1. Open Enrollment Period
Preparing for Medicare’s Annual
Open Enrollment Period
Good Morning. Time is flying. While we are still enjoying summer--Fall is right around the corner. Many of you may already be thinking about the upcoming open enrollment period. Some of you may already have your plan for this year. But whether you are a newer EBS or an experienced one, I want to take some time to talk through some planning for open enrollment and take a look at some resources.
August 2018

2. Agenda OEP Outreach Tips for Part D Sessions from SHIP TA Center
Planning Your Marketing Campaign
Preparing Your Outreach Materials
Tips for Part D Sessions from SHIP TA Center
Beneficiary Prep
Counselor Prep
Plan Finder
Guide for Using the Plan Finder
Intake Form
Agenda
Here’s a look at what I’ll be going over this morning.

3. OEP Outreach Planning Your Marketing Campaign
Print Activities
Face-to-face Activities
Presentations, Workshops and/or Enrollment Events
Other Mass Media Outreach
Social Media
When we think about the OEP outreach or marketing campaign—we can break things down into a few categories. IT will be important to incorporate a variety of activities and materials in order to reach a wide range of people in your service area. Some people tend to come to special events or presentations. Others get the majority of their information from newspaper, newsletters or other print materials, and still others are more likely to view your message via other media—radio or perhaps social media—facebook, etc.
Try to incorporate some of each type of outreach in your plan.

4. Medicare Open Enrollment!
Print Activities
Articles for agency newsletter
Submit to local senior centers & newspapers
Direct mail postcard OEP reminder to previous clients
Tip: Encourage them to “tell a friend”
Letters to senior housing managers
Letter to pharmacies
Encourage to hand out flyers to customers
Placemats and Home Delivered Meal Flyers
Target—senior dining and home delivered meal clients
Flyers, posters, table tents
Target locations—libraries, senior dining, senior centers, clinics
Church bulletin blurb
Medicare Open Enrollment!
Let’s start with looking at some Print activities you can do to help you get the word out.
In a few minutes I’ll show you where you can access materials on our website.

5. Face-to-Face Activities
Presentations, Workshops/Enrollment Events
Set up Presentations: Senior housing, libraries, senior centers
Connect with local pharmacists
Do they know when to refer?
Can you set up table in their lobby? Senior Discount Day
Health Fairs
Workshops
Some EBSs run the Plan Finder and then have people come to a group event/workshop to pick up their packet and learn how to understand results and enroll. (Efficient!)
Face to face activities are extremely effective in motivating people to take action and seek assistance. So try to set up presentations and other face-to-face activities wherever you can.
*AT this training last August, Jen Fechter shared info about how she does things during open enrollment—sending out the forms that people complete and return, running the plan finder and then handing the results out to people at a workshop. I am glad you are all able to share things in this way as well as through the benefit specialist listserv. If you are not on the WABS listserv, you are encouraged to join, or Jen asked me to let you know that you can her directly and she will make sure you receive the materials she sends out.
IF you have a way of doing things that works really well, or if you have created a material that works really well, I would love to see that if you are willing to share. WE can all learn so much from one another!

6. Consider Other Types of Media Outreach
Radio
Sample ads on website
Interview with EBS about OEP TV
Share info with local news station
Newspaper
Sample Newspaper ad on website
Radio TV
Newspaper
In addition to sharing articles, consider running an ad if your budget would allow.
Or, see if a local reporter would write an article about OEP, interview you to discuss why its important.

7. Social Media Facebook Twitter Share OEP Info.
Consider linking to Part D forms that can be downloaded, completed and sent to your office.
Consider adding locations of presentations and workshops.
Post comments throughout OEP, ie; “Still time to get help…”
Twitter
Some beneficiaries may respond to this.
Children of beneficiaries may view message.
As Medicare beneficiaries become more computer savvy, more may be exploring social media for information. Why not use that to your advantage and if your agency has a Facebook or Twitter account, share some OEP info that way as well.

8. OEP Outreach Preparing Your Materials
GWAAR Website
Medicare Outreach and Assistance Page
SHIP TA Center
The Medicare Blog

9. GWAAR Website Medicare Outreach and Assistance Page: New Pages
Click: “Open Enrollment Toolkit”
Scroll through list of materials
Customize with your local contact information
Check wifi connections. Show how to access the materials. Toolkit.

