Steps to Becoming a Medicare Insurance Agent
- Get your health insurance license.
- Complete AHIP Certification
- Get errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance)
- Contract with a Medicare Field Marketing Organization (FMO)
- Get contracted and appointed with multiple Medicare companies
- Complete your annual certifications
- Maintain your health insurance license continuing education
Full Answer
What are the qualifications to become an insurance agent?
- You need to be at least 18 years old to become an insurance agent.
- You need to complete prelicensing education for your line of authority, which is determined by each state. ...
- You need to pass the state insurance licensing exam for your line or lines of authority. ...
- You need to pass a background check. ...
What to expect from your Medicare insurance agent?
Questions to ask a licensed insurance agent
- Who is eligible for Medicare? If you’ve been a United States citizen or permanent legal resident for at least five consecutive years, you may be eligible for Medicare Part ...
- What does Medicare cover? Original Medicare is made up of two parts: Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Medicare Part B (medical insurance). ...
- When can I enroll in Medicare? ...
How do you become a Medicare broker?
What the Independent Medicare Insurance Broker is Expecting From You.
- Be as upfront and honest with the insurance broker as you want them to be with you. ...
- Expect the insurance broker to encourage you to make a decision sooner rather than later. ...
- If you have asked the insurance broker to help you, and they have spent time helping you, then if you follow their guidance you should do business with them. ...
What your Medicare agent should do for You?
- As an independent insurance agent, you get to be your own boss and dictate your own schedule. ...
- You can control how much you want to work, and when you want to work. ...
- Another of the attractive perks of being an independent insurance agent is that you can set your own schedule. ...
Is being a Medicare agent worth it?
Medicare agents have significant earning potential and a promising future of stable career growth – but it's not just about the money. Medicare agents also get to help others while taking control of their own careers. For the right person, Medicare sales can be a very rewarding and lucrative career.
How do you make money selling Medicare?
Generally, insurance agents often earn two types of commissions when selling Medicare plans: A dollar amount per application (Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans) or a percentage of the premium sold (Medicare Supplements).
How do I get Medicare clients?
⍟ 14 Ways to Generate Medicare Supplement LeadsBuild & Maintain a Website. ... Social Media Presence. ... Video Marketing. ... Blogging, Writing Articles. ... Email. ... Online Events: Live webinars, podcasts. ... Direct Requests / Client Referrals. ... Lead Swapping Partnerships (Asking other professionals for referrals)More items...
What are 3 main ways in which Medicare sales occur?
There are three different types of Medicare products sold by agents and brokers: Medicare Supplement plans (Also called Medigap plans), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D Rx plans.
How much do Medicare leads cost?
Here's how it works… As mentioned previously, new Medicare Advantage pay $25 for each direct mail lead.
Do Medicare agents get residuals?
As an insurance agent, you need a residual income base to create a career with long-term sustainability. Medicare can be that residual income.
Is selling Medicare lucrative?
Is Selling Medicare Lucrative? In short, yes. The average Medicare Advantage policy pays around $287 a year in commission if the purchase replaces an existing plan. However, you can get approximately double that — $573— if you write up a new Medicare Advantage plan for someone who hasn't had one before.
How can I get free Medicare leads?
5 Ways to generate Free Medicare LeadsAsk for Referrals. Referrals or word of mouth may be the oldest, best, and least expensive ways for insurance agents to generate Medicare leads and grow your business. ... Form Community Partnerships. ... Create a Digital Presence. ... Host and Network with Seniors at Events. ... Personal Contact.
Where do Medicare leads come from?
Medicare Leads from Direct Mailer Campaigns. Sending direct mailers to gain Medicare leads is another method agents utilize. Running a direct mailer lead campaign can be pricey, but luckily, carriers and field marketing organizations (FMOs) often offer marketing co-op to help cover a percentage of the cost.
What is an FMO?
FMO — Field Marketing Organizations A field marketing organization (FMO) is basically the same as an independent marketing organization (IMO). FMOs are typically top-level organizations that are licensed to sell health insurance products in most, if not all, states.
Who approves Medicare marketing materials?
CMSAll marketing materials need to be filed and approved by CMS. Agent created communications to members do not need CMS approval. Any agent created communication must follow the CMS Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines.
What license do I need to sell Medicare insurance in Florida?
The 2-15 agents license allows an agent to sell all forms of Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Medicare Supplement, HMO, Home Health Care, Managed Care and Long Term Care policies in Florida.
Is Selling Medicare Lucrative?
In short, yes. The average Medicare Advantage policy pays around $262 a year in commission if the purchase replaces an existing plan. However, you can get approximately double that — $525 — if you write up a new Medicare Advantage plan for someone who hasn't had one before.
Medicare Licenses and Training
Medicare Advantage is a great line to sell, whether you're a newcomer to selling insurance or an experienced insurance professional looking to diversify your portfolio. But no matter how much experience you have, you need proper Medicare insurance sales agent training to complete the certification process.
How to Choose Medicare Carriers and Plans to Sell
Most new agents want to rush in and offer every Medicare Advantage plan from day one. It's an understandable ambition, but it can quickly become overwhelming.
Ordering Medicare Enrollment Kits from Carriers
Each carrier has its own Medicare enrollment kit, which includes handouts that policyholders need when they're considering signing up. Different carriers include various materials in their kits, but most contain:
Help Protect Yourself with E&O Insurance
As a Medicare insurance sales agent, your role is to help your clients prepare for the unexpected and help protect themselves from financial risks. You might have the best intentions, but sometimes things don't work out as planned.
Start Working Toward a Rewarding Career Selling Medicare
All of these certifications, training requirements, and legal protections can make selling Medicare insurance feel overwhelming at first. But don't let them deter you from reaching your end goal — a rewarding and lucrative career.
