Monday’s National Call was a great one! If you weren’t able to join us, be sure to catch the recording, now available on the ARC.
We were excited to welcome back Mutual of Omaha as our guest host and officially announce our brand-new carrier partnership with Physicians Mutual. There’s a lot of exciting opportunity ahead, and we’re looking forward to what these partnerships will bring to our agents and their clients.
Speaking of opportunity, now is the perfect time to take a fresh look at the incredible ancillary portfolio available to you. We have so much more to offer clients beyond Medicare, and these products can be a valuable way to round out your client conversations and provide more complete protection.
From hospital and dental coverage to critical illness, cancer, accident, life, and more, our portfolio gives you multiple opportunities to uncover additional client needs while growing your business.
Utilize the full portfolio available to you! Every client conversation is an opportunity to uncover a need, and ancillary products can be a valuable part of that conversation.
Starting August 12, we’re kicking off an incredible new incentive:
That means your qualifying ancillary business can help you earn double conference credits toward Maui.
Incentive Period: August 12 – September 29
Seven weeks to earn!
Goal: More conference credits = one step closer to Maui!
Annuities are excluded from this incentive.
This is a fantastic opportunity to put your ancillary portfolio to work, help more clients, grow your business, and double your conference credits at the same time.
Seven weeks. Double credits. One amazing destination. Let’s make it count!
Good luck, everyone! Take advantage of this incredible opportunity, make every client conversation count, and get one step closer to Maui!
Mai-Lee Coddington
Regional Sales Director, SW
This week’s Carrier Spotlight features Mutual of Omaha and its new and improved Hospital Indemnity Plan. Click below to check out the flyer for all the details on the plan and its latest enhancements.
One of my biggest takeaways from our guest speaker was learning more about the plan’s reimbursement benefits for custodial care and pet boarding expenses—two unique features that can really help set this plan apart in the marketplace. These added benefits can make a meaningful difference for your clients while giving you another great reason to introduce this plan into your client conversations.
Mutual of Omaha – Hospital Protection Plan Highlight Sheet
Mutual of Omaha – Hospital Indemnity Product Availability Map
We’re also excited to officially introduce our new carrier partnership with Physicians Mutual! Click below to download the flyers for state availability and additional information.
Physicians Mutual Product Availability Maps
To help you get started, we’ve already scheduled additional training opportunities designed to familiarize you with Physicians Mutual, introduce you to their products, and give you the confidence to begin sharing this new partnership with your clients. We encourage you to take advantage of these trainings so you have the knowledge, tools, and support needed to launch efficiently and successfully.
Have questions or need assistance? Robin Huff, Regional Account Manager, is here to support you as you get started:
We’re excited about this new partnership and the opportunities it brings to you and your clients. Keep an eye out for upcoming invitations, attend the trainings, take advantage of the resources available to you, and let’s get Physicians Mutual off to a strong start!
In just a few weeks, we’ll come together in Houston for our annual AEP Kickoff. For many, it’s a chance to reconnect with friends, sharpen your skills, and build momentum for the season ahead. For others, it will be your very first Kickoff. No matter where you are in your career, I believe events like this can be career-changing.
As I prepared for this year’s event, I found myself reflecting on something I wrote in last year’s newsletter. Early in my career, attending one of these meetings had a profound impact on my future. Ironically, that event was also in the Houston area. Returning to the same city all these years later makes this year’s Kickoff feel like a full-circle moment.
Looking back, it wasn’t one keynote speaker or breakout session that changed everything. It was the opportunity to be surrounded by people who were already accomplishing what I hoped to achieve.
Like many new agents, I assumed top producers had something I didn’t—a special talent, a different personality, or a secret to their success. What I discovered was much simpler. They faced the same objections, heard the same “no’s,” and experienced the same setbacks as everyone else. The difference was that they had learned a few lessons I hadn’t yet—and they were willing to share them.
That realization changed everything.
One conversation sparked a new idea. One small adjustment led to better results. Over time, those small changes transformed my career. I wasn’t changed overnight—I grew because I was exposed to new perspectives, proven strategies, and people who challenged me to become better.
That’s the real value of Kickoff.
The training sessions, product updates, sales strategies, and industry insights are incredibly valuable. But some of the biggest takeaways happen between sessions—over dinner, in the hotel lobby, or during conversations with people who understand exactly what you experience every day.
Our business can be a lonely one. Most days it’s just you, your clients, and the road between appointments. Kickoff is a reminder that you’re part of something much bigger. It’s an opportunity to learn from one another, encourage one another, and see firsthand that success isn’t reserved for a select few. It’s built by ordinary people who commit to learning, growing, and showing up every day.
As we prepare for Houston, my encouragement is simple: come with an open mind. Ask questions. Introduce yourself to someone new. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn.
Because you never know which conversation, idea, or small adjustment will become the moment you look back on years from now and realize—that’s where everything changed.
Colan Mouton
Regional Sales Director, NE
Our recent National Call featured special guest Derek Weidenmeyer, Sales Director of Brokerage Sales at Mutual of Omaha, who shared valuable insights into several products that can help agents grow their business and provide clients with protection at every stage of life.
These solutions offer flexible protection options while creating additional opportunities to diversify your portfolio and better serve your clients. Contact your DSM to learn more about these Mutual of Omaha products.
During our recent National Call, we reviewed several key updates included in the CMS 2027 Final Rule and what they mean for agents moving forward.
The overall direction from CMS is clear: reduce unnecessary barriers while maintaining strong consumer protections. Rather than adding more administrative hurdles, CMS is shifting its focus toward transparency, consumer choice, and ensuring beneficiaries receive the information they need when they need it.
