Talk to me about expansion and adding LOA's

[sbg_ben]

So I would pull Prolia up on Needymeds and offer to help with the application. It will save her the $60 a month and you will have your biggest cheerleader if she gets approved. It cost you nothing but time to do the application and working with her provider to get their part filled out will make you look good in their eyes and get you referrals.

As for Medicaid, from the looks of it MI Bridges has a lot of helpful info https://newmibridges.michigan.gov/s/isd-help-learning-tools?language=en_US

It also lists community partners that help with benefit navigation. I would suggest reaching out to a local one and asking if they can help you understand the program more. I am sure they will be more than happy to help you learn more.

I don't know the ins and outs of every Medicaid program in my state because there are so many, but I took our local training years ago to address the main ones I deal with. I also help with those applications because it results in referrals from my local DHHS.

I do 0 traditional marketing, and I do not buy leads. I get out in my community and sponsor things like charity walks. I get swag from my carriers, and I make up bags for the local food banks and homeless organizations. You need to differentiate yourself and show the community why they should come to you and not Joe down the street.

Got it, I will look into helping her out with that on needymeds. In the county I live in there is a fantastic resource I send people who are low income to. In the surrounding counties, there doesn't seem to be a great option. I sent someone and their parents to a SHIP office yesterday in a different county. I used to have an amazing person and resource to refer people to for medicaid stuff but she retired. I'm thinking I may need to go to my local senior center on the day the medicare/medicaid helper is there and meet them.

I get a lot of referrals from employers, accountants, lawyers, financial professionals, tax preparers, doctors, P&C agents etc. I could always use more though. Leads/marketing have helped me get about 5% of my clients.

 

[KandKsmommy]

I get a lot of referrals from employers, accountants, lawyers, financial professionals, tax preparers, doctors, P&C agents etc. I could always use more though. Leads/marketing have helped me get about 5% of my clients.

This is where I feel I am lacking a bit. I do get the retirees from the larger local employers, but I want to add more group policies.

The local P&C are bigger groups and they have health in-house so thats not an option.

We do get referrals from the local tax preparers, but now that we offer that service in-house I don't know if they will continue.

 

[sbg_ben]

This is where I feel I am lacking a bit. I do get the retirees from the larger local employers, but I want to add more group policies.

The local P&C are bigger groups and they have health in-house so thats not an option.

We do get referrals from the local tax preparers, but now that we offer that service in-house I don't know if they will continue.

You may want to look up employee benefits agents in your area, see if they do individual and Medicare. If they don't, you can offer to partner up with them. This protects them from referring to other agents that also do employee benefits. (If you don't do groups). Even if their website says they do individual and Medicare, they may do a bad job at it or prefer to refer it out.

 

[pogo]

Find Help is a useful resource to learn what is available locally.

https://www.findhelp.org/

 

[FMOadvisor]

Good luck .

I've seen your info before and you seem sharp . Aren't you worried what happens with the pending cms lawsuit moving forward to ax admin overrides and marketing funds? What about the justice dept lawsuit targeting marketing money bribes to the big call centers from Some big carrriers ? Mapd carriers under immense profit pressures . It just seems naive to me that carriers won't start at least attacking these massive overrides and marketing money they'e paying fmo's . And possibly lower agent comp . I think it's being blind to think agents and fmo's aren't going to suffer along with carriers and Medicare members . It's just feels like a massive gold rush as agency's recruiting 1000's of loa agents to sell over the phone . 2026 aep and what happens will be interesting

Hi Don,
I don't anticipate major changes in the system simply because it is "too big to fail" to me it doesn't matter which party is in power because I believe that in reality corporations own those lawmakers. Ending the current system would cost thousands of private sector jobs, and no one wants that. Carriers do not have the staffing levels needed to recruit and train new agents without NMA's and FMO's.
Based on this year alone, where UHC decided to pay full overrides all year instead of pro-rating them as they did in past years, has already made a big positive difference in my bottom line. I am happy that they are cracking down on the big guys and the call centers, it will help our retention when they stop calling our clients and tricking them into switching.
Always prepare fo the worst though. We are diversified enough with Med Supp, Hospital Indemnity, ACA, Life, Dental ect. that a decrease in overrides or marketing dollars doesn't really have a major effect on the bottom line. I always considered marketing dollars to be a nice bonus but I never factor them in the my yearly budget planning.

 

[DonP]

Hi Don,
I don't anticipate major changes in the system simply because it is "too big to fail" to me it doesn't matter which party is in power because I believe that in reality corporations own those lawmakers. Ending the current system would cost thousands of private sector jobs, and no one wants that. Carriers do not have the staffing levels needed to recruit and train new agents without NMA's and FMO's.
Based on this year alone, where UHC decided to pay full overrides all year instead of pro-rating them as they did in past years, has already made a big positive difference in my bottom line. I am happy that they are cracking down on the big guys and the call centers, it will help our retention when they stop calling our clients and tricking them into switching.
Always prepare fo the worst though. We are diversified enough with Med Supp, Hospital Indemnity, ACA, Life, Dental ect. that a decrease in overrides or marketing dollars doesn't really have a major effect on the bottom line. I always considered marketing dollars to be a nice bonus but I never factor them in the my yearly budget planning.

Time will tell . United's stock has lost over $200 billion of value in the last yr . They'll be ruthless in gutting a massive amount of plans . This overflow of people rushing to move to other carriers will open the flood gates to commission suppression . I'm not as optimistic as you that overrides stay the same for 2 simple reasons Profitability in mapd has tanked . Why would overrides and commissions stay the same as past yrs if the carriers making much less money ? So basically what you're saying is the carriers and members have suffered but the agent comp is untouched . We'll know in about 4 months what the 2026 outlook is .