No hidden fees. No secret commissions. By law, we can't charge you for Medicare advice — so every dollar we could ever earn is documented right here.
Under federal regulation (42 C.F.R. §§ 422.2274 and 423.2274), Medicare brokers are prohibited by law from charging beneficiaries for any activity connected to Medicare Advantage or Part D plans — including consultations, enrollment help, plan comparisons, and ongoing support. Any broker who asks you to pay is violating federal rules.
This means the only legal way for us to get paid is through commissions that insurance carriers pay us — at rates published and capped by the federal government. Carrier-paid commissions are the sole compensation mechanism that exists in Medicare. There is no other option. There is no premium version. There is no consulting fee. This is it.
Carriers only pay brokers for some plans. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans pay commissions. Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans pay commissions. But Original Medicare (Parts A & B) doesn't — it's government-administered, no broker is involved, and no commission exists.
Most brokerages only show you the plans that pay them. We built tools that cover everything — including Original Medicare, where we earn exactly zero — because the right answer for you might be a plan that doesn't pay us at all. And we'll tell you that.
The Pocket Protector only has the opportunity to earn a commission if you choose us as your agent and enroll through our platform. Use our tools to educate yourself and enroll elsewhere? We earn nothing. Keep your current plan because it's the best one? We earn nothing. And we're built to be okay with that.
Not on Medicare.gov. Not on a carrier's website. Not by calling the plan directly. The price of a Medicare plan is the price — period.
Every Medicare Advantage and Part D plan files its premiums, benefits, and cost-sharing with CMS before the plan year begins. Those prices are locked. Whether you enroll through The Pocket Protector, through a carrier's website, through Medicare.gov, through a call center, or by walking into an insurance office — you pay the exact same premium, to the penny.
The same is true for Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans — the premium is set by the carrier and filed with your state's Department of Insurance. A broker can't mark it up and a carrier won't offer a "direct discount." The rate is the rate.
Broker commissions don't come out of your pocket or get added to your premium. They come from the carrier's existing revenue — money the carrier already receives from CMS as part of the Medicare Advantage payment structure. If you enroll without a broker, the carrier simply keeps that commission. Your cost doesn't go down — the carrier's margin goes up.
Not all Medicare plans compensate brokers — and the reasons vary. Understanding why matters, because it reveals who's actually looking out for you.
The bottom line: commission structures in Medicare are designed to benefit carriers — not consumers. Our job is to make sure you benefit regardless.
Here's every type of Medicare plan, whether it pays a broker commission, and what that commission looks like. No secrets.
These are the maximum amounts insurance carriers are legally allowed to pay any broker — us, a call center, or the agent next door. Published annually by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
View the original CMS source →
| Region | Initial Enrollment | Renewal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most States | $694/member/yr | $347/member/yr | National base rate |
| CA & NJ | $864/member/yr | $432/member/yr | Higher cost-of-living adjustment |
| CT, PA & DC | $781/member/yr | $391/member/yr | Regional adjustment |
| PR & USVI | $474/member/yr | $237/member/yr | Territorial rate |
| Region | Initial Enrollment | Renewal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All States | $114/member/yr | $57/member/yr | National flat rate |
Unlike MA and Part D plans, Medigap commissions are not capped by CMS. Each carrier sets its own rates, typically around 20–22% of the first-year premium, with lower renewal percentages for years 2–6. Some states (like California and Florida) impose their own caps. Because these vary by carrier, state, and plan letter, there's no single table to publish — but the structure is consistent across the industry.
In addition to commissions, some carriers have historically paid brokers "administrative fees" for tasks like compliance training, record-keeping, and beneficiary follow-up. CMS attempted to standardize and cap these fees in its 2025 Final Rule, but federal litigation blocked those provisions. As of 2026, administrative fees remain at carrier discretion, though CMS requires organizations to document and report all compensation.
Field Marketing Organizations (FMOs) — the distribution companies that sit between carriers and brokers — may also receive "override" payments from carriers. These overrides do not increase what you pay for your plan. The Pocket Protector is transparent about this: our operating costs are funded by these standard industry payments, not by charging you anything.
Don't take our word for it — read our code. Our recommendation engine is open source. You can see exactly how we rank plans, what factors we weigh, and verify for yourself that commission amounts play zero role in what we recommend.
The core recommendation engine. Scores every plan based on your health needs, prescriptions, doctors, and cost projections. Commission data is never a variable.
View on GitHub →How we ingest, normalize, and serve CMS plan data — 8,000+ plans, 330K+ formulary rows, 48 states. All from public government sources, processed transparently.
View on GitHub →Our total out-of-pocket estimator. Projects your real costs across plans using your actual prescriptions, providers, and utilization patterns.
View on GitHub →"If our recommendation engine ever factors in how much we get paid, you'll be able to see it in the code. It doesn't. And it never will."
Plans that pay us, plans that don't, and plans where we'd earn nothing. Your best option might not make us a dime — and we'll recommend it anyway.
Our tools compare plans using CMS data, real formulary lookups, and provider directory checks — not sales pitches. Every recommendation is backed by verifiable facts.
Our recommendation algorithm is public on GitHub. Any developer, journalist, or regulator can audit exactly how we generate plan recommendations.
Use our tools for free. If you want a licensed advisor, we're here. If you enroll elsewhere, no hard feelings. We only earn if you choose us as your agent.
Every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — free, unbiased Medicare counseling funded by the federal government, with no connection to any insurance company (including us). If you'd rather get help from someone with nothing to sell, visit shiphelp.org or call 1-877-839-2675. We'll still be here if you want to compare plans afterward.
Our tools are free, our advice is unbiased, and now you know exactly how we keep the lights on.
Commission data sourced from the CMS Contract Year 2026 Agent and Broker Compensation Rates memo (June 18, 2025) and publicly available carrier commission schedules. Medicare Supplement commission ranges reflect typical industry structures and vary by carrier, state, and plan type. The Pocket Protector is an independent consumer resource and is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. NPN: 21126942.