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The tools you need to get the job done – Medicare

by | Sep 15, 2023 | Learn About Medicare | 0 comments

If you were going to build something would you not have all the tools you need ready before you start? Of course not. Most of these things are necessary to becoming a successful insurance agent, and some are tricks of the trade that make life a whole lot easier.

Technology

      • These will be your most expensive and valued components. Without them, you cannot do your job.  Your technology will consist of computer, printer/fax/scan, phone and appropriate software.
      • Remember that any investment you make in your business, can be a tax write-off so keep all receipts and expenses.
      • Computer – Either a desktop or a laptop.  
        • We recommend getting a laptop so that you can be portable and take everything with you.
        • We recommend getting a laptop that has touch capability.  This way clients can sign the electronic applications with their finger or a stylus.
        • Make sure it has a camera.  In today’s world, virtual meetings are more commonplace.  You want them to be able to see your smiling face without a mask.
        • Ensure it has at LEAST 8 GB of memory.  More is always better.
        • It is your preference on whether you get an Apple or a Window’s machine.  We are only familiar with Windows machines and would not be able to assist with Apple issues.
        • Get one with a descent size screen, but is lightweight enough for you to lug around.
        • Multiple USB ports are necessary.
        • Make sure it has good high speed wi-fi.
        • With a laptop, you can get a docking station so that when you are working in your office, you can hook it into dual monitors, a mouse and more.
        • You should be able to find a decent one for $500-$750.  When you see ones on sale, check how much memory they have, typically the really cheap ones don’t have enough.
        • We recommend at least having Windows 10 if you are buying a refurbished one.  Refurbished ones usually come with a good warranty and can save you money. 
        • If you opt for a desktop instead, then consider getting a tablet or IPAD for when you want to go and take applications electronically when you are not in your office.  Most of the carriers have apps for the IPAD vs a tablet.  You can get good refurbished IPAD’s from Apple’s website.  They might not be the latest one, but they do offer good deals on them and they come with a warranty and the Apple store guys will help you get it all set up.
        • If you go with a desktop, we find that dual monitors (2 of them) are the way to go.  You can have things on both monitors for easily seeing multiple windows.  We can’t live without them in our office.  Once you go dual, you’ll never go back.
        • Make sure you have all the necessary firewall and anti-virus software on your machine.  We use MalwareBytes for security on each and every computer in our office. It is inexpensive and easy to use and install.
        • We recommend you back up your files regularly on your machine. Look under the database section for our recommendation on Carbonite.
        • Security is totally necessary.  It is not important to put encryption on your hard drive, but your CRM software and logon should have a secure not easy to hack password. ALWAYS have a power on or logon password to even get into your machine.  Never leave it in your car where it is easily seen so it can be stolen.  Lock it in your trunk or take it with you.  A stolen machine could result in your PHI or client information stolen. If that happens, you will have to report the breach to all the carriers and if anyone’s information gets out, you will need to be purchasing Identity Theft protection for them.  All bad, a hassle and potentially devastating for you and your business.

Printer

        • Pretty much any printer will work.  You may want to consider a laser printer as the ink lasts longer than the ink jet printers.  Ink is always the most expensive part of a printer.
        • If you are wanting something more professional and business like, consider getting ahold of Duplicator Sales and Service (502-458-5555) and see if they have a refurbished Lexmark for sale.  You don’t need to buy or lease a new one. Refurbished will be fine. The cost will be more expensive ($1000 or more), but you will get a machine that can fax, scan, copy, etc.   They can come with maintenance contracts that will provide free toner and service calls.  We highly recommend getting a Lexmark. We have used other printers in the past and love our Lexmark printer. They are easy to use, set up and very reliable.
        • If you are interested in printing brochures in color, you may want to get a printer that prints color as well.  If you don’t do that much color printing, consider just getting your color brochures, etc. printed at Office Depot, Staples or another place when you need them done.  
        • Anthem will give you a discount at the Fed-Ex places if you use account number 0324616799.  This can offer you a large savings on your printing needs.
        • We recommend getting an all-in-one printer. These can print, scan and fax.  Why have multiple devices when one will do the job.  
        • You will need to scan documents in.  If you take a paper application (sometimes unavoidable), you will need to scan it in or fax it.  You may need to scan in scope of appointments to upload when you submit an application.  Taking pictures with your phone will not always cut it.
        • There is an app for the phone called Cam Scanner.  It can be used to scan things in, but can be bulky if you are scanning in many things.
        • Most all-in-ones will enable you to fax as well.  See our fax option below if you won’t be having a home office phone.
        • Some printers will allow for wireless printing from your laptop, IPAD or phone.

