Start with the license
You need an active resident producer license with health (accident and health) authority. To enroll clients in other states, you need a non-resident license in each one. Most states let you apply for non-resident licenses through the NIPR Licensing Center.
Line up E&O
Most carriers ask for an errors and omissions certificate during contracting. Have the PDF ready before you start.
Train and test every year
Agents who sell Medicare Advantage must be trained and tested every year and pass with a score of 85% or higher (42 CFR 422.2274). Many carriers accept AHIP Medicare training for the general part and then require their own product certification for the plan year.
Contract once, sign for each carrier
You provide your license, E&O, background questions and banking details, then e-sign the contract for each carrier you pick. Carriers then review, run background checks and appoint you in your licensed states.
Get ready to sell before October
Plans can start marketing next year’s offerings on October 1 (42 CFR 422.2263), and the Open Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7 (Medicare.gov: Joining a plan). Certification for the new plan year usually opens months before that. Agents who wait until October often lose the first weeks of the busiest season.
If you are moving from another agency
Carriers can require a release from your current agency or a waiting period. Ask before you leave, and keep any contracts you don’t want to move where they are.
Want the full checklist? Read our step-by-step contracting guide.
General information for licensed agents, not legal advice. Rules change; always follow current CMS, state and carrier requirements.
Keep reading
The Medicare Advantage compliance checklist every agent should keep
Scope of Appointment, the TPMO disclaimer, call recording, unsolicited contact and other CMS rules for Medicare Advantage agents, with the regulation for each.
Read →Medicare enrollment periods: what agents need to know
The Open Enrollment Period, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period and the Initial Enrollment Period explained for agents, with dates and sources.
Read →Rapid disenrollment explained: when compensation is recovered
What rapid disenrollment means for Medicare Advantage agents, the exceptions in the federal rule and how to protect your book.
Read →Ready to request your Medicare contracts?
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