Fair question — I'd ask it too. The short version: insurance companies pay agents, premiums are identical whether you use one or not, and the honest conflict-of-interest conversation is worth having in the open. Here's the whole picture, from someone whose paycheck this page is about.
1. The insurance company pays, not you. When you enroll through an agent, the carrier pays the agent a commission — typically a flat monthly amount per enrolled member for ACA plans, or a regulated, capped amount for Medicare plans. You never get a bill. If an "agent" ever asks you for a fee to enroll in a marketplace or Medicare plan, walk away.
2. You don't pay more for using an agent — by law. Premiums are filed with and approved by state regulators. The price of a plan is the same on HealthCare.gov, on the carrier's website, and through any agent. Commission is built into the premium whether anyone earns it or not — enrolling alone doesn't get you a discount; it just means no one is assigned to help you.
3. The incentive question is fair — so ask it. Commissions could tempt an agent to steer you. Three questions expose that instantly: How many carriers do you represent? Are you independent or captive? Will you show me every plan in my county, even ones that pay you less or nothing? An independent multi-carrier agent has little reason to steer — ACA commissions are broadly similar across carriers — and a good one will happily tell you when the best answer is a plan or program that pays them nothing, like Medicaid or CHIP.
Since the cost is the same either way, the real question is what the help is worth. In practice: checking every plan's network against your doctors and every formulary against your prescriptions; catching subsidy mistakes before they become tax-time clawbacks; knowing which enrollment window applies and proving it with the right documents; and being one phone call — not a call-center queue — when a claim, renewal, or billing problem hits mid-year. That last one is where an agent earns the commission long after enrollment day.
No. Filed premiums are identical with or without an agent — the commission is in the price either way. Skipping the agent doesn't remove it; it just leaves the work to you.
It could, so hold me to it: I'm independent, I represent multiple carriers, and I'll show you every plan filed in your county — including options that pay me nothing, like Medicaid, CHIP, or staying on an employer plan. If a free government program fits you better than anything I sell, I'll say so. That promise is on my About page too.
Totally valid — same plans, same prices, and we even built a DIY quoting page for people who prefer it. The agent's value is triage and defense: networks, formularies, subsidy math, enrollment windows, and someone in your corner when something breaks mid-year.
Medicare Advantage and Part D commissions are capped by CMS rules; Medigap pays a percentage of premium that varies by carrier. Structures differ, which is exactly why you're entitled to ask how an agent is paid on any recommendation — and to expect a straight answer.
Start with a tool — no phone number required — or go straight to a comparison: