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Ensuring Beneficiary Protection. CMS uses several mechanisms to ensure beneficiary protection and that plans are compliant with the Marketing Guideline requirementsProspective and retrospective review of marketing materialsMarketplace surveillancePartnership with states and beneficiary advocates.
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1. Ensuring Beneficiary ProtectionMarketing Do’s and Don’ts Camille J. Brown
Marketing Policy Lead
Division of Surveillance, Compliance & Marketing
Medicare Drug & Health Plan Contract Administration Group
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3. Unsolicited Contact and Outbound Telemarketing Plan Sponsors may not:
Solicit Medicare beneficiaries door-to-door
Leave leaflets, door hangers or flyers at a prospect’s home
Conduct unsolicited calls to their Medigap enrollees regarding their MA, PDP or 1876 cost plan products
Send unsolicited e-mails, text messages or voicemails to a beneficiary
Require an email address or other contact information as a condition of enrollment
Contact beneficiaries to ensure receipt of mailed information
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4. Unsolicited Contact and Outbound Telemarketing (cont.) Plan Sponsors may not:
Make calls to beneficiaries that resulted from a referral
Make calls to former members that have disenrolled or to current members that are in the process of disenrolling
Make calls to beneficiaries that attended a sales event unless permission given
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5. Unsolicited Contact and Outbound Telemarketing (cont.) Plan Sponsors may not:
Make calls to beneficiaries about other lines of business
Example-Medigap plan, or discount drug card
Make calls to beneficiaries that resulted from a referral
Make calls to former members who have disenrolled or to current members who are in the process of disenrolling
Make calls to beneficiaries who attended a sales event unless permission given
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6. Unsolicited Contact and Outbound Telemarketing (cont.) Plan Sponsors may:
Contact beneficiaries who have expressly given permission
Contact their own clients to discuss new plan options
Initiate a phone call to confirm an appointment
Contact their members to discuss educational events
Contact former members after the disenrollment date to conduct disenrollment survey
Return beneficiary phone calls
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7. Marketing and Promotional Activities
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8. Marketing and Promotional Activities (cont.) Plan Sponsors may not:
Request beneficiary identification numbers
Misrepresent a product being marketed as an approved Part D, MA or MA-PD Plan when it is actually a Medigap policy or non-Medicare drug plan
Market non-health related products (such as annuities and life insurance) to potential enrollees during a MA or PDP sales activity or presentation
Offer gifts of more than $15 to potential enrollees
Provide meals at promotional activities or sales events
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9. Marketing and Promotional Activities (cont.) Plan Sponsors may not:
Require a face-to-face appointment to provide plan information
Return uninvited to an earlier “no show”
Use high pressure sales tactics
Encourage beneficiaries to enroll or not
enroll based on their current health status
Distribute marketing materials during an
educational event
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10. Marketing and Promotional Activities (cont.) Plan Sponsors may:
Provide light refreshments and snacks to potential enrollees
Offer promotional gifts to potential enrollees as long as gifts are of nominal value and provided whether or not the individual enrolls in the plan
Leave information at the beneficiary’s residence if the pre-scheduled appointment was a “no show”
Leave cards behind for clients to give their friend or family
Distribute marketing materials including enrollment
forms during a sales event or individual appointment
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11. Ensuring Beneficiary Protection in Healthcare Settings Plan Sponsors may not:
Conduct sales presentations, distribute and accept enrollment applications where patients receive care
Restricted areas include:
Waiting rooms
Pharmacy counter areas
Exam rooms
Hospital patient rooms
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12. Ensuring Beneficiary Protection in Healthcare Settings (cont.) Plan Sponsors may:
Conduct sales presentations, distribute and accept enrollment applications based on the following:
Activity takes place in a common area
Common areas are: hospital or nursing home cafeterias, community or recreational rooms and conference rooms
Patients are not mislead or pressured into participating
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13. Ensuring Beneficiary Protection in Healthcare Settings (cont.) Plan Sponsors may:
Conduct the following in LTC facilities
Display posters
Include materials in admission packets
Provide residents that meet I-SNP criteria a brochure for each I-SNP with which the facility contracts
13 Providers are also permitted to display posters or other materials within the long-term care facility and in admission packets announcing all plan contractual relationships
Long term care facility staff are permitted to provide residents that meet the I-SNP criteria an explanatory brochure for each I-SNP with which the facility contracts.
The brochure can be explanatory about the qualification criteria and the benefits of being an I-SNP. The brochure may have a reply card or telephone number for the resident or responsible party to call to agree to a meeting or request additional information. Providers are also permitted to display posters or other materials within the long-term care facility and in admission packets announcing all plan contractual relationships
Long term care facility staff are permitted to provide residents that meet the I-SNP criteria an explanatory brochure for each I-SNP with which the facility contracts.
The brochure can be explanatory about the qualification criteria and the benefits of being an I-SNP. The brochure may have a reply card or telephone number for the resident or responsible party to call to agree to a meeting or request additional information.
14. Resources Subpart C Benefits and Beneficiary Protections (42 CFR 422.111 and 423.128)
Subpart V Medicare Advantage Marketing Requirements and Subpart V Part D Marketing Requirements( 42 CFR 422 and 423 )
CMS Marketing Webpage: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ManagedCareMarketing/
Health Plans-General Information: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HealthPlansGenInfo/
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15. Conclusion Q & A
Additional questions may be sent to
marketingpolicy@cms.hhs.gov
Any important links/references
http://www.cms.gov/ManagedCareMarketing 15