Purpose of Permission to Contact
Before we explore the question of “When Does Permission to Contact Expire,” it’s important to understand what it is and who it covers. When contacting current or future Medicare beneficiaries, brokers must stay on their toes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have published the 2022 Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines (MCMG) which governs the kind of language brokers and agents can use in informational and marketing materials. In addition, you must be very careful about when and how you contact beneficiaries.
On the nose, the guidelines set forth by CMS may seem rather strict. However, these rules were set in place because a few agents used unethical tactics during enrollment to get people to sign up for prescription drug plans, along with other products. Some people reported feeling intimidated into agreeing to sign up for a specific plan, even though their doctors weren’t on it. Often the agent had a financial incentive for certain plans. Other beneficiaries were signed up for life insurance or other products without their knowledge. Ultimately, extensive guidelines were issued to protect beneficiaries from misinformation, pressure tactics, and fraud.
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Permission to Contact Guidelines
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Specifically, the Medicare Permission to Contact (PTC) rule outlines when it is okay to contact a current or potential Medicare beneficiary, the specific products they are giving you permission to contact them for, how you can approach them, and when you can contact them.
How to Compliantly Receive Permission to Contact
According to MCMG Guidelines, agents must have permission before they can make marketing calls. The following activities are strictly forbidden:
- Cold calling
- Direct messaging via social media
- Text messaging
- canvassing door to door
Here are a few ways an agent can get permission to contact:
- Have potential clients fill out a Business Reply Card (BRC).
- the beneficiary emails a Plan or Part D Sponsor and requests a return call.
- Beneficiaries ask a customer service representative to have an agent contact them
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It is vital that the beneficiary initiate the contact.
On the BRC, phone call, or email, the consumer will indicate what program they want information about. A client should indicate whether they want information on Medicare Supplements, Medicare Advantage, or both.
Once a beneficiary gives permission for an agent to contact them, the agent still has to be careful. The permission only covers a very small window of service. Specifically, beneficiaries can only be contacted by the entity they’ve requested contact from, and the agent can only discuss the products indicated on their BRC.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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