CMS: No plans to eliminate Medicare brokers

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does not plan to eliminate Medicare brokers or limit their ability to assist people in obtaining coverage.

A letter from Alexander Aramanda, principal deputy director at CMS, said that the agency does not use artificial intelligence bots to automatically enroll beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plans and has no plans to do in the future. InsuranceNewsNet obtained a copy of the letter.

The letter was sent in response to a health insurance agent association’s campaign asking its members and their clients to express their concerns to CMS over CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz’s remarks in which he publicly floated the idea of using AI as a decision-support and navigation tool for Medicare beneficiaries. He proposed using AI to help consumers understand their Medicare options, compare Medicare Advantage plans and providers, and navigate their enrollment choices.

HAFA launched letter-writing campaign to CMS

Health Agents for America launched a letter-writing campaign in late March to call on CMS to ensure that access to live, licensed professionals remains a priority; that AI supports and not replaces human interaction, and that safeguards are in place to protect seniors from confusion and errors.

“We absolutely think that Dr. Oz needs to hear from seniors and agents and brokers, because I think in Washington, they decide that this is a good idea without talking to human beings about how this is really going to work,” said Ronnell Nolan, HAFA president and CEO. “We decided the best thing to do is to go directly to the horse’s mouth, go to Dr. Oz and let him know our thoughts – what we think is good, what we think is bad.”

Using AI to enroll people in Medicare “only hurts the American senior,” Nolan said. “Why not take what we already have and make it better? Because until the carriers do a better job, until CMS does a better job, it won’t be effective at all. Could a bot replace Dr. Oz? I’m going to say no – the same way I’m going to say a bot cannot replace agents and brokers.”

Aramanda’s letter went on to say, “CMS is not pursuing any federal policy to discontinue Medigap plans, nor is the agency seeking to eliminate brokers or limit their ability to help people with Medicare.

“The broker community continues to play an important role in helping people understand their Medicare options and supporting informed enrollment decisions.”

Aramanda said that in the future, CMS may consider integrating AI into Medicare systems to guide beneficiaries through the Medicare Advantage and Part D enrollment process, answer questions and assist beneficiaries in comparing and selecting plans. But Medicare beneficiaries will continue to be able to choose between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

“Any future AI tools deployed in Medicare enrollment will be designed to allow the beneficiary to be in control of choosing the health coverage options that best fit their needs and will comply with all applicable federal privacy laws.”

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Susan Rupe is editor in chief, magazine, for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at susan.rupe@innfeedback.com.