Phone

        • Will you only be using your cell phone as your business phone or will you have a separate land line?
        • If you are using your cell phone, keep in mind that clients could call you at any time.  Do you want to be accessible 24 hr/day?  How will you distinguish between personal and business calls?
        • If you are going to use your personal cell phone for business, make sure that you have personal limits on when you will answer business calls or return them.  Remember, you have a life.  Clients DON’T need to be able to reach you at all hours.  They can’t reach their doctor or dentist, why should they be able to reach you… unless you want them to.
        • Google Voice may be an option for you.  This choice allows you to receive calls and texts to your current cell phone from a DIFFERENT phone number than what you have with you carrier.  To do this, here are some things to know:
          • This is a FREE service via Google.  You only get charged if you use the service on international calls and, even when you do that, it is something like one cent per minute.
          • Its best to initially sign-up for this option on your computer and then install the app on your phone.
          • When you have WIFI, the app uses that.  When you don’t have WIFI, the app will use your cellular data so it’s best to have an unlimited data plan so you can answer work calls wherever you are
          • Your phone number will work…ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.  
          • Once you sign-up, you will pick an available local number from the options Google gives you.  This will be your work phone number.  Clients will use that number to call/text you.
          • You can customize the settings of Google Voice to do many things, including the following:
            • Put it on do not disturb
            • Customize voice mail messages
            • Set it so you can see if it is a work or personal call in-bound
        • If you have a land line, is it separate from your home number?  If not, then again, when someone calls how will you know if it is personal or business?  Do you have family members that may pick up the phone not knowing it is a client?  
        • If you do a land line, we recommend having one that you use solely for business.  You can make calls from it or fax from it.  You can also write it off as a business expense.
        • Some carriers will give you a discount for a second phone line.  In my personal home, we use our cell phones for calls from friends and the land line for our internet and fax only. 

  • Fax

        • There are multiple ways to handle your faxing. Most have added costs.
        • EFax – was MaxEmail. 
          • Pay a subscription fee and any faxes received to your designated number will be sent to you via e-mail. They typically come as a PDF File.
          • The cost can be very affordable. 
        • Google E-fax options and you will find more. It has been a while since we personally used this sort of service. If you want to send a fax, typically you have to scan it in and upload it.  The fax phone number you receive faxes on may not be a local number.  But the faxes come to you as a PDF in the email.
        • With an E-Fax option, you have to be able to scan the document in to upload and fax it. Resolution of the scans might not be the best when the e-fax sends it out.
        • Designated fax line with machine. If you get an all-in-one printer, they will come with fax capabilities.  You need to have a land line for them to send out.  You can use your business line or personal line to fax out on.  Note that you will not be able to use your phone line when you are faxing.
        • You can always go to Office Depot, Staples, Fed Ex, UPS stores to fax. This will cost you money per page and will not always be convenient.  Getting a printer that can fax as well as print will be much more cost effective.
      • Database Program – CRM
        • You need to keep track of your clients. The cleaner, the better and the earlier you start, the easier it is.
        • There are CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) programs out there that you can purchase and use.  AgencyBlock, Radiusbob, Salesfore Hubspot, ACT.
        • Before investing in a CRM, take a demo of it or do a trial.  See if it accomplishes what you want.  Is it customizable, flexible, can you import your commissions? What does it cost?  Some of them can be really good but fairly expensive on a monthly basis.
        • At a minimum, start an Excel spreadsheet of your clients.  Capture the basic information like name, address, phone, etc.  At least that way you can print mailing labels easily for your newsletters and mailings.
        • You need to have a way to keep track of your clients and their information.
        • We utilize Sage ACT! for our database.  We have highly customized it and it contains ALL our client information. We track policies through the opportunity feature and can attach all documents (applications) to a client with the Document tab.  We are happy to show you our system.  A license with support costs $300/year.  You get all the most recent versions and support to get it installed and working on your system
        • You could use an Access database with Microsoft office, but unless you are a tech-weenie, it might be too complicated.
        • No matter what you use, MAKE SURE YOU BACK IT UP REGULARLY. There is nothing like a hard drive crash to make you lose all your data.  If possible, back it up to the cloud or an external hard drive that you save in a good place.  That way if your machine gets stolen or damaged, you have all your data separate.
        • Purchase a copy of Carbonite, which runs $79/year to back up all important files on your machine to the cloud. That way you can always recover them if necessary, with minimal data loss.

