Look the agent up on Florida's licensee search, ask how many organizations and plans they represent, and ask how they're paid. Insurance companies generally pay agents for the plans they sell (for Medicare Advantage, federal rules set how), and an agent can't charge you a fee to process your enrollment. You can also get help from Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE and Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, which isn't connected to any insurance company.
Look up the license
Florida's Department of Financial Services runs a public licensee search. You can look up any agent by name or by National Producer Number (NPN), and you'll see:
- The license and its number
- The National Producer Number
- The date the license was issued
- The insurance companies that have appointed the agent
Independent agents and brokers who sell Medicare plans must be licensed by the state, and each plan has to tell the state which agents are selling its plans. You can look up my license the same way.
Florida licensee searchAsk how many organizations and plans the agent represents
Federal rules require an agent or agency that sells for more than one Medicare Advantage organization to show a standard statement. If they don't sell for every organization in your area, the statement says so first. Then it gives two numbers and points you to Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE for information on all of your options.
Organizations they represent
Products those organizations offer in your area
Those two numbers tell you how much of your area the agent can show you. On my site, you'll find that statement next to every contact button.
eCFR 42 CFR 422.2267Agent or broker, captive or independent
Medicare's rules treat agents and brokers together and hold them to the same requirements: a state license, appointment by each plan they sell where state law requires it, training and testing every year, and a documented Scope of Appointment before a personal marketing appointment. The rules also name three kinds of agents: employed, captive and independent. Ask which one you're talking to, and how many organizations they sell for.
Some people want an agent who meets face to face, works with a team, or speaks Spanish. Those are fair things to ask any agent about, and the answers differ from one agent to the next.
Medicare.govHow agents are paid, and what to ask
For Medicare Advantage, the federal rule at 42 CFR 422.2274 sets how insurance companies pay independent agents and brokers:
- Your first year in a plan
- Up to a fair market value that CMS sets and updates each year.
- Later years
- Half of that amount.
- Months enrolled
- Paid only for the months you're enrolled. If you change plans in your first three months, the company generally takes the payment back.
- No steering
- No contract term may give an agent a reason not to judge objectively which plan fits your health care needs.
- Your costs
- Plans must make sure you aren't charged fees for marketing help when you consider joining a Medicare Advantage plan.
An agent also can't charge you a fee to process your enrollment into a plan. As for me, ask me about fees the first time you reach out, the same way you'd ask any agent.
Help from Medicare and the state
1-800-MEDICARE and Medicare.gov
Talk or live chat with a person twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, except some federal holidays: 1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048. On Medicare.gov you can compare the plans in your area and join one yourself.
Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program
It helps people with Medicare and their families choose a plan, review coverage, understand costs, apply for Extra Help, and file a complaint or an appeal. It isn't connected to any insurance company or health plan.
Social Security
Where you sign up for Part A and Part B, apply for Extra Help with drug costs, and change your address.
Questions to ask any agent
- What is your license number, and in which states are you licensed?
- How many organizations and plans do you represent in my area?
- How are you paid, and do you charge me for anything?
- Will you check my doctors, pharmacies and prescriptions against each plan before I enroll?
- Will we meet in person, by phone or by video, and can we talk in Spanish?
- Do you work with a team, and who answers when you are away?
- Who do I call after I enroll?
Under Medicare's marketing rules, an agent can only discuss the products you agreed to hear about, can't pressure you to join a plan, and can't ask you to sign an enrollment form before you are ready.
Questions people ask
Do Medicare agents charge a fee?
It depends on what a fee would be for. An agent can't charge you a fee to process your enrollment into a plan, and the federal rules require Medicare Advantage plans to make sure you aren't charged fees for marketing help while you consider joining. Whether an agent charges for anything else depends on the agent, so ask before you meet. For my own answer, just ask me when you first reach out. Source: Medicare.gov and 42 CFR 422.2274, 2026.
How are Medicare agents paid?
By the insurance companies whose plans they sell. For Medicare Advantage, 42 CFR 422.2274 sets what independent agents and brokers can be paid: up to a fair market value set by CMS in your first year in a plan, half of that in later years, only for the months you are enrolled, and generally taken back if you change plans in your first three months. No contract term may give an agent a reason not to judge objectively which plan fits your health care needs. Source: 42 CFR 422.2274, as of September 25, 2026.
Do I have to use an agent for Medicare, and does it cost more?
No. Medicare.gov lists three ways to join a plan yourself: select Enroll for the plan at Medicare.gov's plan finder, contact the plan, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. If you use an agent, they can't charge you a fee to process your enrollment into a plan; agents are generally paid by the insurance companies whose plans they sell. Source: Medicare.gov and HealthCare.gov, 2026.
What's the difference between a Medicare agent and a Medicare broker?
Medicare's rules treat agents and brokers together and hold them to the same requirements: licensed by the state, appointed by the plans they sell where state law requires it, trained and tested every year, and a Scope of Appointment before a personal marketing appointment. The rules also name employed, captive and independent agents, so ask which kind you are talking to and how many organizations they represent. Source: Medicare.gov and 42 CFR 422.2274, 2026.
Who can I talk to about Medicare?
Medicare itself, at 1-800-MEDICARE or by live chat on Medicare.gov, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, except some federal holidays. Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, which isn't connected to any insurance company or health plan. Social Security, to sign up for Part A and Part B. And a licensed agent or broker, once you've checked their license and asked them the questions in the checklist. Source: Medicare.gov, 2026.
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