Key Takeaways

• Understanding Medicare is not enough—clients respond to how you frame the plan in context of their life priorities.

• In 2025, successful agents focus more on education, trust, and positioning than on listing features or prices.

Why Framing Matters More Than Facts

When you’re sitting across from a Medicare annuitant, it’s tempting to showcase your product knowledge. You might explain premiums, deductibles, and plan structures in perfect detail. But clients rarely remember the numbers. What they remember is how you made them feel about their decision. That’s where framing comes in.

Framing is about how you position information—what you emphasize, the comparisons you draw, and the values you connect it to. It’s not about spin; it’s about clarity. And it’s one of the most underused tools in a Medicare agent’s toolkit.

Step Back From Plan Features First

Before you ever mention the type of Medicare plan, take the time to understand what the client really cares about:

• Are they worried about managing a chronic illness?

• Do they want the freedom to travel?

• Are they looking for peace of mind in retirement?

• Do they prioritize low out-of-pocket costs or predictable expenses?

If you jump into deductibles and copays before uncovering these preferences, you’re missing the foundation for effective framing.

Once you know what they value, you can describe plan options in terms of those values. Not every detail matters—only the ones that relate to their needs.

Position Medicare as a System of Choices

In 2025, Medicare beneficiaries are faced with an overwhelming number of options, particularly during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 to December 7). But many clients still think Medicare is a one-size-fits-all government program.

Your job is to shift that perception:

“Medicare gives you structure, but the way you use it is personal—based on your health, lifestyle, and budget.”

Framing it this way encourages clients to see their role as active participants. They’re not just selecting a plan—they’re building a retirement strategy.

Focus on the Timeline, Not Just the Plan

Clients often panic about deadlines. The fear of missing the wrong window—whether it’s Initial Enrollment at age 65 or Special Enrollment after retirement—can distract from good decision-making.

You can reframe this into an opportunity:

“Medicare has a calendar, and we just need to make sure you’re on the right one. Once we’re aligned with your timeline, the rest becomes simpler.”

By demystifying enrollment periods and syncing them with life events, you take pressure off the plan choice and build trust.

Frame Part B as a Health Investment

Too often, clients balk at the Part B premium, especially if they’ve delayed retirement or aren’t using healthcare frequently. But this isn’t just a payment—it’s a gateway.

Position Part B like this:

• It unlocks access to physician services, preventive care, outpatient care, and durable medical equipment.

• It makes you eligible for additional coverage options that can reduce your out-of-pocket costs.

• In 2025, it includes access to a modernized structure that supports cost predictability.

Don’t let the Part B premium become a mental roadblock. Use framing to show what that cost enables.

Simplify Prescription Drug Coverage Without Dumbing It Down

The Part D changes for 2025—especially the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug costs—offer a meaningful opportunity to ease concerns about affordability. But don’t let that be the only headline.

Instead, explain the structure of drug coverage:

• There is a deductible phase, an initial coverage phase, and then a final protection phase after $2,000 in spending.

• Plans vary in what they cover and which pharmacies they work with.

• Prescription costs can now be spread out monthly under the new Prescription Payment Plan, helping with cash flow.

This helps clients understand what to expect instead of reacting to unexpected costs later.

Use Emotional Framing for Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare

Many agents make the mistake of comparing plan types like they’re tech specs. What clients want is a sense of safety, flexibility, and predictability.

Frame the choice like this:

• Original Medicare is about control and wide access—you can go to nearly any doctor in the U.S. who accepts Medicare. You pair it with standalone drug coverage and optional Medigap protection.

• Medicare Advantage is about coordination—care is managed in one place, often with added benefits and network restrictions.

This positions each path as a philosophy of healthcare. The client isn’t just picking a plan; they’re choosing how they want to interact with the system.

Build Trust With Clarity, Not Complexity

Jargon erodes trust. If you use terms like “donut hole,” “MOOP,” or “Special Needs Plan” without context, clients either check out or feel talked down to.

Frame your knowledge in plain language:

• Translate MOOP into “the most you’ll ever pay out of your own pocket for covered services in a year.”

• Refer to the “donut hole” as the middle phase of drug coverage that used to be more expensive—but is now capped.

• Present SNPs as tailored plans for people with specific health conditions or financial needs.

In 2025, the most successful agents are the ones who translate—not just transmit—information.

Be the One Who Connects the Dots

Framing Medicare is also about helping clients connect. Medicare doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It ties into retirement income, employer coverage, Social Security, and sometimes Medicaid.

Ask linking questions:

• “Have you already claimed Social Security?”

• “Are you still covered under a spouse’s plan?”

• “Do you take high-cost medications?”

Use these answers to show the client how Medicare fits into the bigger picture. It makes you more than an agent—it makes you a strategist.

Anticipate Doubts Before They’re Spoken

Even clients who nod along during the meeting may leave confused. That’s often because their real concerns were never voiced.

Use framing to bring up silent fears:

• “You might be wondering what happens if your health changes.”

• “Some people worry about picking the wrong plan. Let’s talk through what switching looks like.”

This diffuses anxiety and gives clients permission to be honest.

Revisit Framing During Annual Reviews

Once a plan is in place, your job isn’t done. The Annual Enrollment Period is a chance to frame the review not as a sales pitch—but as a check-in:

“Let’s make sure your plan still fits the way you’re living. Health and priorities change, and your coverage should reflect that.”

This keeps retention high and clients engaged. It also shows that you’re not just a seller—you’re a long-term partner.

How You Frame Defines What They Remember

In 2025, most people remember how you made Medicare feel—not every plan detail you covered. That’s the power of framing. It takes the abstract and makes it relatable. It shifts attention from numbers to meaning.

By stepping back from the technical and focusing on what truly matters to each individual client, you turn confusion into confidence—and interest into action.

Help Clients Remember You for the Right Reasons

If you want to be the agent clients return to—and refer others to—you have to lead with relevance, empathy, and clarity. The best product doesn’t matter if the client doesn’t see why it matters to them.

Framing isn’t about selling harder—it’s about communicating smarter.

We help agents like you do exactly that. At BedrockMD, we provide high-quality tools, streamlined CRM, and advanced lead systems so you can focus on what matters most: supporting your clients with confidence and consistency. Sign up today and let’s take your Medicare business further.