Medicare agents must be mindful of the word choice and phrases they include in marketing and advertising materials. Use caution with the following words and pay attention to claims and tone.
Specific Words to Avoid
Entitled. Use “eligible” when you want to talk about plan benefits. “Entitled” can only be used for Part A from Original Medicare.
Senior. When you use the term “senior,” you are excluding around 15% of Medicare beneficiaries. Not all people who are in the market for Medicare plans will be 65 years or older, so keep this in mind when you put together your marketing materials and website copy.
Free. If you offer a free service such as a plan comparison, you need to include “no obligation to enroll” after any mention of those free services. When talking about zero dollar premiums, such as for Medicare Part A, do not describe it as free. For this and other lower costs including reductions in premiums or deductibles, low-income subsidies and dual-eligible cost savings, use the phrase “no additional cost” instead of free.
Best. Claims are dangerous in advertising, and as a rule, you should not use any phrasing that you cannot back up with factual evidence. Avoid using superlatives saying that a product is “the best.” Do not say that a plan is the “highest rated” or has “the most doctors” if that is not true. Similarly, do not describe plan benefits as “full,” “comprehensive,” “complete,” “unlimited” or other all-encompassing words.
Customized or Personalized. Medicare plans cannot be tailored to the needs of any individual, so do not describe your services as providing customized Medicare plans.
Expert or Advocate. You and your fellow agents may have years of experience helping people find Medicare plans, but you cannot simply present yourself as an “expert” or “advocate.” Only use those terms if you are referring to a licensed insurance agent and the claim can be substantiated, it’s approved, and you use it alongside the terms “licensed sales agent” or “licensed insurance agent.”
Urgent. Using words such as “urgent,” especially if you use them with stand-out font styling, can create undue pressure for your clients. False urgency if not an approved sales tactic.
Be Mindful of Tone
Avoid high-pressure sales tactics. Do not use language that could create fear or anxiety for your clients. You are allowed to use approved phrases such as “don’t delay,” “enroll now,” “don’t miss out,” or “AEP ends 12/7.”
Qualify your statements. Again, when you make a statement, you don’t want it to be proven false. Use phrasing that you can support with some qualifiers such as “may,” “might,” “should.” or maybe.” This will look like “You may be able to save money” instead of “You will save thousands of dollars.” Even saying “This is the best plan for you” may be setting a client up for disappointment and rapid disenrollment if things go poorly. Be mindful of your language, even if you have the utmost confidence that your recommended plan is well suited for your clients.
