Americans turn 65 each day
More than 4.1 million a year during the projected 2024–2027 peak.
Alliance for Lifetime Income researchWhy Medicare?
A national promise.
A local opportunity.
Medicare began with a simple purpose: help Americans access health coverage as they grow older. More than sixty years later, the choices have changed. The need for someone they can trust has only become more personal.
Explore agency ownership01 / The promise grows
From a new safety net to a part of American life.
- 1965
A promise becomes law
Medicare is signed into law, establishing hospital and medical coverage through Parts A and B.
- 1966
Coverage begins
More than 19 million people enroll as Medicare launches that July.
- 2006
Prescription coverage arrives
Part D adds prescription drug coverage, expanding the decisions people make about their care.
- Today
A lasting national need
Medicare serves 69.4 million Americans in an average month in 2025, according to CMS’s preliminary figures.
CMS history · 1966 enrollment · CMS Fast Facts, April 2026
02 / The senior tsunami
A generation is reaching Medicare.
The need for guidance keeps growing.
Every day brings another wave of 65th birthdays—and decisions about doctors, prescriptions and retirement coverage. For an agency owner, that creates a continuing opportunity to earn trust, serve a community and build a business around a lasting need.
People covered by Medicare
Average monthly enrollment in 2025, including eligible people under 65.
CMS preliminary 2025 figuresMA-PD and PDP plan switchers
In one annual open enrollment period for 2020 coverage, within KFF’s study population.
KFF analysis of Medicare enrollment recordsNew retirees create demand.
Changing needs bring people back.
The opportunity extends well beyond the first enrollment. Benefits, costs, doctors and prescriptions change. An annual coverage review gives clients a reason to return to a professional they know—even when keeping their current plan is the right decision.
More recently, Deft Research reported 23% Medicare Advantage plan/carrier switching for 2025 coverage in its survey. The 3.9 million figure above is a rounded historical estimate of voluntary MA-PD/PDP switchers in KFF’s eligible study population, not a current nationwide annual total. The studies use different populations and are not added together. Deft Research, 2025.
03 / More choice. More questions.
Coverage is national.
The right fit is personal.
Original Medicare, Medicare Supplement coverage, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans each bring different questions. Which doctors participate? How are prescriptions covered? What might care cost throughout the year?
People need help understanding the tradeoffs—and someone to return to when their health, retirement date or coverage changes.
04 / The staying-power challenge
A license opens the door.
A business needs more.
15%still under contract
through the fourth year
through the fourth year
LIMRA’s published results for the 2019 hiring cohort show how difficult it can be to establish a lasting agency career. Demand is only one part of the equation. Producers also need a consistent way to attract clients, develop their skills and fund the time it takes to grow.
And succession adds another opening: nearly three in ten U.S. insurance sales agents are 55 or older. Communities will need professionals ready to carry those relationships forward.
LIMRA: participating agency-building companies; 2019 hire cohort. Leaving a contract does not necessarily mean leaving insurance. BLS: all insurance sales agents, 2025. Neither measure is Medicare-specific. LIMRA retention research · BLS workforce data.
05 / The relationship opportunity
Be the name they know.
And the person who stays.
When a sales-first call-center model focuses on the next enrollment, the relationship can become secondary. Seniors deserve someone who understands their situation, explains their options and remains available after the application is signed.
That is the opening for a local Medicare agency: turn a confusing purchase into a lasting professional relationship. Serve clients well today, stay connected as their needs change, and give them a reason to return—and recommend you.
A Senate investigation documented aggressive Medicare Advantage marketing and unwanted enrollments. These findings do not describe every call center. Senate Finance Committee, 2022.
06 / The economics of ongoing advice
A first enrollment starts the relationship.
Renewals can help sustain it.
CMS—the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—sets limits on what plans may pay independent agents for Medicare Advantage and Part D enrollments. Eligible renewals can generate recurring commissions as an agency continues serving its clients.
Medicare Advantage compensation limits
National tier, including Texas · 2009–2027
2027
Initial enrollment$725
Renewal year$363
2009 baseline; annual series from 2013. Dotted lines connect published benchmarks across 2010–2012, which are not plotted. Renewal rules have changed over time; these are compensation limits, not a single client’s renewal history.
Annual maximums per eligible enrollment, not guaranteed commissions. Nominal dollars; not adjusted for inflation. Actual carrier payments may be lower or zero. Enrollment timing and compensation rules affect payment.
Understand the distinction. Initial compensation generally applies to a first-year or unlike-plan-type enrollment. Switching between like plan types generally pays the renewal rate, not a fresh initial commission.
Know the scope. The 2027 national Part D limits are $130 initial and $65 renewal. Some regions have different MA limits. Medicare Supplement compensation follows carrier schedules rather than this MA chart.
Sources: CMS 2009 baseline; CMS historical compensation files and guidance; 2015–2022 history; 2017–2026 history; CMS 2027 memo. Historical increases do not guarantee future increases.
| Year | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $400 | $200 |
| 2013 | $413 | $207 |
| 2014 | $425 | $213 |
| 2015 | $408 | $204 |
| 2016 | $429 | $215 |
| 2017 | $443 | $222 |
| 2018 | $455 | $228 |
| 2019 | $482 | $241 |
| 2020 | $510 | $255 |
| 2021 | $539 | $270 |
| 2022 | $573 | $287 |
| 2023 | $601 | $301 |
| 2024 | $611 | $306 |
| 2025 | $626 | $313 |
| 2026 | $694 | $347 |
| 2027 | $725 | $363 |
07 / A business built to stay
This is where Rooted comes in.
Professional standards, broad carrier choice and a familiar local team. Advice centered on the client, with support that continues after enrollment.
Build with the foundations already in place.
Weak systems, inconsistent prospecting, limited training and too little working capital can put an agency under pressure before relationships have time to grow. Rooted brings structure to those challenges.
A plan to attract clientsAdvertising blueprints, materials and distribution support.
Training you can useHands-on preparation, product strategy and ongoing guidance.
Systems that support growthSoftware, client servicing and automated retention support.
Room to buildCapital planning that considers startup needs, operating reserves and temporary owner income.
Licensed
Our producers hold the required state Life & Health insurance licenses for the business they conduct.
Trained & certified
Annual AHIP Medicare training and required carrier certifications keep our producers current as rules and plans change.
Professionally insured
Errors & Omissions coverage addresses covered professional errors, subject to the policy’s terms and limits.
Carrier choice on equal footing.
Rooted holds contracts with all major insurers and earns equal commissions for comparable plans. That reduces the financial incentive to favor one carrier over another. Our recommendations begin with the client’s doctors, prescriptions, budget and preferences.
Carrier appointments and available plans vary by market and product. Equal compensation is Rooted’s stated contracting model, not a CMS requirement that every insurer pay the same amount.
A relationship worth keeping.
A local presence gives clients a familiar place to turn. Centralized servicing and ongoing retention support help your agency stay connected while you focus on growth.
Over 90%Historical client retention
Reported by Rooted
Reported by Rooted
Historical experience is not a guarantee. Investment illustrations use a separate, conservative 80% persistency assumption.
Own the business. Build the relationships.
The next chapter can have your name on it.
Lead daily operations or employ a qualified producer. Rooted provides the training, software, advertising blueprint and centralized service support to help you build a local Medicare agency for the long term.