For agents, many of these changes create opportunities to serve clients more efficiently while continuing to operate within a compliant framework.
One of the most significant updates is the elimination of the 48-hour waiting period after completing a Scope of Appointment.
Under the new rule, once a valid SOA has been completed, agents may immediately discuss Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Prescription Drug Plans (Part D). This can occur during the same appointment, the same phone call, or on the same day the SOA is completed.
CMS recognizes that consumers often seek assistance when they are ready to make decisions. Removing the waiting period allows agents to respond more quickly while still obtaining the required authorization before discussing plan options.
CMS has also streamlined call recording requirements.
Moving forward, only calls that result in an enrollment must be recorded. In addition, marketing call retention requirements have been reduced to six years.
This change reduces administrative burdens while preserving accountability for enrollment-related conversations.
Third-Party Organization disclaimers remain an important compliance requirement, but CMS has provided greater flexibility regarding when those disclosures must be delivered.
Rather than requiring the disclaimer at the beginning of every call, agents must ensure the disclosure is provided before discussing plan benefits. This adjustment allows conversations to flow more naturally while still ensuring consumers receive the necessary information before evaluating plan options.
Another welcome change is the elimination of the previous 12-hour separation requirement between educational events and sales or marketing events.
CMS is placing less emphasis on arbitrary time gaps and more emphasis on consumer understanding. The expectation remains that beneficiaries clearly understand when an educational discussion transitions into a sales presentation.
As agents, this means greater flexibility when planning educational workshops, seminars, and community outreach events while still maintaining clear communication and compliance standards.
Certain Special Enrollment Periods will now require validation directly through CMS.
In some cases, beneficiaries may need to complete enrollment through Medicare.gov or by contacting 1-800-MEDICARE. While CMS may control portions of the enrollment process, agents will continue to play a critical advisory role by helping beneficiaries understand eligibility requirements, evaluate plan options, and navigate available coverage choices.
While several requirements have become more flexible, many core compliance expectations remain firmly in place.
Agents must still:
For appointments generated through UIG programs, continue documenting the appointment source appropriately:
“Appointment set for Medicare Supplement review.”
Maintaining thorough documentation remains an important part of demonstrating compliance and protecting both agents and beneficiaries.
CMS has also announced a new GLP-1 Bridge Demonstration Program scheduled to begin July 1, 2026.
The program is intended to provide eligible Medicare beneficiaries with expanded access to certain GLP-1 medications. Additional guidance, eligibility requirements, and implementation details are expected from CMS as the launch date approaches.
We will continue monitoring developments and provide updates as more information becomes available.
For the first time in several years, many of these CMS updates represent a move toward greater flexibility rather than additional restrictions.
These changes allow agents to respond more quickly when consumers are ready, streamline administrative processes, and create a more natural client experience—all while preserving the safeguards beneficiaries deserve.
It’s important to remember that the expectation is not less compliance; it’s better compliance. Success under the new rules will still require clear communication, proper documentation, sound judgment, and a commitment to always putting the consumer first.
The agents who embrace these changes while maintaining a strong compliance mindset will be well-positioned for success during AEP and beyond. With fewer unnecessary obstacles standing in the way, we can spend more time focused on what matters most: educating clients, building trust, and helping beneficiaries make confident Medicare decisions.
As always, if you need more information on any of this, contact your DSM or Regional Sales Directors.
Mai-Lee Coddington
Regional Sales Director, SW
This month, we’re highlighting Amada Senior Care, a leading provider of senior care services and extended care claims advocacy. Since its founding in 2007, Amada Senior Care has expanded to more than 340 locations across 44 states, helping seniors and their families navigate care decisions with confidence, compassion, and personalized support.
Amada’s nationwide network specializes in non-medical in-home caregiving, care coordination, senior housing placement, assisted living communities, memory care, board and care homes, and adult family homes. Their comprehensive approach helps families identify the right care solutions while easing the challenges that often accompany aging and long-term care planning.
One of Amada Senior Care’s greatest differentiators is its dedicated support for extended care insurance policyholders. Acting as a long-term care claims concierge, their team works directly with clients and families to explain available benefits, organize claim documentation, coordinate RN assessments, complete claim forms, and assist with ongoing claims management. They help ensure policyholders receive the benefits they’ve paid for while minimizing the administrative burden of the claims process.
In addition to claims advocacy, Amada assists with care coordination, financial resource planning, VA benefits, retirement benefits, and other programs that may help offset the cost of care. By combining personalized service with streamlined technology and proven claims management processes, Amada serves as a valuable resource for both agents and their clients.
What makes this partnership especially exciting is Amada’s commitment to working directly with UIG agents. Founder Tafa Jefferson has expressed a strong interest in collaborating with our agent network, creating opportunities not only to better serve your clients but also to establish a mutually beneficial referral relationship. This partnership has the potential to provide tremendous value for families seeking care solutions while generating new opportunities for agents.
To learn more about Amada Senior Care’s services and how they can support your clients, watch the full webinar presentation available in the Agent Resource Center (ARC). And don’t miss the opportunity to meet the Amada team in person at our AEP Kickoff event in Houston!
| Our time in Malta for the Top Producer Conference was nothing short of unforgettable. From incredible networking and meaningful connections to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, this trip was a celebration of the hard work and dedication of our top-performing agents. Congratulations again to all of our winners — we’re proud to recognize your outstanding achievements! AGENT OF THE YEAR: Thackoor Samdeo – Florida ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Christopher Badger – Southern California CROSS-SELLING AGENT OF THE YEAR: Thackoor Samdeo – Florida NET GROWTH AGENT OF THE YEAR: Trinh Truong – Michigan HEALTH SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR: Sean Deveau – Connecticut |
