Seniors depend on Medicare for the health care needs, but many are confused by it. According to a survey conducted by Better Medicare Alliance, 65 percent of seniors enrolled in Original Medicare report being unfamiliar with Medicare Advantage. Among seniors not enrolled in Medicare Advantage, 44 percent are confused about the costs of Medicare Advantage plans, and 42 percent are confused about which services are covered.
All this confusion means that many seniors may not be making the best decisions. As a result, they may enroll in plan that results in fewer options and more out-of-pocket expenses.
As the saying goes, knowledge is power – and a Medicare Insurance seminar is a great way to help seniors gain the knowledge they need to make empowered decisions. Follow these tips to make your next Medicare Insurance seminar great.
- Know the purpose of your seminar. When organizing outreach activities, it’s always important to be aware of the Medicare Communication and Marketing Guidelines. According to these guidelines, educational events must be advertised as educational, and they cannot include marketing or sales activities either during or immediately after the event. Marketing and sales events promote a plan or set of plans, and they must include scripts and presentations that have been submitted to CMS. See the guidelines for more details.
- Select the time and location carefully. You need to pick and time and location that’s convenient for people. Note that educational events need to take place in a public venue, and CMS has firm restrictions on activities that occur in a health care setting.
- Keep any gifts small. Small gifts are allowed under the Medicare Communication and Marketing Guidelines, but only if the value is $15 or less and all potential enrollees can receive one regardless of whether they sign up. You can also arrange a raffle or drawing for a single large gift based on the anticipated attendance – the value shouldn’t be more than $15 times the number of expected attendees. You can provide snacks and refreshments, but meals are not allowed at sales and marketing events.
- Give attendees a way to get in touch. After the seminar, some attendees will want to get in touch with you. Make this easy for them! Have a big stack of your business cards to hand out, and make sure they include your current information. You can also provide sign-up sheets at marketing events, but they need to be clearly labeled as optional.
- Get the word out. No matter how well you plan your event, it won’t do any good if no one shows up. Use every tool at your disposal to make sure people know about the event. Announce it locally, tell your contacts and use social media. Many seniors are confused about Medicare and want help understanding it. They’ll be interested in your seminar, so make sure they know about it.
Are you a PTT agent who is hosting a seminar? Make sure your event is added to the PTT seminar calendar.
