Working with Agents and Brokers to Maximize In-Person Assistance
Working with Agents and Brokers to Maximize In-Person Assistance 06.12.15
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Agenda
I. Welcome
Molly Warren (moderator), Senior Policy Analyst, Best Practices Institute, Enroll America
II. The Role of the Agent
Marcy Buckner, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Association of Health Underwriters
III. A Broker’s Perspective
Lee Nathans, President, Ohio Association of Health Underwriters
IV. Partnering on the Ground
Mimi Garcia, Texas State Director, Enroll America
V. Q&A © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
In-Person Assistance Crucial to Enrollment
Consumers who received assistance were nearly 60% more likely to enroll compared to those who started the enrollment process online.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
A BROKER’S PERSPECTIVE Lee S. Nathans, RHU, President, Ohio Association of Health Underwriters
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER! • Common objective is to build partnerships, which will reduce the number of uninsured. • “Help people be able to go to the doctor.”
5
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
What do brokers do best? • Assist consumers in choosing the right plan to meet their specific medical and financial needs. • Make sure that each enrollment is good— sometimes it’s not easy with requests for authorizations, inquiries, etc. • Make it clear who they can see and what it will cost.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
What do brokers do best? • Make it clear how to use their RX benefits (formularies/copays). • Help with billing issues and terms. • Help with claims and explanations of benefits.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Experience in Columbus, Ohio • Worked with many members of assister community before the ACA. • Following Kathleen Falk’s (Region V HHS Director) help, our association worked closely with the Navigator Grantee the Ohio Association of Food Banks. • State-wide work with brokers using appointment scheduler. • All interested brokers signed Enroll America’s Standards of Conduct. © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Experience in Columbus, Ohio • Financially supported “Obamacare Jams,” a successful enrollment event with brokers and assistors at Columbus East High School.
9
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
• Benefits to Assisters: • Allies in getting more uninsured covered. • Benefits to Brokers: • Resources to support enrollment, especially hard to reach populations • Ex: Vietnamese speakers
10
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Moving Forward • Commitment to work with EnrollAmerica at the local chapter level throughout Ohio. • THE KEY IS ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING ORGANIZATIONAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS!
11
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Lee S. Nathans, RHU President, Ohio Association of Health Underwriters (614) 468-0334 [email protected]
12
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
PARTNERING ON THE GROUND: STRATEGIES FOR WORKING WITH AGENTS AND BROKERS Mimi Garcia, Texas State Director, Enroll America
13
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Added Value in Partnering
Additional capacity to provide in-person assistance Access to particular constituencies Additional resources or funding for resources
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Setting Standards for Partnership • All sold plans from multiple insurers • All completed HHS training and certification to sell marketplace plans • All agreed to Enroll America’s assister pledge that outlines expectations for partners who provide in-person assistance • All willing to work hand in hand with other assister partners
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Enroll America’s Pledge for Assisters When partnering with Enroll America, I pledge to abide by certain principles: 1. To help all consumers seeking assistance apply for the appropriate health (and, if desired dental) coverage, whether they are eligible for marketplace coverage, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. 2. To be familiar with and equally willing to enroll consumers in all available marketplace plans, and always keep the consumers’ interests paramount when facilitating plan selection. 3. To use only the official marketplace and Medicaid/CHIP application and websites for enrollment purposes. 4. To provide my contact information and continue to be available to help those consumers I assisted with questions and issues with the coverage they purchased. 5. To limit the assistance I provide to health and dental insurance. I will not advertise or discuss other products at the event, or solicit event attendees about other products at a later date. (Contacting consumers about health insurance related issues at a later date is acceptable.) 6. To protect consumers’ privacy and confidentiality and abide by all applicable federal and state privacy and security requirements. Failure to abide by these principles will result in the dissolution of the partnership.
Examples of Partnerships Florida: First Coast MultiLine Agency •
Added crucial in-person assistance capacity in a region with only a handful of other assisters.
•
Particularly key to reaching the African-American faithbased network in the area.
•
Stepped up financially to make donated space at the Regency Square Mall a reality.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Example of Partnerships Texas: PennGlobal • Connected through our colleagues in Ohio • Particularly good with difficult applications – mixed status, complicated health needs, etc. • Able to do home visits and willing to travel to very rural areas. Much more flexibility © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Lessons Learned Do your homework and establish ground rules
Start small, the structure of independent agents can be tough to coordinate, first start with a group of brokers. Agents and brokers partners were willing to work side by side with Navigators and CACs Agent and broker partners were well trained in customer service, and hard workers! © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Thank You
Mimi Garcia Texas State Director Enroll America [email protected] 512-202-7758
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
QUESTIONS?
