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Prepare for AEP

Prepare for AEP early.    As an independent insurance agent, Fall can be one of the most stressful times of the year due to the Annual Enrollment Period. But it doesn’t have to be! Although it will still be busy, there are four easy steps you can take now to ensure you’ll feel more prepared by October 15th. With these steps, you’ll be ready to capitalize on the biggest Medicare Advantage sales period of the year.

Prepare for AEP – Take time to review and choose carrier plans

This is the moment to take stock of your portfolio. Which carriers are you representing? Which of their plans have sold the best for you in the past? What do you have to offer new and returning clients? An agent should be familiar with the ins and outs of the plans they offer, including the benefits, costs, and applications so that you can meet the needs of your clients.

Prepare for AEP -Get ready to sell

Make sure that the basic requirements that you need to have met in order to legally and ethically sell Medicare Advantage have all been met. AEP is no time for surprises! Are your carrier certifications all completed? Is your AHIP exam completed and passed? Have you familiarized yourself with the new regulations from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)? It is vital that you be in compliance with all certifications, exams, and regulations in order to sell Medicare products.

Prepare for AEP -Gather resources and marketing tools

AEP can go much more smoothly if you partner with an FMO, or a Field Marketing Organization. They often offer their agents and partners access to many free marketing tools and resources, like event planning, reimbursement for certain purchases that go towards marketing, compliance support, online portals for data analysis and platforms for call recording, and even teams of people whose job it is to support your sales.

Look at the data

This is a good time to look at the numbers from previous AEPs. Are there certain demographics you do particularly well with? Do you have some plans in your portfolio that haven’t sold well in a few years? Look for trends and patterns and use them to identify strengths and areas of improvement to focus your energy on during this AEP.

With these steps, AEP may seem much less stressful than previous years, and maybe even much more exciting.

 Licensed Medicare Agents

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AHIP 2024 test tips

Each year over 100,000 agents and brokers take the AHIP course.  AHIP is a CMS compliant course.  It is updated every year so that the training is both accurate and relevant to the current CMS regulations.  That is why the AHIP 2024 test tips are a great resource to help ensure your successful completion of the AHIP exam.

You must receive a grade of 90% to pass the exam and you are allowed 3 attempts to pass.  You have 2 hours to complete the 50 question exam.  If you do not pass after the third attempt, you will need to retake the course and pay again.  It is important to note; some carriers will not allow you to sell if you do not pass the exam in the first 3 tries.

This year the 2024 exam is available starting June 21st, 2023.  The exam will cover any business you write from now until the end of 2023 as well as through 2024.

Most carriers require you to take the AHIP, although UHC does not require AHIP.  UHC does however, require certifications for Med Supp sales.

The cost for the AHIP course:

The cost of $175 includes the exam although you can get a $50 discount by taking it through one of the major carrier’s sites (UHC, Aetna, Humana, etc.).  Agents who are part of the Pinnacle financial team are eligible for a $50 discount as well.  All you need to do is go to pfsinsurance.com sign in, click on AEP Toolkit and from there you will scroll down and see a link for the:

Pinnacle AHIP discount.  

Please note; this year’s 2024 AHIP is very similar to last year’s 2023 AHIP

There are some new concepts and rules you need to be aware of.  Click on the link below to watch our video and learn more:

Take a look at our YouTube video ” AHIP Test Tips 2024″

Here is what the AHIP course covers:

The first part of the course covers Medicare and consists of 5 modules

• Medicare basics; fee-for-service and eligibility as well as benefits
• The different types of Medicare Advantage & prescription drug plans (Part D)
• Who is eligible and what is covered
• Nondiscrimination training
• Learn the requirements for the marketing and enrollment of Medicare Advantage as well as Part D prescription drug plans

You can download each module once you click on it.  This is allowed and suggested to help you complete the test later.  If you took the AHIP in 2023, you only need to click through the slides on modules 4 & 5 although, we recommend clicking on modules 1-3 as well so you can download the content.  It is also not a bad idea to complete the practice tests at the end of ALL modules since  those are the questions that will be on the test.

Each of the 5 modules has a 20 question practice test at the end.  Pay very close attention to the practice questions; most of the test questions come from there.

Once you finish the 5 modules and the exam,  remember to take the second part of the AHIP.

