AHIP Questions Module 4

AHIP STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS Module 4 1. You are working several plans and community organizations to sponsor an educational event. When putting together advertisements for this event, what should you do?  You must ensure that the advertisements indicate it is an educational event, otherwise it will be considered a marketing event. 2. Plan sponsors may undertake the following marketing activities with current Medicare Advantage plan members?  Market non-health related items or services such as life insurance or annuities policies to current members as permitted following HIPAA Privacy Rules. 3. ABC is a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan sponsor. It would like to use its enrollees’ information to market non-health related products such as life insurance and annuities. Which statement best describes ABC's obligation to its enrollees regarding marketing such products?  It must obtain a HIPAA complaint authorization from an enrollee that indicates the plan or plan sponsor may use their information for marketing purposes. 4. You have been providing a pre-Thanksgiving meal during sales presentations in November for many years and your clients look forward to attending this annual event. When marketing Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, what are you permitted to do with respect to meals?  You may provide light snacks, but a Thanksgiving style meal would be prohibited, regardless of who provides or pays for the meal. 5. Mrs. Lu is turning 65 in November and called to ask for your help deciding on a Medicare Advantage plan. She agreed to sign a scope of appointment form and meet with you on October 15. During the appointment, what are you permitted to do? 12 | P a g e AHIP STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS  You may provide her with the required enrollment materials and take her completed enrollment application. 6. Agent Martinez wishes to solicit Medicare Advantage prospects through e-mail and asks you for advice as to whether this is possible. What should you tell her?  Marketing representatives may initiate electronic contact through e-mail but an opt-out process must be provided. 7. Next week you will be participating in your first “educational event” for prospective enrollees. To be sure that you do not violate any of the applicable guidelines, in what activities should you plan to engage?  You should plan to ensure that the educational event is an informative event and must not conduct a sales presentation or distribute or accept enrollment forms at the event. 8. Another agent working for your agency claims that because you are not employed by the Medicare Advantage plans that you represent, you are not subject to the same marketing requirements as the plans themselves. How should you respond to such a statement?  Your coworker is not correct. Marketing on behalf of a plan is considered marketing by the plan and requires that all contracted and employed agents comply with all Medicare marketing rules. 9. Melissa Meadows is a marketing representative for Best Care which has recently introduced a Medicare Advantage plan offering comprehensive dental benefits for $15 per month. Best Care has not submitted any potential posts to CMS for approval. Melissa would like to use the power of social media to reach potential prospects. What advice would you give her?  As soon as CMS approves Best Care's social media posts, Agent Meadows could post a tweet stating that “Best Care offers an array of Medicare Advantage benefit packages. One might be right for you. Call me to find out more!” 10. During a sales presentation, your client asks you whether the Medicare agency recommends that she sign up for your plan or stay in Original Medicare. What should you tell her?  Tell her that the Medicare agency does not endorse or recommend any plan. 11. You will be holding a sales event soon, at which you would like to offer door prizes to attendees. Under guidelines from the Medicare agency, what types of gifts or prizes would not be allowed in this situation?  Gift cards or gift certificates of $15 or less that can be readily converted to cash. 12. Agent Armstrong is employed by XYZ Agency, which is under contract with ABC Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan that offers plans in multiple states. XYZ Agency maintains a website marketing the MA plans with which it has contracts. Agent Armstrong follows up with individuals who request more information about ABC MA plans via the website and tries to persuade them to enroll in ABC plans. What statement best describes the marketing and compliance rules that apply to Agent Armstrong? 13 | P a g e AHIP STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS  Agent Armstrong needs to be licensed and appointed in every state in which beneficiaries to whom he markets ABC MA plans are located. 13. You have approached a hospital administrator about marketing in her facility. The administrator is uncomfortable with the suggestion. How could you address her concerns?  Tell her that Medicare guidelines allow you to conduct marketing activities in common areas of a provider’s facility. 14. You are seeking to represent an individual Medicare Advantage plan and an individual Part D plan in your state. You have completed the required training for each plan, but you did not achieve a passing score on the tests that came after the training. What can you do in this situation?  You will not be able to represent any Medicare Advantage or Part D plan until you complete the training and achieve an adequate score. However, you will not have to take a test if you exclusively market employer/union group plans and the companies do not require testing. 15. Your friend’s mother just moved to an assisted living facility and he asked if you could present a program for the residents about the MA-PD plans you market. What could you tell him?  You appreciate the opportunity and would be happy to schedule an appointment with anyone at their request. 16. Miguel Sanchez is a relatively new agent who has come to you for advice as to what he can do during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA-OEP). What advice should you give Miguel?  During the MA-OEP, Miguel can have one-on-one meetings with beneficiaries who have requested such meetings. 17. One of your colleagues argues that it is better to focus your time and energy exclusively in neighborhoods with single-family homes. He further argues that their older owners are more likely to have higher incomes and purchase the Medicare Advantage products you represent compared to those living in apartment complexes. How should you respond?  This could be considered discriminatory activity and a prohibited practice. 18. A Medicare beneficiary has walked into your office and requested that you sit down with her and discuss her options under the Medicare Advantage program. Before engaging in such a discussion, what should you do?  You must have her sign a scope of appointment form, indicating which products she wishes to discuss. You may then proceed with the discussion. 19. Agent Jennings makes a presentation on Medicare advertised as an educational event. Agent Jennings distributes materials that are solely educational. However, she gives a brief presentation that mentions plan-specific premiums. Is this a prohibited activity at an event that has been advertised as educational? 14 | P a g e AHIP STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS  Yes. When an event has been advertised as “educational,” discussing plan-specific premiums is impermissible. 20. Another agent you know has engaged in misconduct that has been verified by the plan she represented. What sort of penalty might the plan impose on this individual?  The plan may withhold commission, require retraining, report the misconduct to a state department of insurance or terminate the contract. 15 | P a g e