Working with groups of 50 or more? This is a CE day you won’t want to miss on April 2 at the Oak Openings Lodge. We’re putting together a program of three to four CEs for Cornerstone agents to learn more about self-funding and large-group requirements. The program will begin in the late morning and end at 4:30 pm.
Look for more details soon!
Your favorite Cornerstone webinars are back in 2019, with the addition of the brand-new Group Corner.
But that’s not all that’s new this year…
We are also filling our webinar schedule with special guest presentations from Dennis Heywood, Hal Becker, and other industry experts!
Find the full schedule of 2019 webinars on the event calendar on the Cornerstone website.
Please read and share with your clients!
2019 has new (lower) thresholds for higher-income beneficiaries. Lower is not a good thing. The basic Part B premium went from $134 per month to $135.50 per month. All other threshold Part B and Part D premiums also increased. Additionally, they created two new thresholds with higher premiums.
You cannot avoid the issue by filing “married filing separately”. They added a threshold for this filing status. So if you file “Married Separately” with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) between $85,000 and $415,000 you pay $433.40 per month. If your MAGI is above $415,000 you pay $460.50 per month.
Don’t forget : These increased premiums for 2019 can be appealed and lowered for a “life-changing event,” the most common of which is loss of earnings. If high earnings from 2017 are no longer available because someone retired from their job or is self-employed, Social Security will lower the 2019 premiums based on your estimate of the 2019 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Other life-changing events are death of a spouse, divorce, marriage, loss of income producing property, reduction/loss of pension, and/or employer settlement.
REMEMBER: Your adjusted gross income affects your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums two years later (2019 AGI Affects 2021 premiums).
Please see the guide to Medicare premiums for higher income beneficiaries at www.Medicare.gov for the all the premium changes in 2019, or you can email me for a copy of the new rates.
Dennis Heywood, Social Security Solutions LLC
sshelp01@icloud.com | 513-235-8036 | SS-help.com
About Social Security Solutions LLC
Social Security Solutions provides direction, assistance, and information to financial advisers, couples, and individuals concerning Social Security retirement strategies, as well as survivor, disability, and Medicare issues. Services include pre-retirement Social Security analysis for individuals and couples; assisting individuals filing online claims for retirement, disability, and Medicare; conducting Social Security strategy presentations for financial/ health care advisors, businesses, and their employees.
January 28, 2019 UPDATE: Anthem SOCA MEWA is having 1094/1095B forms prepared on behalf of customers. They will be able to download from FormFire, review for correctness and send. Documents are expected to be posted by February 22, 2019. Click below for the updated ACA Reporting Guide.
Cornerstone has updated the 2018 ACA Reporting guide for agents to help them advise clients in level-funded, self-funded, or MEWA plans, as well as Applicable Large Employers. If a client was in one of these types of arrangements for any portion of 2018, they are responsible for this reporting.
Cornerstone’s first Individual Corner webinar of 2019 will kick off with Individual expert Geoff Beglen and IHC’s Marc Capogrossi this coming Wednesday!
IHC is a premier short-term carrier with national coverage and excellent service and support. The webinar will cover IHC’s short-term and critical illness portfolio, as well as how to quote and enroll clients.
Register today!
DATE: Wednesday, January 16, 2019
TIME: 9:30 am–10:30 am
As you may know, Securian is shutting down its dental insurance and not offering renewals to customers. Cornerstone proactively negotiated an arrangement with Principal to match Securian rates and plans with some great value added benefits. This arrangement has been extended to 2/1/2019 effective dates. This is open to any broker who works with Cornerstone and doesn’t impact your commissions!
Please contact your Cornerstone representative for more details.
To ensure we continually provide referred clients with exceptional service during the busy enrollment season, please familiarize yourself with our readiness checklist, which details our submission process, acceptance deadlines, and turn-around times.
INDIVIDUAL
OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD
November 1 to December 15, 2018
*Priority is given to Individual referrals received on or before December 3, 2018. Client outreach within 48 hours is not guaranteed during peak periods Oct 1 through Dec 15.
**Incomplete submissions will be returned requesting missing information.
Due to extremely high volumes of referrals during the open/annual enrollment period, we encourage clients to plan ahead and make decisions early.
If you have questions about referral submission, the referral acceptance deadlines, or other processes, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Your clients will be automatically re-enrolled in a 2019 Marketplace plan if they do not update their Marketplace application and enroll in a plan before December 15.
Your clients may be automatically re-enrolled if they…
Be sure that your clients log in to Healthcare.gov, update their information, and review the plan options available to them for 2019.
Questions? Contact Geoff Beglen for additional information.
JANUARY 1 DEADLINES
The following dates and deadlines pertain to enrollment for January 1, 2018:
December 10, 2018- Last day to request a January 1, 2019 quote (or re-quote) for any group.
December 17, 2018- Last day to bind coverage for January 1, 2019
Any group making a request after these dates will be able to receive a quote or join the plan on February 1, 2019 but will not have the option to be quoted or enroll for January 1, 2019.
Please share with your clients that due to the high end of year enrollment volume the delivery of paperwork such as employee ID cards may take longer than is normal. Those needing help accessing their benefits can contact Medical Mutual at 800-382-5729.
December 19, 2018- Please have all renewal confirmations and paperwork to Cornerstone no later than December 19, 2018 to allow for processing time in order to meet the Ohio Farm Bureau December 21, 2018 submission deadline.
MANDATORY ELECTRONIC BILLING
Any group sold after January 1, 2019 with ten (10) or fewer employees enrolling is required to sign up for ACH* payments. Groups in this size category will no longer have the option to pay their monthly premium equivalent rate by check.
Any group that is delinquent more than once in a six (6) month period will also be required to sign up for ACH payments as a condition of reinstatement.
These requirements will ensure that every group is able to participate in the Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan without administrative difficulties.
ACH (Automated Clearinghouse also known as EFT or Electronic Funds Transfer) allows a group to provide payment details once and have funds debited from their bank account automatically each month to pay for their coverage.
Questions? Get in touch with us by phone or email!
Cornerstone Senior Marketing & Aetna MA/MAPD want to share some insightful benefit information on Aetna’s plans if you have clients in the Northeast Ohio region.
5 reasons Aetna is your BEST choice in Northeast Ohio:
$0/MONTH
Two plan options including both medical and prescription drug coverage at $0/month
PROVIDER NETWORK
All acute-care hospitals in Ohio are in-network for Aetna members
(The Ohio State University is in-network for Aetna PPO members only)
NEW BENEFITS ADDED
Plans may include: OTC allowance, transportation, post-discharge meals, and dental, vision, & hearing benefits
If you have questions or want to get contracted with Aetna please contact your Cornerstone Senior Marketing representative.