Security

        • We have discussed this above a couple of times.  Security of your data is paramount.  Any breach of your data must be reported to all carriers and the Department of Insurance.
        • You could be liable if your client’s info is compromised.
        • Keep secure passwords for all of your agent sites, computer logons, database logons.
        • Make sure your computers all have virus protection and malware protection.  We use MalwareBytes as it covers all these sorts of things and monitors in real time. It is also not very expensive.
        • Make sure your router and internet have secure firewall protection.  Check with your internet provider. They may have some things built into it.
        • Ensure you regularly run scans of your hard drives
        • Have real time monitoring for issues
        • Back up your data regularly and either to a remote drive or to the cloud.  We find Carbonite to be inexpensive and will continually back up new files.

Internet

      • You can’t have a connection that it too fast.  
      • If you have DSL, your internet and phone will come over the same line.
      • If you have cable, then your internet will come over your cable line. You can also get a phone that will come over your cable line.
      • Make sure you have security on your router.  Your internet provider can assist with this.
      • On your wireless, make sure you have a strong password so someone can’t sit outside your house and access your wireless and your network.  Make sure you have security on your wireless connection.

 

Car box or briefcase contents

    • Often times, if you are meeting a client in their home or outside of your office, there will be times when you will need to change your recommendation based upon new information learned or something the client forgot to tell you.  Be ready so you don’t have to set another appointment and take more of your and their time.
    • You need to be prepared for questions you may not know or have extra applications in case you have to change your pre-determined plan.  This way you can just go to your car and get what you need.
    • If you will be doing all your applications electronically at the point of sale, it is always good to have a car box as a backup.
    • You need a box in your car with the following:
      • Extra Scopes, drug plan forms, doctor list forms and authorization forms if you will be accessing their Medicare.gov account
      • Forms for signing up for Part B and the Form for Employers to fill out.
      • Copy of the IRMAA and LIS Charts
      • 1-2 application kits for every plan.  Make sure you replenish the box when you use one.
      • A copy of the carrier contact book or reference book in case you need the information.  You can also store this on your computer.
    • In your briefcase if you have one, make sure you have extra scopes, drug lists, doctor lists and authorization forms in case you have a walk-in or additional person attending the appointment.  If the client only marked one box on the scope and wants to talk about something else, you need a new scope of appointment signed before you can discuss the items.
    • You will also need your marked up copy of the Medicare and You book.  We use this in many appointments to either reinforce a point or show clients where they can find information.  See the section below on what to put in and how to mark up the Medicare and You book.
    • Have a copy of the IRMAA chart to give to clients.
    • You don’t want your briefcase to be too heavy but you also want to be prepared. That is why you can also put things in your car box.  Don’t be afraid of saying you have that but you need to get it from your car.  It shows you are prepared.
    • I use a yellow pad of paper.  It stands out when the client is looking for something.  If they are coming back you can easily see the paper you used.  My leave behind is also printed on yellow paper.  Yellow paper copies blind on a copier so it won’t be too dark if you make a copy.
    • You will want to have extra pens in your briefcase.  Make sure you have a few thicker ones as those are easier for an older client to write with.
    • Make sure you have a calculator or use the app on your phone.