The second part of the course covers fraud, waste, and abuse

• Learn how to spot fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA)
• Find out what the Medicare industry is doing to detect fraud
• What are the legal tools that combat FWA
• Understand the human as well as the financial cost of fraud waste and abuse
• Review general compliance requirements for Medicare Parts C and D fraud, waste, and abuse.
• Find out who commits fraud, waste, and abuse
• What are loophole and obligations to reporting fraud, waste and abuse

After everything is successfully finished,  remember to download your AHIP certificate.  In many cases you can transmit your score to the carriers from the AHIP site, but some will need you to upload it into their dashboards yourself.

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AHIP certification cost

New Medicare agents have many questions when they are just starting out. One thing they may ask about is the AHIP certification cost.

Medicare Advantage plans are becoming more and more popular with Medicare beneficiaries. That makes it more important than ever for Medicare agents to take the annual AHIP exam in order to be certified to sell either Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plans.

First, let’s review what the Medicare AHIP certification is:

AHIP stands for America’s Health Insurance Plans, which is an industry organization that works with Medicare to provide training and certification for agents who sell Medicare Advantage plans. The AHIP certification is required for agents who wish to sell Medicare Advantage plans or prescription drug plans. The AHIP program covers a range of Medicare topics that include; eligibility, benefits, and enrollment.

Find out more about AHIP

How much does the Medicare AHIP certification cost:

Currently, the cost of the AHIP certification is $175 per year. However, this cost may be reduced if the agent is affiliated with a Medicare Advantage plan or if they have a discount code.  Some insurance companies may either pay for the certification or reimburse their agents for the cost of the certification.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE AHIP AT THE DISCOUNTED RATE OF $125

Learn some tips to help you pass the AHIP on your first try on our YouTube channel!

In addition to the AHIP certification, agents must also complete carrier-specific training:

In order to sell Medicare Advantage plans, agents must complete carrier-specific training in order to be ready to sell each year.  Some insurance companies may require agents to complete in-person training to maintain their certification.

It’s important to note;  the cost of the Medicare AHIP certification is just one of the costs associated with selling Medicare Advantage plans. Agents must also pay for their own marketing materials, travel expenses, and other business-related costs. They also have to pay for errors and omissions insurance.  This is important to protect them in the event of a lawsuit or other legal action.

In conclusion, the cost of the Medicare AHIP certification is generally $175 per year. Agents also incur many other expenses during the course of doing business.  Any time agents can save money, it is helpful. It’s important for agents to factor in these costs, as well as other business-related expenses, when deciding whether to sell Medicare plans. Ultimately, the potential earnings from selling Medicare plans should far outweigh the costs of certifications and other expenses for agents who are successful in this field.

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AHIP certification discount code

If you are a Medicare agent/broker who offers either  Medicare Advantage or PDP plans to clients, you need to take and pass the AHIP exam.  The cost to take both the course and certification exam is $175.   If you are a new agent, you may not have unlimited funds and an AHIP certification discount code would really help save you some money.  A discount of $50 is available for those who use the following link for AHIP certification discount code:

Click here for AHIP discount

The cost of AHIP certification is $125 when taken through either the link above or one of the participating insurance company certification portals.

What is on the AHIP:

The basic Medicare course:

• Medicare fee-for service benefits
• Types of Advantage plans and Part D plans
• Eligibility and benefits
• Rules for marketing & enrollments
• Nondiscrimination explanation and training

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA):

• How to identify fraud, waste and abuse
• Overview of efforts for detecting fraud
• What is the legal process to report FWA
• Review of MA/MAPD and Part D compliance requirements

Visit our  YouTube channel for tips to pass the 2023 AHIP

Completing the 2023 cert is necessary to sell Medicare Advantage (MA) as well as prescription drug plans (PDPs).

Please note;  Medicare supplement  (Med Supp) plans are not regulated by CMS.  Because of this fact, most carriers do not require an AHIP certification in order to sell their Med Supp plans.  UHC/AARP is an exception; they do require AHIP certifications to sell their Medicare supplements.

Medicare AHIP certification discount code

Remember; If you decide to access AHIP through the AHIP Portal directly, you will pay $175 to complete your certification.  You can save $50 if you decide to use either our link or go through one of the carrier’s certification sites.

Download the AHIP Medicare user guide

Click here to download instructions to reset your AHIP password

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