If you are to comply with Medicare guidance regarding educational events

You work for a company that has marketed Medigap products for many years. The company has added MA and Part D plans and you will begin marketing those plans this fall. You are planning what materials to use to easily show the difference in benefits, premiums and cost sharing for each of the products. What do you need to do with your materials before using them for marketing purposes?

You are meeting with Mrs. Hall in her home. On her scope of appointment form she asked to discuss MA plans. During the meeting, she asks to discuss a stand-alone Rx plan. She is leaving the next day to visit her family in another state, so it is important to her to make a decision before she leaves. What must happen before that additional discussion can take place?

By contact plans available in your area, you have learned that the plan you represent has a significantly lower monthly premium than the others. Furthermore, you see that the plan you represent has a unique benefit package. What should you do to make sure your clients know about these pieces of information?

You plan to participate in an educational event sponsored by a large regional health care system. One of your colleagues suggests that you do a presentation on one of the Medicare health plans you market, and modify it to include information about preventive screening tests showcased at the event. How should you respond to your colleague’s suggestion?

QUINN is a marketing representative who markets an MA plan. He is a very good speaker and was asked to make a presentation at a local event that was advertised as education. He accepted the invitation and the MA plan reported the event to CMS. CMS’s secret shopper attended the event and heard Mr. Quinn’s sales presentation. Which of the following could CMS do?

Organizations sponsoring Medicare health plans are responsible for the behavior of their contracted representatives and will be conducting monitoring activities to ensure compliance with all applicable Federal laws and guidance and plan policies. Furthermore, state agent licensure laws are NOT preempted and he must abide by their requirements.

By contacting plans available in your area, you have learned that the plan you represent has a significantly lower monthly premium than the others. Furthermore, you see that the plan you represent has a unique benefit package. What should you do to make sure your clients know about these pieces of information?

You work for a company that has marketed Medigap products for many years. The company has added MA and Part D plans and you will begin marketing those plans this fall. You are planning what materials to use to easily show the differences in benefits, premiums and cost sharing of each of the products. What do you need to do with your materials before using them for marketing purposes?

You are meeting with Mrs. Hall in her home. On her SOA form she asked to discuss MA plans. During the meeting, she asks to discuss a stand-alone Rx plan. She is leaving the next day to visit her family for a week in another state, so it is important to her to make a decision before she leaves. What must happen before that additional discussion can take place?

A. It is that time of year again, and we are preparing for our Medicare events. It is imperative to keep in mind the rules for providing food and refreshments at Medicare events. The Medicare Marketing Guidelines provide guidance on the do’s and dont’s of providing food and drinks at Medicare events.

Before you call a caterer, you will want to ensure you are adhering to the Medicare Marketing Guidelines (MMG) for providing food and refreshments at Medicare events. You do not have to flip through the entire document to find the guidance of hosting a compliant educational, or marketing and sales Medicare Event.

Here’s what you need to know:

You can provide food at your Medicare Marketing and Sales Event, however, you are only allowed to provide “refreshments and light snacks.” You are not allowed to provide (or pay for) meals. You will have to use your best judgment on the food you provide. It is your responsibility to ensure everything provided cannot be considered a meal. You will also have to be mindful that refreshments and snacks cannot be grouped together or eaten as if they were a meal.

As far as educational events go, there is an exception to the rules mentioned above. You can provide food and snacks at educational events, but you are also allowed to provide meals. If you would like to provide meals at educational events, however, there are additional rules that must be followed:

• The event must meet Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) strict definition of an educational event. When meeting CMS’s definition, the event must be designed to inform beneficiaries about Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage, or another Medicare program. The event absolutely cannot include any marketing efforts. (e.g., you cannot advise, or try to advise, any potential beneficiary towards a particular plan or a set number of plans. You can only educate the attending beneficiaries about all of their product options.)
• Any meals provided must comply with the nominal gift required listed in MMG section 70.1.1, meaning that any meal provided (whether to a group or an individual) cannot exceed a nominal value per person. (e.g., if you scheduled an event with 20 attendees, and you are planning to provide meals for each person and spend $300 on the meals in total; the value of each meal, per anticipated attendee, is a nominal $15.

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Sources: CMS.gov/Medicare/Health-Plans/ManagedCareMarketing/Downloads/2017MedicareMarketingGuidelines2.pd