ACA FMO / Best commissions, or direct with carrier

[mdmedadvantage]

Hello,
My company owns and operates a medicare agency and a lead generation company. We are about to branch out into ACA because we are already doing a significant amount of volume on the marketing end so it makes sense to start our own agency, which is the same model we took with Medicare.
Here are my questions which I'm hoping you can answers based on your experience, and I'm grateful for your help. This is a whole different setup than Medicare where we chose one carrier and only offer them.

-If we go with an FMO, which in your opinion offers the best commissions? We had one named Agility send reps to our office, but I want to get thoughts on the best option.
-We don't need any marketing assistance at all, so would it make more sense to just contract direct with the carriers?
-If we contract direct with the carriers would we utilize a portal like HealthSherpa for enrollment?
Thank you for your help!

 

[Jim Wright]

Hi MD,

For commissions, you should be going with someone who lets the carrier pay you direct and for the carriers that don't pay directly, you should be receiving full commission.

If you don't need marketing assistance, there may be some marketing dollars available to offset the costs of your own marketing or you can use it to subsidize your operating costs.

Healthsherpa is better than any platform anyone can offer you for ACA.

It is hard to say anyone is "better" than the next because they are all different and it's your personal preference. I would just stay away from the FMOs that don't have an open release policy (even if they do, they may not honor it) and stay away from the ones that mess with your commission.

 

[Neisha]

Hello MD,
I would love to speak with you about what Agent Pipeline and Integrity Marketing Group can offer you in the ACA space. I have been helping agents and agencies start and grow in the ACA market for 11 years. You can reach out to me directly at 304 755-6486 or [email protected]