UPDATES FROM FALLON HEALTH - August 2022

Welcome to the peak of summer—a time when the temperatures are high, ice cream is the food of choice, and the days are still wonderfully long. I hope you’ve taken some time off (or will very soon) to enjoy some rest and relaxation and have a bit of fun. 

While we are experiencing 80-degree days and ice cream brain freezes, it’s hard to believe that Medicare’s Annual Election Period (AEP) is less than two months away. But it will be here before we know it. That’s why we’re devoting this edition of the Broker Bulletin to helping you prepare. We encourage you to get any necessary trainings and certifications completed as early as possible so that you’ll be ready to sell on Oct. 15.

As always, please contact our Broker Relations team if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Deb Daviau

VP of Medicare and Executive Director of NaviCare

AHIP certification (or re-certification) is a must for selling Medicare Advantage plans. Having it in hand now will help you hit the ground running on Oct. 15. Do you still need yours? You can start today!

With AEP just weeks away, we wanted to be sure you were aware of important changes to a CMS rule. Beginning Oct. 1, 2022, independent agents/brokers and other third-party organizations are required to: 

1. Record all calls with beneficiaries in their entirety. It was already a requirement that telephonic enrollments be recorded. Now, the rule expands to include all calls.  

2. Include the disclaimer shown below in all of these ways/places:

• Verbally conveyed within the first minute of a sales call
• Electronically conveyed when communicating with a beneficiary through email, online chat, or other electronic means of communication 
• Prominently displayed on your website
• In any marketing materials, including print materials and television advertisements, that are developed, used, or distributed by you or a third-party organization

• This disclaimer must be used verbatim: “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.” 

You will also need to be trained and certified by Fallon Health in order to sell our products during AEP. Training for our products will be provided on Fallon’s online training portal, The University. Details about training for 2023 benefits will be coming soon.

In the meantime, make sure you have your login and password already set up for The University. If you need assistance with accessing this electronic learning management system, please contact our Broker Relations team at 1-844-848-4931 (TRS 711), Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., or by email at MedicareSalesBrokers@fallonhealth.org.

As we age, it’s important that we have supports and programs in place to help us reach our health care goals. For nearly 60 years, the Medicare program has been there to help. Now that the number of Americans aged 65 and older is rising significantly, Medicare is more important than ever. But it is complex. That’s why on our monthly podcast, Improving Your Health with Fallon’s Richard Burke, we are airing a special three-part series on Medicare. The first segment aired in July. Listen to it here and catch parts 2 and 3 in August and September on WRCN 830 AM radio.

If you haven’t already, please check out the broker pages on our website. You can find information there about becoming a broker with Fallon and tools you can use if you are already a broker with us. 

For more information, please contact our Medicare support team at MedicareSalesBrokers@fallonhealth.org.

Our easy-to-reach Broker Relations team is available to you at every stage of the sales process. We can provide you with personalized support over the phone Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.