Health agent groups support bill aimed at deceptive Medicare marketing

Health agents’ associations are supporting bipartisan legislation that empowers agents and brokers who sell Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans while strengthening protections for Medicare beneficiaries.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev, introduced the Independent BROKERS TIME Act of 2025 (S. 2625).

The key objectives of this act are to:

• Redefine and clarify terms related to Medicare marketing activities, distinguishing independent agents and brokers from third-party marketing organizations.
• Strengthen oversight of marketing practices to curb deceptive tactics, particularly focusing on predatory call centers engaged in Medicare-related scams.
• Streamline agent and broker registration processes, aiming to increase transparency and reduce regulatory hurdles.
• Eliminate the 48-hour waiting period requirement that currently exists between a Scope of Appointment agreement and an independent agent or broker's meeting with a Medicare beneficiary.

In an email sent to its members, Health Agents for America said the bill would:

• Protect seniors. By cracking down on predatory call centers and misleading marketing, the bill helps ensure seniors receive accurate information from licensed professionals they can trust.
• Support independent agents. It recognizes the vital difference between local, licensed agents and large lead-generation or call center operations.
• Reduce burdens – By eliminating the unnecessary 48-hour waiting period and streamlining registration, it allows agents to serve consumers more efficiently.
• Promote accountability. Creates whistleblower rewards to report fraudulent call centers and requires oversight reports to Congress.

“We urge Congress to swiftly pass the Independent BROKERS TIME Act of 2025,” said Health Agents for America in a statement last week. “Seniors deserve access to trusted, local professionals — and agents deserve fair, clear rules that let them do their job.”

The National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals said the bill aligns directly with NABIP's Healthcare Bill of Rights, which affirms that every American deserves access to trusted, professional guidance from licensed insurance agents and brokers.

“This important legislation ensures that seniors will continue to have access to the trusted, professional guidance that only licensed agents can provide,” said NABIP CEO Jessica Brooks-Woods in a news release. “By correcting regulatory overreach and holding deceptive marketing practices accountable, this bill strengthens consumer protections while reducing unnecessary burdens on independent professionals who serve Medicare beneficiaries with integrity every day.”

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance.

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Susan Rupe is editor in chief, magazine, for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected].