Medicare Supplement Vs Medicare Advantage

reggiejones32

New Member
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As a agent do you find it better to focus on Medicare Supplement more than medicare Advantage?


Also, how do you handle it if you are focusing on med supps and a client wants a med advantage plan?
 
It's been talked to death on these boards but it's going to come down to the state you are in and are you working T65's, the over 65 crowd or both.

I've tried just doing med supps and it doesn't work for me. I tried working the over 65 Crowd and that didn't work either.

But tons of agents kick ass doing what I failed at and they hate or couldn't do much with T65's.
T65's are my niche and what I'm good at and doing both mapd and med supps
 
As a agent do you find it better to focus on Medicare Supplement more than medicare Advantage?


Also, how do you handle it if you are focusing on med supps and a client wants a med advantage plan?

Agreed with Chazm, it depends on where you are marketing. So, if you really hate MAPD, just market where most are buying supps (which may mean you need to do over the phone).

I sell both - I found it counterintuitive to talk to the guy who said, "my mother, brother, uncle, cousin, next door neighbor, and dog all have this Medicare Advantage plan - so that's what I'm thinking about getting. Are you an agent with them?"

At that point I have two options. Try to go uphill and sell him a med supp, or sell him the mapd and try to AOR his mom, brother, uncle, cousin, next door neighbor, and dog...

Of course, you still need to explain the pitfalls of the mapd program, as there are pitfalls.
 
Agreed with Chazm, it depends on where you are marketing. So, if you really hate MAPD, just market where most are buying supps (which may mean you need to do over the phone).

^^^ Area plays a HUGE role when marketing for Supps.

This is some sound advice (I signed up for Scott's training emails to see what they were all about and have enjoyed the ones I have received so far!).

If anyone wants to checkout my MA% heat map, feel free to checkout this link. It has nationwide MA penetration % per county.

Medicare Advantage Heat Map
 
^^^ Area plays a HUGE role when marketing for Supps.
Medicare Advantage Heat Map

Great link Glen, thanks.

OP...I live in Dallas. We are at 35% MA penetration, which is apparently on the high end. Currently (and for 15 years) I only sell Medicare Supplement. And I have no problem making sales.

Area plays a huge role. Not just state, but county, too. Also, where are you going to get your leads from? That will also make a difference.

And the answer to "what happens if they want MAPD", I show them how to do it. I think have 10 clients right now that I "help" with there MAPD. Most are U65 and can't afford Plan A at $342/month. Then when they turn 65, I get their Med Supp business.
 
Great link Glen, thanks.

OP...I live in Dallas. We are at 35% MA penetration, which is apparently on the high end. Currently (and for 15 years) I only sell Medicare Supplement. And I have no problem making sales.

Area plays a huge role. Not just state, but county, too. Also, where are you going to get your leads from? That will also make a difference.

No problem! I have tried calling in counties ranging from 5% to 55% ...

We have had success in counties as high as 30-35%, I personally recommend 30% or less.

It seems like if you market in an area that is in the 35% or less range you can do just fine exclusively selling Med Supps ...

I know here in Portland the MA% is above 50% and seems like everyone has an MA plan.
 
As a agent do you find it better to focus on Medicare Supplement more than medicare Advantage?


Also, how do you handle it if you are focusing on med supps and a client wants a med advantage plan?

There is a lot of good information here for you. I also really want to hit on the fact that it is also important if you like MAPD or supps better. You're more likely to actually sell a product you're excited about. Your outlook on a product can bleed into your sales.

For instance, I had a guy recently setup both med supps and fe appointments, he runs fe appointments for one week and med supps for another week. He found out that he enjoyed selling med supps over the FE market. He has 60 FE leads left, but I can hear it when I talk to him that he would rather be doing the med supps and he doesn't sell as much FE as he does Med Supps.

In general its much easier to sell something you want to sell rather than selling something that you feel forced to do. Just my 2 cents.
 
As a agent do you find it better to focus on Medicare Supplement more than medicare Advantage?


Also, how do you handle it if you are focusing on med supps and a client wants a med advantage plan?


Where you sell determines what you sell. In my neck of N. California, there are no MA's. Therefore, I sell 100% Med Supp. If you sold in parts of Florida, you would be selling 100% MA.
 
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