Annual Medicare Vendor Day
September 8, 2010
Grapevine Convention Center
8:30am- 4:30pm
5 HOUR CONTINUING EDUCATION EVENT
The Fort Worth Association of Health Underwriters would like to invite you to a special event on Wednesday, September 8th at the Grapevine Convention Center.
This annual event has SOLD OUT for the past two years, so we’ve moved to a larger facility.
We’ve been promoting this all-day event for the past two weeks, but we’ve recently UPDATED THE COURSE LIST to make FWAHU’s Annual Medicare Vendor Day applicable to ALL agents, regardless of your current specialty.
Who Should Attend?
Agents who currently sell Medicare products: Even though one of the 5 courses is called “Medicare 101”, this is not a “101” event by any means. You’ll learn how to talk to your clients about health reform and learn about health reform’s impact on the Medicare program and on the agent’s ability to sell Medicare products. You’ll also get to hear some different perspectives on both health reform and the future of Medicare – Dr. Van Johnson will talk about Medicare from the provider’s perspective; Troy Dungan will give you the media’s stance; and Mike Smith will tell you what the carriers are thinking. You’ll also learn about some of the other products that might be appealing to the senior market and meet lots of great vendors who can help you make a ton of money. We’ll conclude by laughing at other people’s expense in the debut presentation of “Oh, No He Didn’t! Medicare Sales Follies.”
Agents who don’t sell Medicare products: If you currently sell group or individual health insurance, then you can’t afford to miss this event. Nobody knows what the agent’s role will be when all the health reform regulations are finally written. Will agent commissions survive the MLR? Will agents be able to sell inside the Exchange? Will they even be needed? NAHU is working hard to make sure agents still have a job, but every broker should have a Plan B. This event will get you up to speed on what’s going on with health reform; attempt to predict the future for health insurance agents; and provide you with a backup plan in case the worst-case scenario really does happen.
Please see the course list below. Then SIGN UP at FWAHU.org. We need to give the facility a final count by Friday and want to make sure we have plenty of food for everybody.
Thanks to our GREAT vendors, this event is just $25 for both members and non-members!!
Your $25 admission fee includes:
Breakfast (Donuts)
Lunch (Fajitas)
5 Hours of Continuing Education, including Health Reform Survival Tips
All applicable CE filing fees
Cutting-edge health reform tools and strategies from a number of great Medicare and ancillary vendors
An auction for lots of great prizes (you earn “money” to bid with by visiting the exhibitors)
LOCATION
Grapevine Convention Center
1209 South Main Street | Grapevine, Texas 76051
Information for Out of Town Visitors
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
8:30 – 9:00 Registration, Coffee, Donuts
9:00 – 10:00 Medicare from the Provider’s Perspective – Dr. Van Johnson
10:00 – 10:30 Break, Visit with Exhibitors
10:30 – 11:30 A Big Ol\’ Carrot and a Little Bitty Stick – Eric Johnson
11:30 – 12:30 Lunch | The Future of Medicare Advantage – Troy Dungan, Lunch Speaker
12:30 – 1:30 Health Insurance: Not the Only Player on the Field – Danielle Kunkle
1:30 – 1:45 Break, Visit with Exhibitors
1:45 – 2:45 Medicare 101 – Mike Smith
2:45 – 3:15 Break, Snacks, Visit with Exhibitors
3:15 – 4:15 Oh, No He Didn’t! Medicare Sales Follies – Danielle Kunkle
4:15 – 4:30 Auction for Vendor Prizes
4:30 – 5:00 Vendor Break Down
Still not sold? Keep on reading…
MEDICARE FROM THE PROVIDER’S PERSPECTIVE
Dr. Van Johnson
What do physicians think about health reform? What about Medicare? And what are they telling their patients?
Medicare is a government-sponsored health insurance program for people over the age of 65, people on Social Security Disability, and people with End Stage Renal Disease. However, the existence of the program has an impact on nearly everyone – whether qualified for Medicare or not. That’s because health care providers, including doctors and hospitals, receive a significant portion of their income from Medicare, and this affects what they charge all of their other patients.
Insurance agents, whether they sell Medicare-related products or not, could all benefit from hearing a provider’s perspective on Medicare, and that’s exactly what this course provides. Dr. Van Johnson, a Dallas-based surgeon, will share his thoughts on the Medicare program, first providing a historical perspective; talking about the impact of Medicare on the day-to-day practice of both doctors and hospitals; addressing the issue of Medicare fraud; and finally giving his thoughts on the future of Medicare and the changes to the program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Agents will leave the presentation with a better understanding of the huge role Medicare plays on the rates their clients are charged for private insurance and the care they receive.
Continuing Education Course Info:
Course Name: Medicare from the Provider’s Perspective
Course Number: 81327
Provider Name: Comedy CE.com LLC
Provider Number: 33719
Continuing Education Hours: 1
A BIG OL\’ CARROT AND A LITTLE BITTY STICK
Eric Johnson
\”This is what change looks like.\” –President Obama
Your clients are asking about it – so what are you telling them? There’s a lot of mixed information out there about health reform – how it will affect employers, how it will affect individuals, and how it will affect people with Medicare. This one hour course will get you up to speed on the major provisions in the legislation AND show you how to explain health reform to your clients. We’ll also take a look at the minimum Medical Loss Ratio requirements that kick in next year and the Exchange which will be up and running in 2014. We’ll finish up by talking about the agent’s role in the process – will brokers be able to earn a commission, will they be able to sell through the Exchange, and will they even be needed?
