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MEDICARE SECTION
NEW RULES WHEN USING THE WORD “MEDICARE” – Changes Coming for Medicare Made Simple, LLC.
Change is constant! Every year CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) review the health care industry. Some of what is reviewed are the Medicare plans (Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug), how agents are conducting business, the carriers that offer the Medicare plans, benefits that the plans offer, the marketing of the plans, ect.
CMS is reinstating or bringing back the 48 hour rule for Scope of Appointment forms. If you remember, at the beginning of each appointment I am required to obtain a Scope of Appointment form where the client is agreeing to a sales meeting with a sales agent … before we can discuss the different Medicare plans. Now, CMS will require agents (here is the new change for September 30, 2023) to make sure these forms are signed 48 hours before I can have a discussion with you about the Medicare plans.
ALSO, there will be other requirements for using the word: “Medicare”
New Medicare Marketing Rules for Agents:
Agents may not have “Medicare” in their business name, logo, or URL.
"Through CMS’ surveillance activities and beneficiary complaints, CMS noted that they have seen the word “Medicare” and the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) logo being used in names of store fronts, postcards, websites, and printed materials in a misleading manner. CMS also noted there are numerous third-party internet sites with “Medicare” in the URL. CMS is concerned that beneficiaries are being misled into believing they are in communication with federal government or its representatives. As such, CMS will be adding new language in the Code of Federal Regulations to further restrict the use of the Medicare name, CMS logo, and products and information issued by the federal government in a misleading way."
"Clearly, CMS is targeting those red, white, and blue commercials that we all have seen too often."
In my newsletters, at the top, I note that I am now also licensed to offer Medicare plans in Florida. When becoming contracted in Florida … Florida would not allow me to use the word “Medicare” in my name: “Medicare Made Simple, LLC” which has been my company name for over 14 years, in New York.
So … now this leads me to the new CMS ruling, which will now apply for everyone. Good thing I was forewarned when licensing in Florida, not knowing this would soon apply to all.
Where does this lead me and Medicare Made Simple, LLC?
I thought about this. The easiest would be to use the business name I had to change to when licensing in Florida and now be known as: “Boomer Health Plans Made Simple, LLC”.
So, before the end of September 2023 … you will see the website and newsletters change to “Boomer Health Plans Made Simple, LLC”.
I am hoping that this will not confuse potential, current, and future clients … as I know it probably will.
Please share the new name and how to contact me with your friends, contacts, and neighbors. Much appreciated. I will probably try to set up a website forwarding to the new name “Boomer Health Plans Made Simple, LLC” when someone tries to find me under “Medicare Made Simple, LLC”.
Much love 😊
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