Although United American has already provided extensive Part D training materials to Agents, there is still a lot to teach our customers and our prospects to help them understand the components of this new program. That is one reason we are devoting this entire issue of Vision to Part D.

In addition to working closely with Medicare to be sure our offering falls within the stringent Medicare guidelines and regulations, UA has also begun an extensive and long-running national Part D advertising campaign. Paul Harvey, who may be the most well-known and recognized radio personality in the country, will regularly endorse UA’s Medicare Part D on his radio program through March 2006. He has done an outstanding job for UA in the past, and we expect no less from him this time around. We have secured Carol Burnett, one of the most beloved comediennes of our time, as spokeswoman for our TV endorsements. These two individuals project the kind of image that will appeal to a wide range of Seniors, especially as they are both Seniors themselves. So far, the broad market response to these radio and TV spots has been very encouraging. See page 12 for additional information about these advertising campaigns and a list of the TV stations that will carry the Burnett endorsement.

UA also has been actively involved in a direct mail program to generate interest in Part D among Seniors who are not currently UA policyholders. Since early October, three million lead cards and postcards encouraging Seniors to contact us for additional information have been mailed to Seniors, age 65 and above. If response is strong, all 42 million Senior households will eventually receive a UA Medicare Part D lead card. Our Home Office Teleco staff is working overtime to respond to prospects’ phone calls and questions concerning Part D. Based on the early application figures we’re seeing, our efforts are paying off!

We also conducted a phone blast on October 3rd to our existing Med-Supp customers to tell them UA would be marketing Part D. Several days later, we followed up the phone call with a Part D enrollment packet. We also mailed an enrollment packet to UA lapsed Med-Supp policyholders on October 21st and are doing follow-up phone calls and postcard mailings this month. We want EVERYONE to choose United American for Medicare Part D. I expect our extensive marketing campaign to generate over a half million leads! In early November, before enrollment had even begun, we had already received almost 7,000 applications!

When a Senior chooses a Part D plan the most important factor to consider is the plan’s formulary, which is the list of medications covered by the plan. The company may be very stable, and the premium price just right, but, if the Senior’s needed medications aren’t on the plan, it’s not the right one. Based on the number of prescriptions from drug card experience, Medicare has determined the top 100 drugs most used by Seniors. United American offers 99 out of those 100 drugs on our plan’s drug formulary. Our outstanding formulary coupled with the fact we do not require any deductible will be major selling points for UA Agents.

CMS has strict regulations governing the marketing and sale of Part D. Become very familiar with the Medicare Marketing Guidelines which you can download from the Agent site. Agents need to be aware of what they can and can’t do and when they can and can’t do it. If Agents have any questions or concerns about the Part D process, consult your training materials or your Branch Manager. We’re all going to be in a learning curve for several months with Part D, but the sooner we get started, the sooner that curve will stretch out into a smooth, straight line!