10. Additional Links SHIP TA Center The Medicare Blog
Link from GWAAR webpage or
Resource Library
The Medicare Blog
Categories: Open Enrollment
Check wifi connections. Show how to access the materials. Toolkit.

14. Tips from SHIP TA Center
Medicare Plan Finder 101
Prepare the beneficiary for Part D sessions
Counselor preparations for Part D sessions
Last year, the SHIP TA Center put together a plan-finder-101 training and I want to share just a couple quick tips they had for preparing for Part D sessions. Most of you probably do these things—but reminders are always good.

15. Beneficiary Preparation
Provide beneficiary list of items to have ready for appointment, whether it is in person or on the phone:
Medicare number and effective dates for Part A and/or Part B
Date of birth
Zip code
List of drugs that includes dosages and quantities
For liquids, get size of bottle (mL, fluid ounces)
Name and address of preferred pharmacy
Name of current Medicare plan (if applicable)
Status of enrollment in Extra Help, Medicare Savings Program, Medicaid
Again, I believe many of you already do this, but if not, this is something you’ll want to consider. If someone comes in for an appointment, but they don’t have the right materials with them, it may mean another trip to your office, as well as a bit of frustration and worry. To avoid wasted time and all the other issues, provide them a list of items to have ready for the appointment, whether it is in person or on the phone.
The items listed would be what you’d want to be sure they bring along. Again, a customizable Part D form is available in the OEP Toolkit—and this is based on the form that Jen Fechter from Washington Co shared with me.

16. Counselor Preparation
Have client contact form ready
Do complete intake
Form should include place to write down Drug List ID number and Drug List ID password
Use personalized search on Plan Finder
Personalized search is specific to beneficiary
Will show if beneficiary is enrolled in any assistance programs (Medicaid, MSP, Extra Help) and reflect those prices
If personalized search does not work, use SHIP Unique ID to confirm beneficiary’s contact information, or do general search.
The SHIP TA Center reminds you to have your forms ready. You will want to gather all the information about the beneficiary that you would need to do a plan comparison using the Medicare Plan Finder. IF you are creating your own form for Part D sessions, make sure there is a place for writing down the drug list ID number and password.
Personalized search on the Plan Finder is best whenever possible. If personalized search doesn’t work, you can also use the SHIP Unique ID and specific 1-800Medicare Hotline number to confirm the beneficiary’s contact information. Often the personalized search doesn't work because the mailing address the bene provides and zip code CMS/SSA have on file differ. Confirming this detail and using it in plan finder can solve the problem.
General Search: This will still provide good and useful information that the beneficiary can use in making a decision. The main difference is that it will not show you LIS levels.

17. Counselor Preparation
A few Plan Finder reminders before OEP:
Part B v Part D medications—Meds covered by Part B should NOT be entered in Plan Finder as it will just skew the results.
Off-Label usage of medications
Always Print the Confirmation Page!
Be sure to attend the Fall Medicare Training!!!
10/2 or 10/5
For more in-depth coverage of Part D issues and other important Medicare updates and details, be sure to attend the Fall Medicare Training! But here are a couple Plan Finder issues I want to mention:
Part B v Part D medications. Meds covered by Part B should NOT be entered in Plan Finder as it will just skew the results. Example: Insulin used in an insulin pump is covered under Part B, and since insulin is very expensive, entering it into the Plan Finder could change the plan recommendations for the entire year.
Off-Label usage of medications—be aware this can be an issue—happens more during the year, not necessarily during OEP.
Always Print the Confirmation Page! Says the client was enrolled into XYZ Plan on __date, etc.

18. The Plan Finder Review FAQs on Plan Finder at Medicare.gov
Found on top Menu Bar
Plan Finder Guide
Share with beneficiaries who may want to do their own plan comparison.
Use as quick reference
Plan Finder Intake Form
When problems occur
FAQs
Plan Finder Guide
Plan Finder Intake form—every year during open enrollment, benefit specialists encounter problems with the Plan Finder while running plan comparisons. If you have a problem you are not able to resolve, you can complete the form and send to me so we can check into it. Prior to open enrollment, I will be sending out that form and the instructions and will have available in the OEP toolkit on the website as well.

19. Medicare Outreach Coordinator, GWAAR
Debbie Bisswurm
Medicare Outreach Coordinator, GWAAR
Questions?