The Gold Standard
SMA is back again with more resources & news!
Welcome to the September edition of The Gold Standard! At SMA, we are excited to share the most recent news and resources that will help YOU be the best agent you can be! Here are a few of the topics we are covering this month:
Calendar view of September & October commissions dates, important carrier dates, and service area reductions.Are you ready to sell? Make sure you are up to date on certifications, carrier updates and first looks for 2025!Vault Talk with Jeremy Tingler going over 2025 SEP Changes & HIDE/FIDESeptember Crossword for a chance to win a free mail drop (valued up to $2,189.90)!You are the reason we want to provide helpful information, so if you have feedback and suggestions make sure to fill out the feedback form at the bottom of this newsletter!
Employee Spotlight
Trent Smith
Account Manager Support Specialist
Trent joined SMA in March 2020, bringing a background in outpatient clinic insurance billing and coverage to the team. Starting in the contracting department, Trent played a pivotal role in guiding agents through the entire contracting process, from initial setup to adjusting appointments and state placements. Trent was the main point of contact for contracting and facilitated the onboarding of agencies at the OVR level. As of this August, Trent joined the Account Management team as an Account Manager Support Specialist!
Fun Facts: Trent can wiggle his ears, considers himself a professional at eating Mexican food, and is huge Tennessee Volunteers fan!
IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR COMMISSION STATEMENT AVAILABILITY AND DELIVERY:
Over the course of 2024, we have been moving away from eAgentCenter.com as the housing facility for our commissions and agent/agency statements. The statements for most carriers have been manually sent by our team directly to agents/agencies via email. Effective the week ending 07/26/2024, Aetna MA is the only carrier that will have new statements available in eAgentCenter.com.
Old statements for all carriers will still be available in eAgentCenter.com, however, we recommend that you download any statements that you would like to keep for your records. We will be moving away from eAc in its entirety in the coming months, and do not want anyone to suffer statement unavailability because of this move.
If you need assistance logging into eAc, or have not been receiving your statements via email, please contact commissions@seniormarketadvisors.com
Agent Advantage is Humana’s newsletter and this month they are setting up agents for success in 2025! They detail tips & tricks so that you can work efficiently & strategically during AEP while utilizing Humana’s online resources to grow your business.
Stay up to date on carrier news & resources!
Sign-in to your agent portals to dive into the resources each carrier offers.
Can’t access the portals? Check-in with your Account Manager to start the contracting process!
The 2025 Federally Facilitated Marketplace Certification Training is now available to producers via CMS Enterprise Portal. Please remember this training is mandatory if you are going to sell on-exchange Individual & Family plans.
Cigna announced changes to their 2025 Member ID card including the removal of PCP names/phone numbers and when a member changes their PCP mid-year, they will no longer receive a new ID card.
The Cigna Portal is expanding their sales support and offering a one-stop access to sales materials by state, including Application Booklet, Agent Guide, Customer Booklet and Brochure. They also provide on-the go quoting, cash bonuses, and 15-month commission advances with no interest
For more details on ID card changes & the sales support program, log in to your Cigna Portal.
Sunfire is highlighting their direct-to-consumer platform, Phoenix, as they’ve added a new Customer Intake Form. Click the following links for more information on the Customer Intake Form & their newly released Prescription Drug Prefill feature enabling agents to easily verify beneficiary’s prescriptions.
Service Area Reductions in 2025
We’ve updated our Service Area Reduction map as more carriers announced areas of reduction in 48 states that may impact your book of business! Click the following button to view the SARs Map outlining each state’s plan reductions.
This Month on Vault Talk!
Jeremy Tingler debriefs important SEP Changes for 2025 & deep dives into HIDE/FIDE.
Are you ready to sell?
Principals, make sure you are checking your reporting for RTS status so you can stay on top of your agents are ready to sell during AEP!
2025 First Looks
Read up on the following carriers’ first looks for 2025 plans!
For UHC’s First Look, login to your Jarvis account.
Crossword Challenge
Here is your chance to win a free mail drop!
Be the first person to email the completed & correct crossword to the following questions and you will win a free mail drop that is valued up to $2,189.80! Email your answers to: thegoldstandard@seniormarketadvisors.com
*Only agents with 4 or more contracts with SMA qualify for the prize.
Let us know your thoughts on this month’s newsletter & what you’d like to see next month!
We want to ensure we are providing you support! Complete the below form to let us know how we are doing in and how we could learn and grow to be a better partner!
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