Does a Medicare Agent Cost Anything?

Insurance carriers pay agents a commission when they help someone enroll. For Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, Medicare sets rules and limits on what those commissions can be. For Medigap, the commission is built into the rates the insurer files with the state.

Either way, the plan's premium is set in advance and is identical no matter how you enroll: through an agent, directly with the carrier, or through Medicare itself. There is no discount for skipping the agent and no markup for using one.

The meaningful difference between agents is not cost, it is scope. A captive agent represents one insurance company and can only show you that company's plans. An independent agent contracts with multiple carriers and can compare plans across them.

Even independent agents can only present plans they are contracted to sell, so it is fair to ask any agent which carriers they represent in your county. You can always check Medicare's own Plan Finder as a second opinion, and a trustworthy agent will not mind that you did.

A good agent earns that commission by doing work you would otherwise do alone: running your prescription list against each plan's drug coverage, confirming your doctors are in network, explaining trade-offs in plain English, and picking up the phone after enrollment when a billing or claim question comes up.

You are never obligated to enroll in anything an agent shows you, and meeting with one does not change what any plan costs.