How can I become a successful insurance agent?
When learning how to be a successful insurance agent, it's critical to know that agents who are willing to put their clients into a product that pays a lower commission because it better fits their needs are much more likely to retain customers. 2. Good customer service. Customers who are able to get hold of their agents when they need them are ...
What makes an insurance agent a good agent?
A worn-down or dreary disposition will immediately rub off on clients and discourage them from buying anything. 5. Persistence.
What is the ability to listen and empathize with clients on a deeper level in order to discern what they
Emotional intelligence. This includes the ability to listen and empathize with clients on a deeper level in order to discern what they really want and need. A good agent is tactful and knows how to help a client see financial reality clearly, even when the client is dead set against it.
What is the technical know-how of an insurance agent?
Technical know-how. A good insurance agent knows much more than how to sell a policy. The agent must understand the tax and legal aspects of the products they sell and how they are designed to fit into a client's overall financial situation.
What does it mean to be honest with an insurance agent?
Honesty. Insurance agents who use deception to close business seldom stay with the same company for very long —and can end up behind bars in some cases. A good agent knows that telling the truth upfront will win them clients' respect and trust and is likely to lead to repeat business over time.
What is the hardest part of a broker's job?
An agent who is only out to earn a commission, regardless of the needs of the client, is not likely to last long in the business. Agents and brokers who listen carefully to what their clients and prospects say will be able to earn their trust, which is the hardest part of their job.
Is selling insurance a good job?
However, it is not an easy job. You can expect a high rate of customer rejection, stress, and attrition rate.
What is the job description of a Medicare agent?
When you become a Medicare insurance agent, there are two main groups you are marketing to. Those are turning 65 and becoming eligible for Medicare health benefits. Those who are disabled, under 65, and are eligible for Medicare. Selling Medicare health insurance can be rewarding in many ways, ...
When do you get your AHIP certification?
AHIP certification will most often start in late June or early July for the following Medicare plan year. For example, getting certified in June or July 2021 will get you certified to sell for the 2022 plan year. The exam costs $175 to take each year.
What is E&O insurance?
E&O insurance is insurance intended to protect you in the event you give a client incorrect or misleading information and they decide to take legal action against you. As well as getting covered through an FMO, these policies can also be purchased through many property and casualty insurance agencies.
Do you need a life insurance license to sell Medicare?
Take note that many health insurance exam vendors also offer life insurance certifications at the same time. While it is not required, selling Medicare and having a life insurance license is a good idea – it provides you the option to offer clients other products they may need down the road.
Does Medicare require special certification?
Understand that selling certain Medicare products does require special certification as determined by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS regulates Medicare plans, the insurance carriers, and insurance agents and agencies who sell them.
Is selling Medicare insurance rewarding?
Selling Medicare health insurance can be rewarding in many ways, including personally, professionally, and financially. You are helping a lot of people who need it and building strong relationships along the way.
Why does CMS take Medicare monitoring seriously?
CMS takes the monitoring of Medicare agents seriously in order to protect seniors and the elderly from unscrupulous agents trying to take advantage of seniors.
How to plan for a disaster?
You cannot plan for disaster or the unexpected so start planning how your agency or business will continue without you. Look for the agents or business partners that can carry out the vision for your business should you retire, or pass away. Each person needs to know who would handle the responsibilities like payroll/billing, contracting, or office management. Make your decisions final with the help of the lawyer to downplay chance of problems down the road.
What do you need to keep up with when you contract with a company?
If you contract with a company for product then you need to keep up with that company on their rate increases/decreases, new products or plans and potential leadership changes. You need to be an expert in that product field and keep your clients updated as soon as a change could impact them. They want to know their insurance agent is looking out for them.
Does CMS have compliance rules?
CMS mandates compliance rules for everyone, but each carrier has additional and different guidelines and protocols an agent must follow. Knowing how each company differs will save you time so you don’t duplicate any unneeded steps.
What should a broker look at?
Your broker should take a look at whether your current coverage remains the best option for you, both in terms of coverage and cost. Ideally, the person will review all plans available to you even if the broker doesn’t represent all insurers in your area.
When does Medicare open enrollment end?
If you’re among those who turn to an agent or broker, it’s worthwhile making sure the person has evaluated all of your 2019 options during Medicare’s open enrollment period, which ends Dec. 7.
How many Kaiser plans are there?
The average recipient can choose from 24 plans, although people in rural areas have fewer to pick from, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. In fact, 115 counties around the country have none available for 2019, down from 149 counties without one in 2018.
Is Gavino well versed in Medicare?
And ideally, Gavino said, the person not only will be well-versed in Medicare matters, but also will work in your best interest. More from Personal Finance: Avoid making these three bad assumptions during Medicare open enrollment. Investors welcome rising interest rates, despite Trump’s resistance.
Does Medicare cover supplemental insurance?
Medicare coverage explained. FA Playbook. Also, some Medicare agents focus on selling only supplemental insurance, or Medigap. Those policies help you with copays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses, and can only be paired with original Medicare.
Can you switch from one Medicare plan to another?
However, in that early year window, you cannot go from one stand-alone drug plan to another or go from original Medicare to an Advantage Plan. Also, you can only do one switch during that window. In the current open enrollment period, you can change your mind multiple times before it ends on Dec. 7.
Do brokers take a look at every coverage?
This means the broker might not automatically take a look at every coverage choice. “Brokers should speak to clients about all options, not just the plans they represent,” said Elizabeth Gavino, founder of Lewin & Gavino in New York and an independent broker and general agent for Medicare plans. “If the client is going to save, say $1,000 ...
