If you’re a Medicare broker, you probably know about the rules set by Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. But recent changes, like the new 48-hour rule for Scope of Appointments (SOA) and updates to marketing requirements, have left some brokers wondering how to follow the rules while still giving great service to their clients.
Let’s talk about the 48-hour SOA rule. This rule says that brokers must give beneficiaries an SOA at least 48 hours before a scheduled appointment. This is to stop misleading marketing and protect beneficiaries. But what about “digital” walk-ins, like calls, chatboxes, or text messages? Can you capture the SOA on a lead form? Right now, CMS hasn’t told us what counts as a “digital” walk-in, and we’re waiting for more guidance.
CMS says the goal is to make things better for customers, but it might make things clearer for agents and call centers, too. Some worries have come up, especially about the 48-hour rule for outbound calls. How many clients will answer a call a few days later, and how will this affect business? We’re still waiting to see.
Since this is uncharted territory, there are lots of questions, fortunately, we have been on the cusp of this new ruling, who it affects, when it becomes mandatory, and what compliance means to the industry.
LeadScorz along with Inspire Health Tech and our other partners within the Lead Quality Alliance, are well-positioned to address these new regulations, which call for trusted sourcing, a higher quality (Consumer) User Experience to hold onto and pre-educate/serve the precious consumer prospect with plan recommendations. The news rules also call for the specific identification, presentation and approval of insurance seller(s) to whom the consumer would then be connected to.
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