New Medicare Plan Finder Launching Soon!

On Friday, August 16, 2019 I attended the CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Webinar*, which provided an overview of new MPF tool which will be launching “before Labor Day 2019”.
 
Please note that all of my feedback below is based on a very brief 30-minute demo (and 30 min Q&A) that was provided by CMS.
 
My initial reaction is that the intentions are good, but a system overhaul of this magnitude should never be launched this close to the highest volume period of activity (i.e. Annual Enrollment) for a system.
 
There are some major changes in the new tool, which will significantly impact Medicare Beneficiaries and agents that use the Medicare Plan Finder tool.
 
I will do my best to highlight some of the positives first…
 
Some of the Positives:

• Authenticated Medicare Plan Finder – the new Medicare Plan Finder will allow for an Anonymous search (like the Current MPF), however there will also be a new type of Search that allows for an Authenticated login.  If a user creates an account and logs in, the tool will be able to query the last 12 months of Rx Claims Data for that individual.  This could be helpful to pull a drug list for an existing Medicare Beneficiary.
• Part B Drug Costs Available in the new Medicare Plan Finder Tool – in the current MPF tool, Part B drug costs are not available.  These Part B drugs can be some of the most expensive drugs so it’s difficult to project costs for individuals that will be taking these medications.  In the new tool, Part B drug costs will be available if you use the Medicare Advantage Search Path (since most Plans require Beneficiaries to pay 20% of Part B drug costs).
• 3 Pharmacies instead of 2 Pharmacies – the current MPF tool only allows the user to search for costs based 2 Pharmacies.  The new tool will allow a third pharmacy to be added to the Cost Comparison. 
• Drug List max of 40 drugs (instead of 25) – the current tool limits the number of medications that can be entered to 25.  The new tool will increase that limit to 40 medications.
• New “Look & Feel” – the new tool has a new “look and feel” that is intended to improve navigation and clarity. 

 
Some Concerns:

• The Existing Tool will not be available for this AEP – as mentioned earlier, a change of this magnitude should either be run in parallel with the existing system OR it should be deployed in an off-season, rather than the busiest time of the year for the MPF.
• Drug List ID No Longer Available – The existing system has a Drug List ID, which allows a Medicare Beneficiary to pull up the list of Drugs that was used on a prior Plan Search so they don’t have to re-enter all the same Drug Info again, and again, and again…and again… each time they want to shop for a Plan.  The New Tool will no longer have this functionality.  Thus, when someone is using the tool to shop for a Plan for the first time, they will have to re-enter their Rx information every time they want to go back in and shop the Plans again.  For one or two medications, this isn’t a big deal.  However, if a Beneficiary has a long list of medications this can be incredibly cumbersome.  For Agents that have to do hundreds or even thousands of these Rx reviews in just a few short months, these extra steps can be extremely detrimental to being able to recommend the best Plans possible for Medicare Beneficiaries.
• Creating PDF summary reports – functionality available?  The Existing MPF tool allows a user to create a very detailed and comprehensive report which outlines Drug Costs by month, at different pharmacies, timing for reaching the Doughnut Hole, Catastrophic Coverage, etc.  These reports are invaluable for providing a clear outline of cost projections to Medicare Beneficiaries.  During the Webinar, we were not shown this report functionality, so it is not clear whether the new tool will allow for this level of reporting.  If this reporting is not available, this would create major communication and expectation issues with Medicare Beneficiaries.

At Senior Advisors, we still plan to provide the FREE Annual Review of Part D coverage for all of our clients as we have in the past.  However, this year will certainly be more challenging and we ask for your patience as we work through these reviews using a brand new tool for 2020 Plans.


 
* A recording of this webinar along with PowerPoint slides will be posted in the “Resources” tab of the NTP website at https://cmsnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/, as soon as the Plan Finder is publicly launched.

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