How to Become a Licenced Medicare Agent
Education/Pre-Licencing
You will need to know all the rules and regulations of your specific state. Our prospective agents typically will use one of the common companies online such as Exam FX or Kaplan to gain the necessary knowledge to take the state life and health exam. Depending on how you learn best you can choose from a variety of options, and each cost different amounts, but you can get the self study from Exam FX for $150.00. Once you pass the practice tests with at least 80% you should feel confident that you will be able to pass the state test. Some even guarantee a pass as long as you get 80% or you get your money back. This pre-licensing will likely take 2-6 weeks.
Taking and passing the state test
Now you are ready to take the state exam. You will need to schedule it through whichever testing company your state uses. If you are in ID, UT, NV, AZ, NM, you will likely use PSI, Pearson Vue, or Prometric depending on the state. States vary on how many test questions there are, and what a passing score will need to be. At this point we can guide you as to which to contact to schedule your exam. The cost for this will also vary, but it is advised that you take the combined test for life and health so that you will be able to sell final expense policies to clients if and when asked to do so in a separate appointment. Some states have an exam fee, for example Utah's exam fee is $74.00 for the combined life and health.
Apply for your license
In most most states you will next need to apply for your license. Again, when you get to this point we can let you know what site and where to apply for this license. In most states this will also cost more money. In Utah it is around $75.00, but could vary by state. Once you have been approved by your state you will need to print it and depending on the state you will also need to get fingerprinted and get a background check done, which adds another cost of about $50.00 to your licensing costs.
E & O Insurance
The next part is pretty simple. Most companies require that you have some errors and omission insurance. There are various places to get this, but you will likely need it to move forward. Many of our agents use NAPA because they are online and it is a very quick and easy way to take care of it.
AHIP
There are a couple companies that do not require to do your AHIP certification but I would highly recommend it, as most do require it. You can get a discount on this training through some of the carriers, and usually with the discount it will cost around $130.00 to get and complete, but once you have it you can transfer it from one carrier to another without paying more money. You will also likely have some training in addition to the AHIP with most carriers that you contract with. Which will typically "certify" you to sell their product. We are all independent agents so most of us are contracted with more than just one carrier for the benefit of our clients.
You made it, Now it's time to start selling!
It's a lot of work, but it will be worth it. Time to form a business plan as to how to find and get in front of new clients. There are many different ways to do this from ordering leads, to calling on the phone (Medicare Supplements), talking to family and friends, or sitting at a store front or another location. We will help you formulate a plan and get going to be successful. Most agents will join other agents on a ride along to watch presentations till they are comfortable to go out on their own. We want you to feel ready when you get in front of a senior. Give us a call today to join our team, and we will walk you through every step necessary to get licensed and on your way to success.