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
New training resources • Highly customized, Action-oriented • New suite of training services • • • •
Goal-setting Planning Coaching In-person training
FOR MORE INFO – [email protected]
22
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Agenda
I. Welcome
Molly Warren (moderator), Senior Policy Analyst, Best Practices Institute, Enroll America
II. The Role of the Agent
Marcy Buckner, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Association of Health Underwriters
III. A Broker’s Perspective
Lee Nathans, President, Ohio Association of Health Underwriters
IV. Partnering on the Ground
Mimi Garcia, Texas State Director, Enroll America
V. Q&A © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
In-Person Assistance Crucial to Enrollment
Consumers who received assistance were nearly 60% more likely to enroll compared to those who started the enrollment process online.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
A BROKER’S PERSPECTIVE Lee S. Nathans, RHU, President, Ohio Association of Health Underwriters
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER! • Common objective is to build partnerships, which will reduce the number of uninsured. • “Help people be able to go to the doctor.”
5
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
What do brokers do best? • Assist consumers in choosing the right plan to meet their specific medical and financial needs. • Make sure that each enrollment is good— sometimes it’s not easy with requests for authorizations, inquiries, etc. • Make it clear who they can see and what it will cost.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
What do brokers do best? • Make it clear how to use their RX benefits (formularies/copays). • Help with billing issues and terms. • Help with claims and explanations of benefits.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Experience in Columbus, Ohio • Worked with many members of assister community before the ACA. • Following Kathleen Falk’s (Region V HHS Director) help, our association worked closely with the Navigator Grantee the Ohio Association of Food Banks. • State-wide work with brokers using appointment scheduler. • All interested brokers signed Enroll America’s Standards of Conduct. © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Experience in Columbus, Ohio • Financially supported “Obamacare Jams,” a successful enrollment event with brokers and assistors at Columbus East High School.
9
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
• Benefits to Assisters: • Allies in getting more uninsured covered. • Benefits to Brokers: • Resources to support enrollment, especially hard to reach populations • Ex: Vietnamese speakers
10
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Moving Forward • Commitment to work with EnrollAmerica at the local chapter level throughout Ohio. • THE KEY IS ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING ORGANIZATIONAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS!
11
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Lee S. Nathans, RHU President, Ohio Association of Health Underwriters (614) 468-0334 [email protected]
12
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
PARTNERING ON THE GROUND: STRATEGIES FOR WORKING WITH AGENTS AND BROKERS Mimi Garcia, Texas State Director, Enroll America
13
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Added Value in Partnering
Additional capacity to provide in-person assistance Access to particular constituencies Additional resources or funding for resources
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Setting Standards for Partnership • All sold plans from multiple insurers • All completed HHS training and certification to sell marketplace plans • All agreed to Enroll America’s assister pledge that outlines expectations for partners who provide in-person assistance • All willing to work hand in hand with other assister partners
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Enroll America’s Pledge for Assisters When partnering with Enroll America, I pledge to abide by certain principles: 1. To help all consumers seeking assistance apply for the appropriate health (and, if desired dental) coverage, whether they are eligible for marketplace coverage, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. 2. To be familiar with and equally willing to enroll consumers in all available marketplace plans, and always keep the consumers’ interests paramount when facilitating plan selection. 3. To use only the official marketplace and Medicaid/CHIP application and websites for enrollment purposes. 4. To provide my contact information and continue to be available to help those consumers I assisted with questions and issues with the coverage they purchased. 5. To limit the assistance I provide to health and dental insurance. I will not advertise or discuss other products at the event, or solicit event attendees about other products at a later date. (Contacting consumers about health insurance related issues at a later date is acceptable.) 6. To protect consumers’ privacy and confidentiality and abide by all applicable federal and state privacy and security requirements. Failure to abide by these principles will result in the dissolution of the partnership.
Examples of Partnerships Florida: First Coast MultiLine Agency •
Added crucial in-person assistance capacity in a region with only a handful of other assisters.
•
Particularly key to reaching the African-American faithbased network in the area.
•
Stepped up financially to make donated space at the Regency Square Mall a reality.
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Example of Partnerships Texas: PennGlobal • Connected through our colleagues in Ohio • Particularly good with difficult applications – mixed status, complicated health needs, etc. • Able to do home visits and willing to travel to very rural areas. Much more flexibility © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Lessons Learned Do your homework and establish ground rules
Start small, the structure of independent agents can be tough to coordinate, first start with a group of brokers. Agents and brokers partners were willing to work side by side with Navigators and CACs Agent and broker partners were well trained in customer service, and hard workers! © 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
Thank You
Mimi Garcia Texas State Director Enroll America [email protected] 512-202-7758
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
QUESTIONS?
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
New training resources • Highly customized, Action-oriented • New suite of training services • • • •
Goal-setting Planning Coaching In-person training
FOR MORE INFO – [email protected]
22
© 2015 Enroll America and Get Covered America EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org
