How Medicare Agents are Paid
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Medicare agents are a valuable resource for Medicare beneficiaries who need to renew, switch, or drop their plans each year. These agents are paid a set amount by the insurance companies as compensation for selling you a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan, so you can be sure that they will not try to sell you something that is not the best for you.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans are an alternative to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) that are offered by private health insurance companies that have been approved by Medicare to handle your coverage. You can sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan with or without prescription drug coverage and have the option to purchase additional benefits such as dental, vision, and hearing care. You sign up for Medicare Advantage plans or renew or drop your contract each year during Open Enrollment from October 15 to December 7. If you enlist the help of a Medicare agent, they will provide you with an unbiased look at the numbers to give you an honest comparison of plans.
Medicare Part D
Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are a type of policy that you purchase separately from Original Medicare. You can sign up, renew your contract, switch to a different drug plan, or drop the plan during Open Enrollment every year. A Medicare agent can help you do this. They will be paid by the company that you purchase the Part D plan from, not by you. That ensures their motivations are honorable and they will assist you in finding the lowest prices for your prescriptions.
Who Do Medicare Agents Work For?
Medicare agents make money when they match Medicare beneficiaries to their optimal Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, or Medicare Supplement plan. They make more money the more Medicare beneficiaries they help, so it is in their best interest to produce satisfied customers.
Medicare agents are not motivated to sell you the most expensive plan, because they make the same compensation rate regardless of the plan they purchase for you when you are purchasing a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan. This was done deliberately. This regulation makes it beneficial for clients to seek out Medicare experts when they are looking for these types of plans because they know that the Medicare agent will have the resources to find them the right plan that fits their needs without being swayed by compensation packages from larger companies that might end up being more expensive.
Most Medicare agents are independent brokers that contract with these Medicare plan insurance companies. They are paid by those companies when they make a sale.
How Does This System Benefit You?
In most cases, the Medicare agents do not charge you for the time and effort that goes into comparing plans. They are paid by the company, so their services are free to you.
The impartial comparison of a Medicare agent can be a huge relief to many Medicare beneficiaries who would prefer not to dig into the research for themselves. And for those who spend hours doing extensive research, working with a Medicare agent can confirm whether or not your evaluation is the same as that of an expert.
Find Your Next Medicare Plan
At Proinsurance Hawaii, our priority is our customers. We want all of our Medicare clients to be matched with the plans that offer the most coverage for the best price. For help in finding your next Medicare plan, contact an agent with Proinsurance Hawaii today.
