Compare Every Medicare Plan in Your Client's County, Not Just the Top Five
Every plan type in the client's county, sorted the way the conversation needs, and the finalists next to the plan they have now.
Short answer: during AEP, start with plans like the one your client already has, then look at every other kind of plan offered in their county: D-SNPs if they may have Medicaid, C-SNPs if they have a qualifying chronic condition, a stand-alone drug plan if they would rather have Original Medicare. Sort the list by carrier to see who offers what, then put two or three finalists next to the client's current plan before you talk numbers. Why a top-five list isn't the whole market A ranked shortlist is a good place to start a review. It is not the whole county. Rankings lean on what can be measured: the drugs on file, the premium, and whether a doctor shows up in a carrier's public provider directory. When only one carrier's directory can confirm a client's doctor, a short list can end up being that one carrier's plans, even when four other carriers sell plans the client should hear about. Clients also care about things a ranking doesn't see: a carrier they already trust, a plan type they qualify for but nobody mentioned, or a dental benefit they lean on. Seeing every plan, and being able to reorder them, is how you catch those. Check every plan type offered there MA-PD: Medicare Advantage with drug coverage. MA only: Medicare Advantage without Part D drug coverage. D-SNP: for people with both Medicare and Medicaid. Confirm the client's Medicaid level before you present one. C-SNP: for people with a qualifying chronic condition, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure or COPD. The plan confirms the condition. I-SNP: for people who live in, or need the level of care of, a nursing home or similar facility. PDP: a stand-alone drug plan, which goes with Original Medicare rather than Medicare Advantage. Every special needs plan must include Medicare drug coverage, a client can stay in one only while they still meet its conditions, and SNPs are not offered everywhere: insurance companies decide each year where they will sell them ( Medicare.gov ). Sort and filter the list Start with the best-fit order: plans that cover every drug on file and list every one of the client's doctors first, then by cost. Then re-sort when the conversation calls for it: Carrier, A–Z, to see each carrier's plans together. Premium or yearly estimate (premium plus estimated drug costs), lowest first. Out-of-pocket maximum, lowest first. Star rating, highest first. When a client asks "what does Aetna have?" or "is there anything from Humana?", pick that carrier and the list shows only its plans. Put the finalists next to the current plan Before you talk numbers, put up to three finalists, of any type, next to the client's current plan and the plan it renews into: monthly premium, drug deductible, estimated drug costs, premium plus drugs for the year, out-of-pocket maximum, primary care and specialist copays, dental annual maximum, OTC allowance, Part B giveback, star rating, drugs on file the plan doesn't cover, whether the client's doctors are listed in its network, and whether you're contracted to sell it. Compare like with like. A stand-alone drug plan's yearly total has no medical costs in it, so it shouldn't be weighed in dollars against a Medicare Advantage plan. And for a client with Extra Help, the listed Part D premium is before Extra Help, which helps pay Part D premiums, deductibles and other drug costs ( Medicare.gov ), so star ratings, networks and benefits usually separate those plans better than premiums do. Before you discuss any plan Have a signed Scope of Appointment covering the plan types you will discuss. Confirm the client qualifies for any special needs plan before you present it. Confirm doctors with the office. Provider directories can be out of date. A change made during Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7, takes effect January 1 ( Medicare.gov ). Where to find it in AgencyView Open Client Management → AEP Review and pick a client, or open their review page. The 2027 plan list has Plan type , Sort and Carrier menus and shows every plan, six to a page. Tick up to three plans on the review page to see them side by side with the client's current plan. The link you send the client still shows only the best few plans like their own. The full list of changes is in the changelog .
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