ACE MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT SHOWCASE

Minnesota Agents: Join us for a powerful showcase at 2 p.m. CT Wednesday, July 19 featuring Ace, the Medicare Supplement carrier that is taking the industry by storm!

Renowned for its best-in-market rates, Ace boasts solid brand recognition, trusted by an impressive 93% of Fortune 1000 companies.

Why is Ace a must-add for your portfolio? At this exciting event, you'll get an in-depth look at the unique advantages Ace brings to the table. Here's what you can expect:

• Unbeatable rates
• Brand strength
• Year-round incentives
• Ease of business

Don't miss this chance to expand your knowledge and empower your portfolio with a formidable player in the Medicare Supplement industry! Register today to secure your place in our Ace Medicare Supplement Minnesota launch. Be part of the movement that is reshaping the Medicare landscape!

Get ready to laugh while you learn. Comedian Tim Cavanagh, called the master of corporate comedy, will perform at IFC's 31st Annual Agent Appreciation Celebration Aug. 21 and 22 at Treasure Island Resort and Casino.

Over the past 30 years, former high school religion teacher Cavanagh has appeared in top comedy clubs, on cruise ships, and in concert halls. He has also released four comedy albums; appeared on Comedy Central, ABC TV, Showtime, and WGN America; and been a regular guest on radio shows including the nationally-syndicated Bob & Tom Show. His comedy is full of hilarious one-liners, word-twisting jokes and songs, and outstanding audience interaction.

Register today and join us for two days of learning, laughter, networking, and fun.

Want to capitalize on the estimated 10 million new Medicare consumers hitting the market by 2030? Agent Builder from IFC makes it easy to strengthen your agency by adding agents who are ready to sell Medicare and produce income as soon as they join your agency.

Our first class of Agent Builder agents has completed training. Call Todd or Frankie Villeneuve at 507-358-1303 or email info@ifcnationalmarketing.com to learn more about participating.

Article: Annuities as Part of a Retirement Formula

A recent survey found that 66% of Americans fear they will run out of money in retirement, and with Social Security providing only $1,666 each month, many retirees are searching for additional income. InsuranceNewsNet discusses how annuities can be part of your clients' retirement formula. Read more here.

Get Certified! UnitedHealthcare 2024 Certifications are Open!

If you haven’t already, please certify to sell 2024 UnitedHealthcare Medicare Plans. 

New this year!

• As we have previously communicated, the annual Conflict of Interest attestation is moving out of Certifications to an online process based on your Party ID anniversary date. An online video and a User Guide (including Frequently Asked Questions) are available to walk you through the process from start to finish. Both are located in Learning Lab: Jarvis > Learning Lab > Content Library > Conflict of Interest. (IFP agents can also access both on Jarvis > Knowledge Center > Training and Guides.)
• You asked and we listened! If you answer a certification question incorrectly, you’ll receive feedback that indicates where in the study guide the correct answer is. 

For more information on accessing certifications, passing scores, and more, visit this link.

Resources for HealthPartners 5-star Journey Plan Members

HealthPartners is committed to strong quality and performance, and it starts with: 

• Helping people get healthy and stay healthy with preventive care. 
• Being there when you need us — for the little things and the big things — with advice, treatment and support. 
• Ensuring our members get outstanding service from our team of experts. 

HealthPartners team of experts include: 

• Member Services: For questions about plan benefits, account balance or finding a doctor in the network. 
• CareLine^SM Service (staffed by registered nurses): If members are questioning if they should see a doctor, ask questions about a medicine they're taking, or learn about home treatment options.  
• Nurse Navigator^SM Program: If members have questions about their health care and benefits or need help choosing a treatment option.  
• Behavioral Health Navigators: Support for mental or chemical needs and benefits or choosing a treatment option. 

Members also can access our easy to navigate member portal, where they can access coverage documents, Provider Directories, claims information, forms and much more.  

Watch the Exclusive BCBS Partner Program Webinar

In case you missed it, here is the IFC and BCBS recording we had on June 29. Click here to learn more about the BCBS Blue Partner Program.  

Allina Health | Aetna Broker Forum is Aug. 16

Please save the date for Allina Health | Aetna's Broker Forum. Join us on Wednesday Aug. 16 at the Bloomington Hilton (494/France) from 10-2 to learn more about our great plan offerings for 2024 and much more.

