Representatives of NAIFA’s Medicare Collective, an initiative of the Lifetime Healthcare Center, met with officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to discuss the role of brokers and agents in providing vital guidance, services, and protections to consumers in the Medicare space. They presented the Collective’s plan to work with CMS and insurance carriers to ensure Medicare beneficiaries receive the best possible coverage and care in these challenging times. They also addressed rising concerns that the failure to adequately compensate agents for their work would harm consumers by leaving them vulnerable to misinformation or without competent, personalized assistance as they navigate complex coverage options, plans, and regulations.

In introductory remarks, Dr. Darwin Hale, CEO & Founder Advocate Health Advisors, offered an overview of the Medicare Collective’s mission to support insurance and financial professionals specializing in Medicare solutions and help them enhance their expertise on the complexities of healthcare-related products and regulations. He also stressed that Medicare Collective members can serve as a valuable resource to CMS.

“Our members see firsthand which programs work and which do not,” said Carroll Golden, Executive Director for NAIFA’s Knowledge Centers and the Collective. “Together CMS and the NAIFA Medicare Collective can improve protections for beneficiaries in a way neither one can separately.”

Representing NAIFA at the meeting were Dr. Hale; Stephen Kaplan, Chief Legal, Compliance, Privacy & Policy Officer HealthPlanOne, LLC; Chris Houlihan, AmeriLife Chief of Staff; and Craig Ritter, CEO Ritter Insurance Marketing, LLC, an Integrity Company; along with Golden, NAIFA Senior Vice President for Government Relations Diane Boyle, and Senior Director for Government Relations Michael Hedge.

The Medicare Collective Advisory Council members closed the meeting by asking for future collaborations to assist CMS in executing the vision of CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz as unveiled in his recent speech to the Better Medicare Alliance.