 

Carrier Contact Book

    • It is very helpful to have all of your carrier’s contact information handy in a single book.
    • Make changes to it as things change at the carrier or as you find out additional information.
    • We have provided you with a starting page for each of the carriers you are contracted with.  Updates can be provided upon request.
    • Keep track of the date you make changes so you know how old the information is.  
    • We keep the information in a spreadsheet that we update as we get additional info.
    • You can add other information about a carrier that might be specific to them like how to set something up on a bank draft, etc.

Process Book

    • Because we know how frustrating it is to learn the hard way, we have written a step-by-step document for how to submit every application.
      • Please note that the process may change from year to year when the carriers change the apps and online tools.  We make every attempt to keep it updated.
      • You will need to keep your copy updated as the processes change for a company.  
    • You may keep it digitally or print it out so you can make notes as you enter applications.
    • If you see any errors or changes to the documents we have provided, please let us know so we can change our documents.
    • We are providing this so that you don’t have to suffer through learning things the hard way.  Accuracy in application submission will save you many hours of headaches.  It is easier to do it correctly the first time than it is to fix a problem.
    • The processes are written for our business so you may see some things that refer to what an agent does and what an administrator does.

Reference Book

    • We put this as a separate section in our Carrier Contact Book
    • You will keep references like Federal Poverty Limit chart, IRMAA chart, Carrier Rates and health questions, Drug plan PCN/Group/BIN info, local Medicaid office contact information, the annual PDP/MAPD comparison charts (these are not to be shared with clients), etc.
    • You may need to look to one of these on the fly and having them at your quick disposal keeps things rolling.  It is easier to open a notebook and quickly find the information than it is to browse all over your computer for it.  
    • You will be provided with an initial copy of these items. We update this information annually and distribute it via email when there are new files.

Medicare & You Book

      • Each year, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issues an updated Medicare & You Handbook. Every Medicare beneficiary receives one every year and you can order one from www.medicare.gov.   It is typically available in late September or early October.
        • On the Medicare.gov site go to the top and type in “Medicare and You” in the search bar
        • You can download it to save on your computer if you want.
        • To order one to be mailed to you go to medicare.gov/publication-ordering/10050
        • Pick the language you want and click on Next
        • Enter your information and click on Place Order
        • It should arrive in 2 weeks.
      • Good book to read to understand Medicare’s coverage.  READ IT in its entirety every year.  Highlight things that you find important.  Put little post-it notes sticking out with labels of the sections you will need.
      • You will out the good information that is new each year by reading it. This book is as good or even better than AHIP in telling you about Medicare.
      • Put the IRMAA and LIS chart into the proper part of the book.
      • Important parts to bookmark and highlight. This is based upon the 2021 book.
        • Section 1
          • What are the Part A and B sign up periods?
          • Note the part about COBRA not being credible for Part B
          • Should I get Part B – this deals with employer coverage
          • Does my other insurance work with Medicare – shows you what is primary if they are working or retired.
          • How much does Part B coverage cost – this is where you will put the IRMAA chart
        • Section 2
          • Part B-covered services – note all the things with the apple are preventive care.
          • Highlight the timeframe or limitations for each one. IE.  Mammogram every year, Pap or Pelvic Exam every 24 months.
          • Where it says you may be charged 20%, the Medicare supplement will pick that up.
          • What is NOT covered by Part A and B?
        • Section 3
          • What’s assignment
        • Section 4
          • What are Medicare Advantage Plans?
          • What should I know about Medicare Advantage Plans?
          • Types of Medicare Advantage Plans
        • Section 5
          • When to buy Medigap plans
        • Section 6 
          • When can I join, switch or drop a plan?
          • What is the Late Enrollment Penalty?
          • Which drugs are covered?
          • How do other insurance and programs work with Medicare drug coverage?
        • Section 7 
          • Put the LIS chart here.
          • What if I need help paying my Medicare health care costs? – this is about Medicaid
        • Section 8 
          • What is an “Advance Beneficiary Note of Noncoverage”?
        • Section 9
          • My Medicare.gov account
          • Blue Button
          • Contact info
        • Section 11
          • This is basic and very limited info of the plans offered in KY. You will get the KY book if you have a KY address.
          • Clients will refer to this. Tell them this is very general info and not really helpful in picking a plan.
          • It will give you all the MAPD and PDP plans available.  Note that some are not in all counties

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