Use our online contracting portal to request and submit your contracts. Speak to one of our marketing specialists first to make sure you are getting set up with the most competitive plans in your area. Each carrier has different requirements, but generally speaking, you will need a copy of your insurance license and your E&O insurance along with your personal information.
AHIP Medicare Training is a yearly course required by most Medicare Advantage carriers before you are allowed to sell their products. It consists of 5 modules and discusses Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan basics along with marketing and enrollment guidance. This course/certification is required every year to be able to sell and collect renewals from Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. Learn more about AHIP at AHIP Certification Central.
If you are selling Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plans, you will need to recertify with each carrier each year. This will likely require an AHIP certification as well. You will not need to recertify to sell Medicare Supplement, Ancillary, or Life insurance.
There are thousands of agents across the country making well over $100,000 per year. It takes a few years of steady production, but you can have a stable income for many years in this business.
You can get leads from direct mail pieces, family and friends, referrals from existing clients or local businesses, and internet leads to name a few. The best agents get their leads from several different sources. Check out 30 Ways to Generate Local Medicare Leads for more info.
Typically, Medicare agents will sell ancillary health products like Dental, Cancer, and Hospital Indemnity insurance along with Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, and Prescription Drug Plans. You can also sell Life Insurance, namely Final Expense, but you have to do so compliantly. There are strict rules against selling Life products on the same appointment as a Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan.
You will need to certify for 2022 before you can order 2022 Medicare Advantage supplies. Once you’ve certified, you can order supplies through each company’s portal. If you are having trouble, or if you run out of supplies and need some quickly, your broker manager can help. You can find portal links and supply ordering instructions for a number of carriers on our supply ordering page.
You will be paid on 1/1 effective MA/PDP business in January. Carriers are not allowed to pay commissions on 1/1 effective business until the plan year begins. Dates vary by company, but most will start sending payments around the middle of the month. If you sell Medicare Supplement or Ancillary plans, those commissions can be paid during AEP.
Yes. In order to continue to receive renewals from a Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan, you must remain contracted and certified with each carrier. Some carriers will also require yearly attestations as a requirement for certification.
The CMS 2022 Medicare Advantage commissions are $573 for those who are new to Medicare and $287 for 1/1 effective renewals or like plan changes.
The CMS 2022 PDP commission rates are $87 for those new to Medicare and $44 for 1/1 effective renewals and like plan changes. These rates can vary based on state.
You cannot accept or submit an enrollment application until October 15th. You can, however, start marketing 2022 products, including making full sales presentations and recommending options, on October 1st.
Materials that offer generic information about Medicare typically do not need to be approved. Anything that references plan-specific information or is meant to draw a beneficiary’s attention to a specific plan or set of plans will need to be approved. See the Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines for more information.
AHIP Certification: Everything You Need to Know About AHIP Medicare Training
This may be your first time pursuing AHIP certification, or you may be a seasoned Medicare agent. Either way, preparation is vital. In addition to the associated cost, some carriers limit the number of attempts to pass, and most have strict requirements about minimum scoring.
If you’re planning to take the AHIP test, we’ve compiled the essential information to help you prepare.
The AHIP Medicare + Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Certification is administered by America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade association of insurance providers whose stated mission is to “improve and protect the health and financial security of consumers, families, businesses, communities and the nation.” They facilitate and administer annual testing for Medicare agents.
Most insurance carriers require completion of AHIP’s yearly certification before they will allow agents to sell their products, and some also require additional carrier-specific training.
The standard cost of AHIP certification is $175.
Many carriers allow a maximum of 3 attempts, meaning that if you fail 3 times, you will not be allowed to sell those carriers’ plans for the next year.
Some carriers, however, will allow you to pay another $175 and take the test 3 more times.
Failing a carrier’s certification will prohibit you from selling their plans for the next plan year. It may also result in the loss of earned renewals.
You must re-certify with AHIP each year. You can recertify via a carrier link for the discounted $125 rate as long as you are an agent in good standing.
To pass the AHIP test, you must score at least 90%.
Since the test is updated each year, it’s unlikely that any answers you find online will be up-to-date or accurate. It’s important to be prepared for AHIP, but keep in mind it is an open book test.
In addition to the Medicare Training Course, AHIP also offers modules in Medicare Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) and CMS General Compliance. You’ll need to complete all sections successfully before receiving certification.
It’s a good idea to download all of the slides for each module for review.
For the Medicare Training portion of AHIP, make sure you spend extra time on subjects like:
- Compliance, specifically in client communications and enrollment
- Medicare eligibility and coverage
- Differences in plan types
- Plan and coverage details for Medicare Advantage and PDP
For the Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) portion of your AHIP certification, review materials related to:
- Preventing FWA
- Spotting FWA and proper reporting procedures
- The consequences of FWA
The AHIP test itself is timed (you have 2 hours to complete the final exam), but the training modules you’ll be given prior to your test are not timed. They can take up to several hours to complete depending on how familiar you are with the material.
The test includes 50 questions, and you have two hours to complete your exam.
Each state is different, but generally yes, you can get CE credits for taking AHIP for an additional fee. Some states will require an exam proctor for CE Credits.
If you’re new to AHIP, use our link to their website and register.
For existing users who registered with AHIP after June 2012, your registration should still be valid. Make sure to log into AHIP’s website to confirm that you still remember your correct username and password. Your National Producer Number (NPN) can be used as your username. If you have trouble, AHIP’s website supports both password resets and username requests.
Even if you have registered in years past, you will have to pay to retake the certification each year.
You will need to complete your AHIP certification before you sell most carriers’ plans, but other than that, there is no set deadline.
The current year’s AHIP certification will be taken down and updated for the next year around mid-June each year.
Generally, the next year’s AHIP certification will also allow you to sell current-year plans with most carriers (i.e., passing the 2025 AHIP certification will allow you to sell both 2024 and 2025 products ).
Most carriers require AHIP before you can take their specific certification to sell their Medicare Advantage or PDP plans. While there are a few exceptions, it is highly recommended that you complete the AHIP Certification if you plan to sell Medicare Advantage or PDP plans.
If you’ve already passed this year’s exam by logging in through a carrier portal, you don’t need to retake the test for additional carriers. Instead, you can transmit your scores directly from your AHIP account.
You can also log into the carrier site where you would like your score transmitted, use their internal links to connect to AHIP’s website, then transmit your score.
Once you’ve completed your test on the AHIP website, you will receive a link to a printable copy of your certificate. If you’ve used a carrier discount link, you’ll be shown a link to transmit your results to the carrier.
Carriers often have specific methods they prefer you to use when navigating the AHIP courses, so be sure to read the information provided by the carrier carefully.
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