Cigna Medicare Advantage is requiring Agents to sign a new contract

[wehotex]

Ease of doing business is important to us at Cigna. In fact, it's a priority. One of the ways we are improving is by executing new contracting agreements that better match how we do business today. Because of this, we must re-contract the majority of our broker partners, including you.
We know your time is valuable and want to make the re-contracting process as easy and as smooth as possible. With this in mind, we have included a contract module in the certification process for 2023. Here is what you need to know:

• The new contract will be included in a module to complete on Cigna's Producers' University alongside your other required annual 2023 Certification modules.

Agents:

• Please note that in order to be considered ready to sell for 2023, the re-contracting module must be completed prior to making any 2023 sales along with all other required modules and licensing requirements.
• If you choose not to sign the new contract, you will be ineligible to sell Cigna Medicare plans for the 2023 plan year and your contract and appointments will be terminated following the December 31, 2022 deadline.
• Please note that in order for you to remain active and to continue receiving any future renewal compensation, the re-contracting module must be completed and signed by December 31, 2022.

Agencies:

• Agencies do not have any certification requirement for 2023, only the re-contracting module must be completed.
• We have removed the Annual Attestation module for 2023, meaning that only completion of the re-contracting module is required for 2023.
• Agency failure to complete the re-contracting module prior to October 1, 2022 will prevent any new 2023 business from being paid to you on behalf of any eligible Assignment of Commissions (AOC) or Licensed Only (LOA) downline agents and all associated admin fees will be withheld. Principal agent for the agency must also be fully credentialed and have all agent requirements completed prior to any sales made for their downline LOA/AOC agents.
• An agency representative (Agency Principal) will need to log in to Producers' University with the agency NPN to complete the re-contracting on behalf of the agency. If the agency Principal is also licensed and appointed with Cigna Medicare, he/she will also need to log in with their personal agent NPN to complete their re-contracting and certify as the principal agent.
• Please note in order for the agency to remain active and to continue receiving any future renewal compensation, the re-contracting module must be completed and signed by December 31, 2022.

We value your partnership and are glad you are part of the Cigna Medicare family. If you have any questions, please reach out to the CARL Team.

Cigna is not a big part of my BOB, but this letter makes it seem like they are looking to cut the number of agents. Does anyone have a clue?

 

[vic120]

no I don't think so, Probably have contract changes, there is probably something legal different about it,

I might be concerned what he difrence is, I have not begun recerts yet, But something must be important to them, Might be something that effects us might not

However I don't think its to lose some agents, Maybe to take some responsibility off Cigna and on agents possibly

 

[DonP]

Hows Cigna's customer service ? I've read it's not that good . I run into it now and then .

 

[wehotex]

Hows Cigna's customer service ? I've read it's not that good . I run into it now and then .

It's not that good and Agent Support sucks also.
The problem that I had with them was that they were extremely slow (4 months late) in paying me about $1,400 that they owed me in back commission due to their "system glitch".
I also had to switch out a few due to an LOA contract that they were written under.
I only use it when I need a Part B giveback plan since they offer the highest $ in the market with the most popular medical group. I'm down to 5 in my BOB- thank goodness.
They will also make you take modules if apps are submitted beyond 48 hours. That's not so much of an issue now, but was for me before e-apps and not being able to get to a fax in time during a busy AEP.

 

[vic120]

Hows Cigna's customer service ? I've read it's not that good . I run into it now and then .

I would think of them as wellcare, for the one every here and there that value lower copays and more benefits to be worth sacrificing Customer Service, Pre Auth and Networks

 

[DonP]

I was going to say like wellcare . I run into them were the client has no agent and they like Cigna . They allow Aor's . I can't write wellcare although some customers like them . And the call centers pushing hard as I'm hearing fmo overrides is the $375 area and they give $125 on the health assessment for dsnp's , I heard United and Humana raising there's a bit .

 

[wehotex]

I was going to say like wellcare . I run into them were the client has no agent and they like Cigna . They allow Aor's . I can't write wellcare although some customers like them . And the call centers pushing hard as I'm hearing fmo overrides is the $375 area and they give $125 on the health assessment for dsnp's , I heard United and Humana raising there's a bit .

A good percentage of the ones that I have list have been to Wellcare, either plan changers that were my Wellcare members or telemarketers calling them to switch carrier. They are "giving away the store".
I don't like it how MA healthcare has become which one has flex cards, utility cards, highest commission overrides , etc. pretty sad, really.
The really big players in my market better "step it up" with some of these giveaways or high mb retention will become a bigger challenge than what it already is.

 

[DonP]

A good percentage of the ones that I have list have been to Wellcare, either plan changers that were my Wellcare members or telemarketers calling them to switch carrier. They are "giving away the store".
I don't like it how MA healthcare has become which one has flex cards, utility cards, highest commission overrides , etc. pretty sad, really.
The really big players in my market better "step it up" with some of these giveaways or high mb retention will become a bigger challenge than what it already is.

Unfortunately the biggest replacer in the mkt right now is WellCare . There throwing that flex card around like candy on the phone . Fmo's huge overrides I here and pushing big . I saved 4 dsnp's last week but overall nothing much craziness last 2 months . Oep was crazy as I spent 1/2 my time saving stuff . All the problems lis/dsnp . I'm going after much more non dsnp / lis during aep . I hear Humana coming big as they got smoked last aep . The problem with mapd is benefits always changing so people always looking for a shinier coin . What % of your book is dsnp/ lis ? Do you contact your book before aep by letter or phone ?what % of you book do you move during aep?

 

[kgmom219]

Just a heads up (because I ran into this in 2022), if you have Med Supp only, you might need to deal with this crap. I only have Med Supp with them and I'm still getting paid, but I can't see my book or anything else because I didn't certify with them last year