Hartloff Benefits – Empowering people to make good Healthcare and Medicare choices

Hartloff Benefits – Empowering people to make good Healthcare and Medicare choices

By Hartloff Benefits

It starts with the premise that “You are handling a Senior’s Health Insurance – you need to get it right!” The focus is always on doing the right thing for the client. As brokers we represent the client, not the insurance companies. It is crucial that we get the right plan for each client.  With over 40 Medicare Advantage plan and half a dozen Medigap plans available, there are a lot of choices!

A big part of our process is getting to know our clients.  Taking the time to learn – not just about medical needs but lifestyle and travel plans. We also need to inquire about medical history, including prescriptions, and potential future medical procedures. I have had many folks say to me – “You ask a lot of questions”. How a client answers these questions will help develop a strategy for healthcare and finding the best plan for their needs. And then when the process is completed, they say “Now I understand why you asked so many questions, this plan fits me!”

Encouraging clients to ask questions is a key part of the process. Learning is a two-way street.  We want our clients to learn about the Agency and learn about the myriad of options they have. Many times, spouses will not only have different plans but may use different insurance companies. Often, we must explain that the plan your friend or neighbor said is the “best plan out there”, just is not right for them. We do not believe that there is a “one size fits all”.

April Hartloff, owner of Hartloff Benefit Solutions LLC constantly says, “We must empower our clients to make good Healthcare and Medicare choices”. It is important that we educate clients not just on the plans, but how the plans work. During our process, we ensure that people know the differences between the Advantage plans, Medigap plan, and Part D Drug Plans.   We believe that if the client does not understand their plan, they are not able to take full advantage of the benefits.

For us, we start the process six months prior to Medicare eligibility. This can be as simple as discussing whether they even need to enroll in Medicare, or if it would be more beneficial to stay in their health insurance through work. We “pencil it out”, meaning that we look for the best coverage that is most cost-effective. People need to know what their options are, what is most cost-effective, and understand the differences between Health Insurance through the workplace and Medicare. This is empowering clients in their decision making.

At Hartloff Benefit Solutions, we believe that as Employee Benefits brokers, we have a distinctive edge in that we know and understand workplace Health Insurance.  By knowing the type of coverage, the employee has at work, we can ease the transition to Medicare. By keeping our focus on Employee Benefits and Medicare, we are not “product pushing”. Unlike some Agencies that try to sell everything, including the kitchen sink, we stay focused on Benefits and Medicare. We certainly have strategic partners for other insurances and financial products that we refer our clients to.

In addition, we do not “sell” Medicare plans. Our job is to follow our back to basics process: Listen, question, learn, help design, and ultimately enroll a client in the correct plan. By utilizing a consultative process, there simply is no selling.

Our clients know that the process does not end right after enrolling in plans. It is important to clients that we are available all year.  We are not a transaction-oriented business, we want our clients to be friends of the Agency. By having constant contact with people, they know that they can reach out to us at any time, and they appreciate our reminders to utilize benefits. One of April’s rules is that Reps have cell numbers on their business cards.  She says: “People don’t just have issues 9-5, People have problems after 5 pm and on weekends.  It is very gratifying to know you helped someone on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon!”

Over the past seven months, we made sure to regularly reach out to clients via emails, postcards, and even regular mail. With the COVID-19 shutdown, many folks were feeling isolated, and it was important that we let them know we are here!

We believe that our process is ever-evolving and retooling to be the best possible Medicare Reps that we can be.  We encourage feedback from our clients so that we add things to the process so that Hartloff Benefit Solutions LLC becomes even better., making the process easier for those currently in Medicare and those soon to enroll in Medicare.

Hartloff Benefits Solutions LLC is located at 7000 Seneca St, Elma, NY. They can be reached at 716-655-5901. For more information, please visit www.hartloffbenefits.com.