The Medicare Annual Election Period (also called Open Enrollment) starts on October 15 each year and ends on December 7. That means that typically, the Medicare commercials and mail start right after Labor Day, with phone calls beginning October 1. Under the Medicare guidelines, marketers cannot call or set appointments prior to October 1, but they can definitely get you “thinking” about the election period. (Check out our 2021 Guide to Medicare Open Enrollment.)
With more than 100,000 brokers and agents certified to sell Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, that’s a lot of people trying to get your business in less than two months. (And that doesn’t include the insurance companies who also want your business.)
Medicare Advantage plans are extremely profitable for the insurance carriers – and agents/brokers only have the Annual Election Period to get as many fish in their net as possible for the upcoming year (not including people who age in when they turn 65).