TOPICS COVERED:
- Grandfathering: What is a grandfathered plan? What plan changes are allowed? Is keeping your grandfathered status worth the cost? What should you do?
- 2010 and 2014 Plan Changes: Which benefits are grandfathered? Which changes apply to all plans? And what’s the deal with the Essential Benefits Package?
- The Small Business Tax Credit: Who’s eligible? How much is the credit? And what can employers do to maximize the credit they receive?
- The Individual Mandate: In 2014, all plans will be guaranteed issue and everyone will be required to purchase coverage – but will they? Learn about the carrot and stick approach the government is using to convince people to buy health insurance.
- Employer Requirements and Penalties: What are Small Employers (2-50) and Large Employers (51+) required to do, and what happens if they don’t?
- The Exchange: What is the Exchange and how will it work? Are there any other options?
- Medicare Changes: A quick synopsis of PPACA’s impact on Medicare, to be defined in more detail in Mike Smith’s class.
- The Role of the Agent: Will carriers still be able to pay a commission? Will the Exchange replace the insurance agent? What’s a navigator and how do agents become one? Will agents still have a job???
Continuing Education Course Info:
Course Name: A Big Ol\’ Carrot and a Little Bitty Stick
Course Number: 80872
Provider Name: Comedy CE.com LLC
Provider Number: 33719
Continuing Education Hours: 1
HEALTH INSURANCE: NOT THE ONLY PLAYER ON THE FIELD
Danielle Kunkle
\”In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.\” –Charles Darwin
The bad news is that you have to deal with health reform. The good news is that your competitors do as well. As we move toward 2014, those agents who are able to adapt will be in the best position not only to survive but to thrive under health reform. This course will show you how to turn lemons into lemonade and actually come out ahead as a result of the health reform legislation.
Licensed general lines life & health insurance agents have an array of products to choose from in their daily practice that can help them weather the PPACA storm – products that their clients need and whose earning potential has not been so severely affected by the new legislation. Some of these products include:
- Medicare: Medicare Supplements, Medicare Advantage Plans, and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans
- Long-Term Care Insurance: Both group and individual
- Supplemental Products: Cancer Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Policies, Final Expense Life Insurance, and more
Health reform will not lead to the demise of health insurance agents – at least not those who are prepared to adapt. This course, and in fact this entire event, will show agents what changes they need to consider.
Continuing Education Course Info:
Course Name: Health Insurance: Not the Only Player on the Field
Course Number: 81328
Provider Name: Comedy CE.com LLC
Provider Number: 33719
Continuing Education Hours: 1
MEDICARE 101 (includes PPACA’s impact on Medicare)
Mike Smith
\”The new law strengthens Medicare, reduces fraud, and closes the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage known as the ‘donut hole.’\” –Healthcare.gov
This ain’t your daddy’s 101 course. No, this is Medicare 101 POST HEALTHCARE REFORM. That’s right, things are changing, and this class will tell you what you need to know about PPACA’s impact on Medicare and Medicare-related products, including the agent’s ability to keep selling them.
TOPICS COVERED:
- An Overview of Medicare: For the newbies in the room.
- Preventive Care: An apple a day is good, preventive care is better.
- Prescription Drug Coverage: The donut hole is going away – sort of.
- Enrollment Periods: You’ll now have to do more selling in less time, but at least you can enjoy the holidays.
- Additional Benefits: The government is telling carriers what their priorities should be.
- New MAPD Rating Systems: How will health reform impact how Advantage Plans are paid, and how they pay agents?
- The Impact on Employers: The Part D subsidy deduction, Medicare payroll taxes, and other changes that affect employers
Continuing Education Course Info:
Course Name: Medicare 101
Course Number: 31395
Provider Name: The Brokerage, Inc.
Provider Number: 32637
Continuing Education Hours: 1
OH, NO HE DIDN’T! MEDICARE SALES FOLLIES
Danielle Kunkle
\”Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.\” –Eleanor Roosevelt
Since Medicare Advantage and Part D drug programs first became available for sale, insurance agents have made a number of both intentional and unintentional errors due to the restrictive enrollment periods, high commissions to be earned, and a general confusion about the rules. This course will examine how some agents took advantage of the unclearly defined rules early on, and how other agents, while with good intentions, made errors by not understanding the rules. We’ll specifically examine how Congress and CMS have repeatedly clarified expectations so that consumers would be matched to products suitable for them.
This is the perfect way to end the day – by laughing at and learning from the stories of less fortunate agents! Attendees will leave the presentation with a better understanding of the law and how simple mistakes can lead to considerably damaging results, with the hopes that they can learn by example and avoid some of the mistakes that others have made.
Continuing Education Course Info:
Course Name: Oh, No He Didn’t! Medicare Sales Follies
Course Number: 81322
Provider Name: Comedy CE.com LLC
Provider Number: 33719
Continuing Education Hours: 1
That’s all we’ve got. SIGN UP NOW or regret it for the rest of your life. To download and print a flyer about this event, click here.