; beyond age 75 most beneficiaries choose a Medicare Advantage as a replacement. Why you ask? After age 75 there are higher costs on a supplement and stricter underwriting as well. Ultimately, targeting your ideal list dictates the success of your direct mail campaign.

Are you ready to get started?

We can help you! We work with print and fulfillment companies to bring you discounts and exclusive pricing on mailers. At RBI, we will make sure you get the right list for every mailer you send and the cost of the data is included in all our mailers. If you do feel the need to purchase a list separately, our cost to contracted agents is only $0.025 per record. Give us a call at 1-800-997-3107 if you want help selecting the right list for your campaign.

Still not convinced? Watch the webinar! “Direct Mail Madness” covered the basics of Direct Mail marketing, and “Medicare Marketing Madness” covered how to use Direct Mail for your senior insurance business! 


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Dual Eligible New Plan Member Outreach

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James Gramp

 RBI Sales Coordinator/Independent Agent: James Gramp

Pro Tip: If you can solve your client’s problems that have nothing to do with Insurance, you will be their hero.  It can even be as simple as remembering something that they have going on in their life and asking them about it.  I know an agent really went the extra mile from a conversation with one of their clients. The Dual Eligible member had mentioned that she wanted to get a bike for her son’s birthday that was coming up but couldn’t afford it.  The agent was able to find a local organization that gives bikes to under-privileged kids and the mother was able to get her son a bike, thanks to this agent’s work.  Treat Dual Eligible beneficiaries like human beings and not just a client and I promise you that you’ll see more business stay on the books.


Dual Eligible New Plan Member Outreach

RBI Sales Coordinator/Independent Agent: James Gramp


Are you tired of hearing about why you should be taking advantage of the great opportunity you have to sell Dual SNP’s year-round? No? Good, because I’m not done talking about it!  The biggest complaint I hear from agents that don’t want to bother with Dual Eligible beneficiaries is that DSNP members can change plans throughout the year, are harder to keep as clients, and agents eventually lose them much sooner than a regular MA client.  So what’s the secret to retaining your DSNP business?  Member outreach.

What does member outreach look like?

When dealing with your Dual Eligible clients, you need to be reaching out to them regularly. Make sure they know that you’re there for them when they have problems.  By following my new member outreach strategy, your clients will not only see you being proactive with their insurance, but you’ll solve problems before they even arise!

5 steps to great member outreach (with a timeline!)

Step 1: Thank you letters (Next day or end of the week)

The first thing I do after enrolling someone in a Dual Eligible plan (I do this for every client of mine, not just Dual beneficiaries) is to send them a thank-you card, showing your appreciation for being their healthcare agent.  To give it a more personal touch, I also like to include a picture of myself and hand sign the letter. Bonus points if you hand write the whole letter! (If you want to get some help on thank you letters, RBI works with print and fulfillment companies for huge agent discounts!)

Step 2: Call to follow-up (2 weeks after the appointment)

Two weeks after submitting the member’s application, give them a call and confirm that they got their member ID card.  It’s the perfect time to order a new member ID card from member services if they haven’t gotten it yet.  Just call member services with your client on the line.

Step 3: Ask how their coverage is going (30 days after receiving the member ID card)

After 30 days of their new coverage, remind your DSNP beneficiary of any outreach that carriers do for new members, like welcome calls or any Health Risk Assessments.  Ask if they’ve seen their Primary Care Physician yet. (Especially if they’re seeing a new doctor!)  Also confirm that they received any other materials related to plan benefits like OTC cards and catalogs.

Step 4: Help them contact doctors (2 months after enrollment)

Two months after enrolling them, if they still haven’t seen their doctor yet (when you asked them the previous month) then make sure and find any phone numbers they need to schedule a doctor visit.  Make sure your members understand how all of their extra benefits work and how to utilize them.

Step 5: Make yourself available like clockwork (every other month after first doctor visit)

After I’ve made sure my DSNP clients know exactly how their plan works and how to use it, I follow-up every other month just to make sure they’re not having any problems.

Your members will appreciate that you’re being proactive rather than waiting for a problem to come up with their insurance.  Keeping your DSNP clients (and all clients) on the books boils down to giving the best customer service possible. When you step up your member outreach and make sure your clients are utilizing the plans benefits to its fullest, you’re ensuring that your clients never need to seek out help from another agent.

Want more great Dual Eligible advice? Click here to see our webinar “Finding Dual Eligibles” and get started! Click here for a list of carriers in your area, or call RBI at 1-800-997-3107 to speak to our team! Let’s get YOUR Dual Eligible book of business activated today! 


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