Hey Folks! Welcome back to another episode of 65 and Counting! I’m your host, Adam Frye. I’m a Certified Medicare Planner, and I’m here to ask the important questions you want answered by industry professionals. This show is for anyone and everyone coming up on that important milestone of 65 years old. That means retirement, it means medicare eligibility, or it means that you’re just plain interested in the world of retirement planning. Whatever it is, on this show you’ll hear from the people that know it best.
Very, VERY special episode for you this week! Now I know you all have heard me use the term “Certified Medicare Planner” on the show before, and it occurred to me that I haven’t really explained what a Certified Medicare Planner is! So this week, I’m going to explain where the term came from, what Certified Medicare Planner’s do, what kind of training they receive, and why people benefit from using one instead of your “run of the mill” agent!
But first! It’s looking like right now, at the time of me recording this episode, Las Vegas still has the green light for us to return to the libraries for in person workshops! That’s right! We are still going to be doing workshops in libraries around Las Vegas next month! For a complete schedule and registration visit www.123easymedicare.com or call our office at 702-852-1417! We’ll include that information in the description of the episode! If the governor decides to roll Las Vegas back to phase 1 we will always have virtual options available!
So where did the idea of Certified Medicare Planners come from? You heard a little bit about it in our first episode where I interviewed CEO of American Retirement Advisors, David Schaeffer. When he started in the industry he noticed that other agents were fighting for simplicity by trying to sell only one plan or another rather than exposing people to all of their options. An agent like this might try to tell you that they are selling the “best” plan. And best is NOT a word we use around here as Certified Medicare Planners. There is no such thing as the “best” plan. It really comes down to what is most appropriate for each individual person. Many agents were (and still are) taking the easy way out by learning everything there is to know about one or two plans and leaving others untouched. That’s just lazy. This means that they are uninformed, and are leaving the people they work with uninformed. These agents were basically taking advantage of the people who trust them by limiting their options.
David’s idea was that he wasn’t going to focus people's attention on just one or two plans. Everyone has a unique scenario and specific needs. There is no one-size-fits-all solution…. So David became contracted with every plan available in the market! (and that’s no simple task) That way he was able to shop with people, and help them select a plan most appropriate for them. That’s the idea behind what a Certified Medicare Planner is. They aren’t here to sell you anything, but to go shopping with you to help you make the most appropriate selection. It’s like when I go shopping for new clothes, there’s so many options, and I know that my fiance knows a whole lot more than me when it comes to fashion, so she shops with me and helps me make the right selections. And every year when it’s time for new clothes she shops with me again to always make sure I’m wearing the right thing. You think I picked out this stylish tie? That’s how the idea of a Certified Medicare Planner was born. Today, American Retirement Advisors has a number of Certified Medicare PLanners standing by waiting to help you make the right decision when it comes to Medicare.
What kind of training does a certified medicare planner receive? There’s a lot of work that goes in to becoming a Certified Medicare Planner and even more work that goes in to helping people shop for the correct plan. It all starts with training. As a Certified Medicare Planner myself, I can tell you that the training is comprehensive, hands on, and exhausting! Obviously, first things first, Certified Medicare Planners spend 40 hours taking courses to prepare for a state life and health insurance licensing test. Upon passing the test, the real work begins. I myself spent about 18 months tirelessly shadowing Senior Certified Medicare Planners, becoming familiar with our proprietary tools and software, learning the plan selection process, and all the details of the different plans available in counties across the United States. All this while helping clients on the client care team so that I could be exposed to the many different scenarios people experience when it comes to their medicare. That means answering phones, emails, faxes, and text messages, archiving data, and completing individual plan research. Additionally, to be of maximum service to the people that come to us for help, each Certified Medicare Planner is required to and responsible for certifying with every company available in their market. This means hours and hours of training and testing for each individual company's products. Finally, each quarter Certified Medicare Planners are reviewed by David Schaeffer to ensure that they are upholding all the standards of a Certified Medicare Planner and providing the highest level of service around. All of this training is to ensure that when you sit down with a Certified Medicare Planner, that they are equipped to offer you extraordinary service!
Let’s talk about what a Certified Medicare Planner actually does. It’s their job to ensure you have a smooth transition to medicare, and don’t experience any issues once you’re on. It’s their job to shop all the plans available to you so that the most appropriate plan is chosen. It starts with a meeting. Clients sit down with a highly trained and knowledgeable Certified Medicare Planner and discuss what they’d like to accomplish. By gathering a person's Doctors, Medications, and preferred hospitals a Certified Medicare Planner is able to sort through available plans and find the right one. Certified Medicare Planners use proprietary software and tools to narrow down the options.
If someone that we are helping is still on employee group insurance and not sure about leaving for Medicare, we have a tool for that too! After we’ve narrowed down the options and found medicare plans that fit your needs, we take a look at your employee group insurance benefits. We make the comparison and present you with the facts. We won’t have to tell you what the right choice is, the factual information laid out in front of you will tell you what to do. Sometimes the answer is to stay with your employee group and if that’s the case, we’d encourage it!
The role of a Certified Medicare Planner is to be a fiduciary. It’s our duty and responsibility to take care of you! And there is never a charge to meet with a Certified Medicare Planner. If you feel after a meeting that we have earned the right to have your business and you allow a Certified Medicare Planner to enroll you in a plan, the insurance company pays us, not you!
The service doesn’t stop at enrollment! We’re always here to help. Plans change every year, and Certified Medicare Planners anxiously wait for those changes to be released so that we can research them compared to your needs. This is how we make sure you’re always on the most appropriate plan! This takes place every year and it’s called the Annual Election Period. I’ve got a very special episode about it coming soon!
What else is there that sets Certified Medicare Planners apart from other agents? let’s talk about it! Certified Medicare Planners have a large team to support them. Any time you have a question, you can call and speak to one of their client care team members and if you want to reach them directly they are always available for appointments and to answer emails. I find myself answering emails all hours of the night if I see them come in! Most agents are typically one man or one woman bands and you’ll end up reaching their voicemail during business hours.
Like I always say, I can get on here and talk about how great Certified Medicare Planners are all day, but what I say isn’t as important as hearing directly from people who have used Certified Medicare Planners for their own Medicare assistance! So we’re going to do another round of “Happy Clients” where you’ll hear some five star reviews right from our website! So here is my lovely fiance and client care team member Kelsey Romeo for “Happy Clients”!
Wow! Great stuff Kelsey! That’s all for this week everyone! Don’t forget about our in person and virtual workshops starting next month! Please like, follow, and subscribe for more episodes! We’ve got a great show next week where I shine our Educational Spotlight on Medicare Advantage Plans! See you next Monday!~