Every day, thousands of seniors across the country turn 65 years old and age into Medicare.
In 2024, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), nearly 33 million people (54%) enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan — an alternative to traditional Medicare coverage offered through private insurers.
For everyone else, there’s Original Medicare.
According to a separate study by the KFF, over 40% of traditional Medicare beneficiaries had Medicare Supplement plans.
As a health insurance agent, your job is to match clients with coverage options that make the most sense for their unique situations and help them lead healthy lives. This puts you in the unique position of offering Medicare Supplement plans.
With the right approach, you can target clients who already have supplemental insurance and those who have only Medicare but might not know what supplements are. But what are the best states to sell Medicare Supplements in? Let’s take a look.
What Are Medicare Supplements?
According to Medicare.gov, Medicare Supplement plans are additional insurance policies that cover things that Medicare doesn’t, such as copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. These plans, also known as Medigap insurance, are sold by private insurers and work with traditional Medicare coverage to deliver more robust insurance coverage.
Medigap coverage, which covers only one person, is available only to beneficiaries who have Medicare Part A and Part B. Once an individual has Medicare supplemental insurance, it is often a “set it and forget it” situation; once beneficiaries are enrolled, policies will auto-renew — so long as they pay their premiums on time.
Generally speaking, when a client has Medicare supplemental coverage, they will go to the doctor, Medicare will pay its share of the bill, and then the Medigap policy kicks in.
Selling Medicare Supplement insurance requires expanding your Medicare knowledge base. For example, there are three different criteria for pricing Medigap — attained-age policies, age-rated policies, and unrated.
What Are the Best States To Sell Medicare Supplements?
If you’re wondering what the best states to sell Medicare Supplements are, you’ve come to the right place. Remember, though, that you must be licensed in each state to sell insurance there.
Just over 14 million Americans have Medigap coverage, according to the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance. The top 10 states ranked for Medigap coverage in terms of number of enrollments (Source: NAIC, 2021) are:
- California: 1.12 million
- Texas: 931,400
- Florida: 925,900
- Illinois: 782,400
- Pennsylvania: 706,700
- Ohio: 613,800
- Georgia: 537,200
- New Jersey: 496,000
- North Carolina: 494,600
- New York: 482,700
According to the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance, more than 14.1 million Americans had Medigap coverage in 2018. More specifically, here are the top 20 states for Medigap coverage in terms of number of enrollments in 2017 (Source: NAIC data, 2021):
How To Sell More Medicare Supplement Insurance
1. Follow Best Practices for Selling Medicare
In most ways, selling Medicare is quite similar to selling other types of health insurance. You’ll want to position yourself as a trusted advisor, make it simple for clients to connect with you and purchase policies, stay up-to-date on changes, and leverage technology.
2. Use a Readiness Checklist
As Robert Collier said, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” As you know, Medicare insurance sales have an open enrollment period (OEP) of October 15 to December 7 each year, but individuals can sign up during a 7-month period that begins 3 months before their 65th birthday and ends 3 months after.
Medigap open enrollment isn’t calendar-based; instead, it begins on the first day of the month when a person is both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B, and it lasts for six months. There are also situations when individuals can purchase Medicare Supplements outside of their open enrollment period, such as if their Medicare Advantage plan leaves Medicare or stops serving their area.
We recommend using a readiness checklist to help you stay organized leading up to Medicare OEP, when you’ll not only sell Medicare insurance but also have opportunities for selling Medigap insurance.
3. Leverage the Right Medicare Quoting Technology
Medicare.gov is designed to help the 65-and-older market easily read and understand their options. It wasn’t designed for agents and brokers, who will run across data storage problems, repetition, and productivity black holes. Instead, choose a Medicare quoting tool that is a single platform for all customers and prospects with the tools you need to stay organized, productive, and in compliance.
4. Ensure You Have Access to Many Carriers
Selling Medicare Supplements — and every other type of insurance — is easier when you can offer options. Each prospect is unique, with different needs and preferences, and their solution is also unique. For example, you’ll have access to over 4,000 carriers with Quotit.
Take Your Agency to the Next Level by Selling More Medicare Insurance
Selling Medicare Supplements can be a lucrative and rewarding opportunity for agents who are committed to meeting the needs of seniors navigating their healthcare options.
However, as we look ahead to 2025, the Medicare landscape will present new challenges — rising costs, changing compensation structures, and a growing demand for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. To stay competitive, you’ll need to adopt innovative strategies and stay agile in offering diverse, personalized solutions to your clients.
Learn how today! Download your copy of Navigating the 2025 Medicare landscape: A Guide for Agents and Call Centers.
