The fourth quarter is a stressful time. Not only do brokers have to deal with the same year-end stuff as everyone else, like getting ready for the holidays, it’s also the busy time of the year in the insurance industry. And that’s true whether you sell group, individual, or Medicare products.

Back in 2007, three years before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, Michael Moore released his film “Sicko” to highlight what he saw as the flaws in our for-profit healthcare system and advocate for a single-payer, Medicare-for-All solution in the United States. Moore was a supporter of H.R. 676, the Medicare-for-All bill introduced by Senator John Conyers (D-MI) that was picking up some steam at the time.

One of the problems in DC is that, instead of working together to develop a plan to fix our broken health care system, nearly everyone develops their own plan so that they can take credit for it. That certainly seems to be the case among the nearly two dozen Democrats running for President. Most, but not all, support some version of Medicare expansion, but those who do support the idea are far from being on the same page.

About a year ago, we posted an article about Medicare Premium Reimbursement Arrangements, which allow small employers to pay for the Medicare Part B, Part D, and supplement premiums for their active employees. As explained in the article, the employer cannot force older employees off of the group plan (they have the same enrollment rights as all other full-time employees), but it can often be a win-win solution for both the employer and the employee.

The Annual Election Period (AEP) for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans runs from October 15 to December 7. During this time of the year, Medicare recipients can join an Advantage plan, switch from one Advantage plan to another, or leave their Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare.

Each year, Medicare makes changes to the Part A and B out-of-pocket expenses, monthly premium for Part B, and premium adjustment thresholds for Part B and Part D. Here are the figures for 2019.

If you sell Medicare supplements, you may have heard that Medigap plans C and F are being eliminated in 2020. Since that’s just over a year away, and because Medigap Plan F is the most popular Medicare supplement plan, you’ll probably start getting some questions from your Medicare-eligible (and near-eligible) clients. Here are a few short-and-sweet answers to some of the more common questions.

If you sell Medicare Advantage and/or Medicare Part D plans, then you are no doubt familiar with the Annual Election Period (AEP), which starts October 15 and ends December 7. The AEP is sometimes referred to as the “Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug coverage.” In fact, the Medicare.gov web page devoted to Medicare enrollment periods describes it this way.

Can Employers Pay Their Employees’ Medicare Premiums? At AHCP, we’re starting to get this question more and more frequently from brokers. We believe there are two reasons for this:

If you’ve been selling Marketplace plans for the past five years, then you probably have a number of clients who are currently receiving premium tax credits. As these clients approach age 65, it’s important to let them know that they will no longer be able to receive a premium tax credit when they sign up for Medicare. Both Healthcare.gov and Medicare.gov have pages devoted to educating consumers about this topic, but it’s unlikely that your clients will read this information unless you point it out to them.