Key Takeaways

• The carrier you align with affects far more than your current commissions. It shapes your client retention, compliance risk, and long-term scalability.

• Evaluating contract terms, back-end support, and market alignment is essential in 2025 to protect your business and build a loyal book.

The Carrier Relationship Sets the Tone

Choosing a Medicare carrier is not just about the products they offer. It impacts the trajectory of your business. As a licensed agent in 2025, you face increasing scrutiny, evolving compliance standards, and a more competitive environment than ever before. Your relationship with a carrier must support—not hinder—your goals.

Carrier alignment influences:

• The type of clients you attract

• Your level of administrative burden

• How easily you can stay compliant

• Your persistency and renewal income

This decision isn’t about today. It’s about where you want your book to be in three, five, or ten years.

Consider the Long-Term Contracting Implications

Before you sign a new contract, assess what you’re committing to. Some contracts appear attractive at first glance but introduce long-term roadblocks.

Questions to Ask:

• Is the contract direct or through an FMO?

• What is the release policy if you want to switch?

• Are renewals vested immediately or after a time period?

• What are the commission advance rules, if any?

• Does the carrier impose production requirements?

Many agents in 2025 are realizing that being locked into the wrong contract can prevent them from growing or even retaining their book when changes become necessary.

Licensing and Certification Timelines Matter

Every carrier operates on slightly different certification calendars. If you’re looking to expand your portfolio or switch contracts during the year, pay attention to their training schedules.

In 2025, AHIP certification remains a standard across most carriers, but additional carrier-specific certifications can take up to 4–6 hours each, and new product trainings are often required annually.

Delays in certification can:

• Prevent you from selling during AEP (October 15 to December 7)

• Jeopardize commissions if you’re not certified before submission

• Cause missed opportunities for plan changes in lock-in periods

Stay ahead of these deadlines. Don’t let a slow onboarding process cost you production.

Look at Market Stability and Product Breadth

You want to partner with carriers who are likely to be competitive not just now, but over the next several years. A carrier that had strong enrollment in 2023 or 2024 may have made major plan or formulary changes in 2025 that make them less desirable.

Assess these factors:

• Have they exited any markets recently?

• Are plan changes keeping pace with CMS expectations?

• How do their networks compare geographically?

• Do they have competitive options across Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap?

A shrinking carrier presence or narrow formulary can turn into a retention problem in your book.

Evaluate Support Infrastructure

Your carrier partner should be as invested in your success as you are. In 2025, automation, tech tools, and communication support are not optional.

Carriers or FMOs that provide:

• Real-time commission tracking portals

• Rapid enrollment platforms

• Training refreshers and compliance bulletins

• Agent concierge lines

are significantly easier to work with long-term.

Avoid carriers who:

• Routinely have long call center wait times

• Delay commission payments or issue incorrect payouts

• Fail to notify agents of plan or formulary changes quickly

Even the best plans on paper can lose their value if you’re constantly managing backend headaches.

Understand the Claims and Appeals Environment

Claims denial rates vary between carriers, and that directly affects your client’s satisfaction. A carrier with slow or excessive denials generates service calls, complaints, and disenrollment—all of which negatively affect your retention and renewals.

Key points to check:

• Do they offer agents visibility into claim status?

• How do they handle pharmacy or specialist network denials?

• Are appeals processed within CMS timeframes?

Clients expect you to help when problems arise. If you’re tied to a carrier with a weak claims infrastructure, your reputation takes the hit.

Persistency and Member Retention Tools

In 2025, agents are more aware than ever that a one-time sale doesn’t ensure long-term income. Carriers who invest in retention tools help stabilize your book.

Look for carriers or partnerships offering:

• Welcome calls and onboarding for new members

• Annual benefit comparison tools

• Communications that reinforce agent relationships

• Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) alerts tied to CRM data

If your clients forget your name or can’t get support when they need it, they’re more likely to switch or fall into auto-assignment in future years.

Cross-Selling Opportunities and Compliance Flexibility

Not all carriers are created equal when it comes to letting you serve the broader needs of your clients. Some allow better integration of:

• Ancillary products like hospital indemnity or dental

• Enrollment through third-party tools

• Marketing under your own brand with approved CMS language

While all sales must follow CMS guidelines, some carriers take an unnecessarily strict approach that limits your ability to educate and serve.

Make sure your carrier supports, not stifles, compliant cross-selling and marketing growth.

Pay Attention to Release and Termination Clauses

Carriers that do not allow an immediate release—or require a six-month wait—could block you from writing for other companies during critical sales periods.

In 2025, many agents try to switch carriers after AEP but get caught by restrictive language that delays their ability to align with new contracts until the next calendar year.

Make sure your contract:

• Clearly defines release timelines

• Does not restrict renewals if you switch

• Includes a written path to separation if needed

You may not think you’ll need to leave, but having the option protects you.

Consider Local and Demographic Fit

A carrier might be dominant in one region and irrelevant in another. Before contracting, look at who they serve best.

Questions to ask:

• Is this carrier strong in rural or urban settings?

• Do their plans suit the demographics of my target market?

• Are culturally competent materials available?

• Is the network inclusive of regional providers and hospitals?

Your sales volume depends on offering plans that make sense to the population you’re targeting. The better the alignment, the easier the conversation becomes.

What to Watch for in 2025

Some carrier trends to keep an eye on as the year progresses include:

• Increased scrutiny of third-party marketing organizations

• Tighter CMS enforcement of enrollment oversight

• Renewed attention to SEP misuse and audit triggers

• Streamlining of Medicare Part D plan structures with the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap

Carriers that keep agents informed, offer compliance training, and simplify enrollment platforms will emerge as the better partners for long-term growth.

Building the Right Book Starts with the Right Partner

Your success as a Medicare agent isn’t only about how well you sell. It’s about who you align with. Carriers influence the quality of service your clients receive, how quickly you get paid, and how easily you can grow. If you’re questioning whether your current partner is helping or hindering you, it’s time to ask harder questions.

If you’re looking for a support system that helps you evaluate carrier options, manage your book more efficiently, and grow with less friction, we built BedrockMD to do just that. Our platform gives you tools, training, and access to carrier relationships that work in your favor. We believe agents deserve support that’s as professional and responsive as the service they provide to their clients.

Sign up on BedrockMD today and see how we can help you build a stronger, smarter Medicare business.