Audio CD and written materials of AIS's audioconference on April 20, 2006

Strategies for the May 15 Medicare Part D Lock-in

As Medicare Part D's May 15 "lock-in" approaches, plan sponsors and their partners need to evaluate which strategies will be most effective (a) prior to this end of the 2006 open enrollment period, and (b) during the subsequent six-month lock-in. Under Part D, after May 15, most beneficiaries, except for those who are auto-enrolled low-income, will have to wait for open enrollment in November to change their plan. What does this first-ever Part D lock-in deadline mean for plan sponsors and their partners and vendors? What steps should they consider — to retain and boost their Medicare membership base — in the weeks immediately prior to the lock-in? Once the lock-in begins? What strategies can be effective to counter the fierce competition for existing members that is likely to ensue in many Part D regions?

Sponsored by Atlantic Information Services, Inc., publisher of Managed Care Week, Medicare Advantage News, Medicare Part D Compliance News, Drug Benefit News and A Guide to the Medicare Drug Benefit.

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With many Part D implementation issues now behind them, plan sponsors and their partners and vendors now must focus on retaining their new members in the face of potential "poaching" that is expected from competitors as the May 15 lock-in date approaches. And aggressive member-retention strategies will be needed after May 15 as well, since it is "open season" all year long for Medicare-Medicaid dual-eligible members who are auto-enrolled into Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) and not subject to the lock-in.

Learn about aggressive strategies that can be pursued to retain existing members and achieve new growth during this first-ever Part D hiatus for those who enroll before May 15.

Listen in as two of the nation's leading experts in Part D — John Gorman, president and CEO of Gorman Health Group (GHG), and Jeff Fox, formerly a senior executive at Health Net of Arizona and now a principal at GHG — analyze lock-in-related marketing and sales challenges health plans face under Part D. You will hear practical advice on the pros and cons of different strategies that Part D plan sponsors, with the aid of their partners and vendors, can use to maintain and grow their membership despite the lock-in.

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Speakers

JOHN GORMAN is President and CEO of Gorman Health Group, LLC (GHG), a leading consulting firm specializing in Medicare managed care and Part D. Before starting GHG in 1996, Mr. Gorman served as assistant to the director of HCFA's Office of Managed Care under two directors. Prior to that, he was staff director for U.S. Rep. John Conyers, Jr., then chairman of the House Government Operations Committee. Mr. Gorman specializes in strategic planning and business development for the health care industry, with particular emphasis on federal programs and regulation.

JEFF FOX is a Principal with GHG and directs its Phoenix office. He is one of the nation's leading experts in government program market analysis, product design, health plan marketing and sales operations, and provider-friendly contracting. Before joining GHG, Mr. Fox was Vice President of Government Programs for Health Net of Arizona, overseeing all sales and marketing, enrollment, customer service and appeals and grievances for Health Net's Medicare products. He later was promoted to expand his responsibilities to include all contracting and provider relations duties for all product lines.

Moderator: Jim Gutman, vice president and executive editor at Atlantic Information Services, Inc.

 

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Written Materials