Save the Date: 2024 HealthPartners Broker Forums

Mark your calendars to attend HealthPartners 2024 Medicare broker forums. Official invite and RSVP to follow.

Are you AEP ready? We hope to see you at HealthPartners informative meetings offered in August. Please join us to learn about exciting updates to our 2024 portfolio of Medicare plans, as well as certification timelines and new compliance regulations for 2024. Meetings start Aug. 1. Find the full schedule here.

Medicare 2024 Carrier First Look Webinars

Looking ahead to 2024? We are currently scheduling carrier first-look webinars and will add them here as they are scheduled. Check back each week for updates.

Blue Cross Blue Shield

In preparation for the 2024 plan year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) has, again, partnered with America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) to provide Blue Cross agents with discounted pricing for the 2024 Medicare + Fraud, Waste, and Abuse training that was released on Wednesday, June 21, 2023.

Access the 2024 AHIP training via this link for discounted course pricing ($125). When you click this link, the login page should have the Blue Cross logo in the top right corner of the page.

Troubleshooting tip: If you do not see the Blue Cross logo or are having difficulty accessing the discounted rate, clear your browser cache and cookies, then click the link again. AHIP has implemented updates to their site and past data automatically saved in your browser history may be overriding the new discount link.

Read more about Medicare certification requirements here.

UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare will once again accept America’s Health Insurance Plans’ (AHIP) Medicare + Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training, which satisfies the requirement for the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Basics Assessment.

If you wish to receive the $50 discount on AHIP from UnitedHealthcare, beginning June 21, you must access our custom link by logging in through Jarvis to get to Learning Lab. Using that link allows you to purchase your training, complete the training, and transmit your results back to Learning Lab. The $50 discount will only be applied if you use our link.

Read more here.

Allina Health | Aetna

It is that time of year for Medicare certification and if you take AHIP through Allina Health | Aetna at www.AetnaMedicareProducerCertification.com, you will receive a $50 discount. 

Also, please check out our training site at AetnaMedicareAgentTraining.com for upcoming trainings and events. Of note, on Tuesday July 18, join our Shop Talk Tuesday to learn more about "Why Allina Health | Aetna" and on Wednesday Aug. 16, we will be hosting our annual Broker Forum at the Bloomington Hilton (494/France) to share all of our great offerings for 2024!

Florida Blue

AHIP may be taken through Florida Blue at a discounted rate of $125

Nexben Offers ICHRA Training Webinar July 18

IFC National Marketing has an exclusive partnership with Nexben to provide our group benefit agents with the most powerful, cutting-edge ICHRA solution in the marketplace today. You are invited to join this webinar at 11 a.m. CT on Tuesday, July 18 to learn more about: 

• Setting up agent access to the Nexben ICHRA platform,
• New employer group ICHRA onboarding,
• Employee onboarding and the individual health insurance enrollment process, 
• Nexben’s ICHRA vs. fully-insured medical plan cost comparison tool,  
• Agent commissions through the Nexben/IFC partnership, and
• Any other ICHRA related questions you’d like answered. 

Hosting this webinar will be Courtney Annese, Nexben’s ICHRA product training manager. Please register for ICHRA training with Nexben at this link.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. 

HR Question of the Week: Unpaid Days Off

Q: We are considering closing the office the day before an upcoming holiday, giving employees an unpaid day off. How would this work for our exempt employees?

A: The Fair Labor Standards Act generally requires that exempt employees —employees who are exempt from the law’s overtime requirement — be paid their regular salary regardless of the number of hours they work in a workweek. If your exempt employees are otherwise working the week of the holiday, you can’t designate it as an unpaid day for them.

As with nonexempt employees, you can require exempt employees to use accrued vacation or paid time off (PTO) to cover the closure. However, exempt employees who don’t have accrued vacation or PTO available to cover the day off still need to be paid during the closure unless they didn’t perform any work during the workweek. If you intend to require the use of PTO or vacation to cover closures, you should explain that in your handbook or policies so employees know what to expect.

This Q&A does not constitute legal advice and does not address state or local law. 

Questions about commissions? Email commissions@ifcnationalmarketing.com and we will find an answer for you. 

Are you elite? IFC National Marketing will host top-performing agents for an all-expenses paid trip to Carlsbad, CA, for our Elite Agent Conference from Feb. 15-18, 2024, in Carlsbad, CA.

Follow this link to learn more.