Medicare Flashes

Medicare Advantage Commission Payment Schedule

December 11, 2018

As we near the end of the year, we want to update you on the Medicare Advantage commission schedule for the next few months. This year, you’ll receive two payments in December.

• December 20 for November effective dates
• December 31 for December effective dates and November retroactivity

We’re also working to process January’s Medicare Advantage commissions as quickly as possible, and the payment for January 2019 new sales and renewals will be out by the end of January. Normally, our policy is to pay commissions the month after the effective date, but knowing you sell and renew the majority of your Medicare Advantage book of business in the fourth quarter, we strive to pay January’s commissions in January.

January through March schedule:

• January 18 for December retroactivity
• January 31 for January effective dates and January renewal payment
• February 20 for January retroactivity
• March 20 for February effective dates

Commercial commissions are not affected by this and will follow their normal payout schedule.
And remember, you can review your book of business anytime on Your Health Alliance for brokers. Thank you for your hard work and partnership.

Fax Downtime This Sunday

November 16, 2018

Our fax system will be down for scheduled maintenance Sunday, November 18, 3:30–5:30 p.m. CT. All incoming faxes will experience a busy signal during this time.

Although we hate to have any disruption in service during the Annual Enrollment Period, we hope doing the maintenance on Sunday will minimize the inconvenience to you.

2019 Star Ratings for Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio

October 18, 2018

We’re proud of the work we’ve put in to ensure our members are happy and receiving quality care through our provider partners. Through that hard work, we’ve maintained a high Star Rating with a 4 in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Our Star Ratings fliers for 2019 are now available on the Forms & Resources section of YourHealthAlliance.org for brokers, under the Individual Medicare Marketing tab for each region. You can also print them directly from the links below.

The current fliers should be removed from sales kits and replaced with the new fliers by November 11, 2018.

If you have any questions, call Broker Support at 1-877-917-8489 or email

BrokerServices@healthalliance.org.

 

 

2019 Washington Star Ratings

October 18, 2018

Our Health Alliance Northwest Medicare Advantage plans have received a Star Rating of 3 for 2019.

We’re disappointed in our drop in Star Ratings, but we have worked hard to identify the reasons for the drop and have already taken steps to improve our scores.

A 3-star rating suggests the plan is rated “average.” We always strive to be above average, but approximately 48 percent of plans in the U.S. are in the 3-to-3.5 star range.

Some of the areas that are measured include the following.

  • How our members rate our plan’s services and care
  • How well our doctors detect illnesses and keep members healthy
  • How well our plan helps members use recommended and safe prescription medications

One thing we’re doing to help raise our scores is seeking feedback and taking action on any feedback we receive to help improve our organization. We continuously strive to improve member perception of the plan with focused collaboration between us and our providers.

We’ve posted our 2019 Star Ratings fliers on the Forms & Resources section of YourHealthAlliance.org for brokers, under the Individual Medicare Marketing tab for each region. You can also print them directly from the links below.

The current fliers should be removed from sales kits and replaced with the new fliers by November 11, 2018.

If you have any questions, call Broker Support at 1-877-917-8489 or email BrokerServices@healthalliance.org.

2019 Iowa Star Ratings

October 18, 2018

Our Medicare Advantage plans in Iowa have received a Star Rating of 3 for 2019.

We’re disappointed in our drop in Star Ratings, but we have worked hard to identify the reasons for the drop and have already taken steps to improve our scores.

A 3-star rating suggests the plan is rated “average.” We always strive to be above average, but approximately 48 percent of plans in the U.S. are in the 3-to-3.5 star range.

Some of the areas that are measured include the following.

  • How our members rate our plan’s services and care
  • How well our doctors detect illnesses and keep members healthy
  • How well our plan helps members use recommended and safe prescription medications

One thing we’re doing to help raise our scores is seeking feedback and taking action on any feedback we receive to help improve our organization. We continuously strive to improve member perception of the plan with focused collaboration between us and our providers.

We’ve posted our 2019 Star Ratings fliers on the Forms & Resources section of YourHealthAlliance.org for brokers, under the Individual Medicare Marketing tab for each region. You can also print them directly from the links below.

The current fliers should be removed from sales kits and replaced with the new fliers by November 11, 2018. You must add both the Quad Cities and Iowa Star Ratings fliers to the Quad Cities sales kits.

If you have any questions, call Broker Support at 1-877-917-8489 or email

BrokerServices@healthalliance.org.