Angela Palo is COO of Pinnacle Financial Services, a leading National Medicare Brokerage, and member of the NABIP Medicare FMO Council.
Health insurance costs are rising—again. Between 2022 and 2025, average premiums for private health insurance plans—including those purchased through the ACA Marketplace and directly from insurers—increased by 15%, reaching an average annual cost of $7,452 this year.
At the same time, market concentration has intensified, with just three or fewer insurers now controlling 80% or more of the individual market in many states. For those of us leading large distribution organizations, these shifts directly impact how our agents show up for clients.
With 2025 forecasted to bring continued premium hikes and increasingly narrow options for consumers, our role as leaders is clear: We must equip our teams to lead with value, not just products. That means shifting from transactional sales to comprehensive planning. It means preparing agents to build trust by offering integrated solutions that reduce risk, preserve wealth and bring peace of mind in an uncertain environment.
At my company, we’re meeting this moment by evolving how we train, support and motivate our agents—and I believe every agency leader has the opportunity to do the same.
Educate clients on the power of a holistic portfolio.
For years, industry leaders have known that Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans are not one-size-fits-all. But in today’s climate, where out-of-pocket exposure is growing and health events can derail even the best retirement plans, clients often need layered protection.
That’s why it’s important to empower agents to lead with a portfolio approach. A Medicare plan isn’t the end of the conversation—it’s the foundation. From there, you can guide clients to consider:
• Hospital indemnity insurance to offset costs from inpatient stays that Medicare Advantage may not fully cover.
• Critical illness policies to provide lump-sum benefits in the event of cancer, stroke or heart attack, helping to manage financial fallout at a vulnerable time.
• Life insurance with living benefits, which offers both death benefit protection and accelerated benefit riders for chronic, critical or terminal illness.
• Fixed indexed annuities that provide income protection and mitigate market volatility for those drawing down retirement savings.
Don’t just treat these products as “add-ons”—present them as part of a coordinated risk management plan. I’ve found that when agents approach sales through the lens of financial wellness and legacy planning, clients respond with deeper engagement and trust.
Train agents to think like planners, not just producers.
Make sure your agent development programs go beyond product knowledge. For example, at my company, we focus on helping agents understand how various coverage types intersect, how Medicare gaps create risk exposure and how to position solutions within a broader financial narrative.
We run case study-based training sessions where agents walk through real-world client scenarios: a 68-year-old widow living on Social Security and a modest 401(k), a couple navigating an unexpected cancer diagnosis during their first year on Medicare, a retiree worried about leaving behind long-term care costs for their children. In each case, we ask: How can the agent build a plan that addresses not just the insurance need, but the emotional and financial goals of the client?
This kind of storytelling resonates. It anchors training in empathy and real outcomes, which helps agents see themselves as trusted guides, not just salespeople.
Innovation starts with leadership buy-in.
Change doesn’t happen in the field if it doesn’t start in leadership. Make sure your executive team is aligned on one key idea: Innovation isn’t about chasing every new tool. It’s about intentionality. Ask yourselves regularly, “What will actually help agents solve problems for their clients?”
With that in mind, companies may want to invest in:
• Integrated CRM platforms that sync quote engines, policy management and lead tracking so agents can easily view a client’s full portfolio.
• AI-powered needs assessment tools that help agents ask smarter questions during enrollment conversations.
• Targeted marketing campaigns that educate consumers on how hospital indemnity, life with living benefits and annuities fit into their broader Medicare strategy.
The goal here isn’t to chase shiny objects. Companies should aim to build infrastructure that supports meaningful, consultative conversations.
Mindset matters: Embrace change with confidence.
Let’s be honest, agents don’t always love change. But when leaders create a culture of learning and experimentation, it often gets easier to bring people along.
When our team rolled out new cross-selling scripts last fall, we invited top producers to help shape them, pilot them and share what worked (and what didn’t). Then we celebrated early wins—like the agent who helped a single mom secure critical illness coverage that paid out within three months of diagnosis or the retiree who cried on a follow-up call because their indemnity policy helped them avoid dipping into savings.
These stories matter. They help agents see that embracing innovation isn’t about making a pitch, it’s about making a difference.
How can you prepare for our industry’s moment of impact?
Many clients are feeling the squeeze. Markets are consolidating. Confidence in traditional health coverage is eroding in some segments. And, yet, I think our industry has never had more tools, more products or more opportunities to help.
Leading through change doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means creating clarity in complexity and empowering teams to deliver certainty in uncertain times.
I didn’t set out to become an FMO owner. I grew into it by staying focused on the people I serve: our clients, our agents and our industry partners. That people-first mindset is what keeps me grounded, even as the landscape shifts. And it’s what allows my team to grow without losing our soul.
If you’re reading this as a fellow agency leader, I’ll leave you with this: What would it look like to treat every product in your portfolio not as a transaction, but as a piece of a legacy plan? What would it look like to coach your agents not just to close a sale, but to open a relationship that lasts? That’s the kind of leadership our industry needs right now. And, together, I believe we can rise to meet it.
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