Medicare 2026

Called a Medicare Ad's Hotline? Here's What Call Centers Must Tell You About Your Data

You saw the commercial, dialed the 800 number on the screen, and now a stranger is asking for your ZIP code, your Medicare Number, and whether you'd rather save on groceries or dental work. Before you answer anything, it helps to know what the person on the other end is required to tell you — and what they're not allowed to do.

Most of those hotlines aren't run by insurance companies. They're run by third-party marketing organizations (TPMOs) that generate leads and hand them to licensed agents. Federal rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) set clear ground rules for how those calls, chats, and emails work.

The disclaimer you should hear

If the hotline doesn't represent every plan in your area — and most don't — the caller is required to read a specific disclaimer: "We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent [number] organizations which offer [number] products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options."

Under CMS's contract year 2027 final rule (published April 6, 2026, with marketing policies applying to 2027 plan-year marketing beginning October 1, 2026), that disclaimer must be spoken aloud before any discussion of benefits. It replaces the earlier requirement to say it within the first minute of the call. The same disclosure must appear in emails and online chats, and be displayed prominently on the organization's website.

If you don't hear it, that's a red flag. Ask directly: "How many carriers and plans do you represent in my area?"

Handoffs and lead generation

A marketing organization that generates sales leads must tell you up front that your information will be given to a licensed agent for future contact. And if the call is being transferred to a licensed agent who can actually enroll you in a plan, they have to tell you that transfer is happening.

That matters because once you're with a licensed agent, you're in a sales conversation — not a neutral information session.

Your data: who gets it

Since October 1, 2024, personal information collected to market or enroll you in a Medicare Advantage plan can be shared with another marketing organization only with your prior express written consent. That consent has to come through a clear disclosure that lists every company that would receive your data and lets you accept or reject each one individually.

In plain terms: you should never be opted-in by default to a long list of partners. If a website or script tries to get a single "yes" that covers unnamed third parties, that's not what the rule allows.

One nuance: if you filled out a business reply card, clicked a "contact me" button, or otherwise asked to be called, the resulting call is considered consented-to, not unsolicited. That's worth remembering if you're wondering why a call came in — you may have checked a box weeks earlier.

Call recording

Contracts between plans and third-party marketing organizations must require that all marketing and sales calls be recorded and kept in their entirety for at least 6 years. The first 3 years must be kept as audio; years 4 through 6 can be audio or complete transcripts. CMS's 2027 final rule cut this retention period from the previous 10 years, effective October 1, 2026.

If something goes wrong — a plan you didn't agree to, a benefit that was promised but doesn't exist — that recording exists and can be requested through the plan or through a complaint to 1-800-MEDICARE.

What a legitimate call will never do

Medicare.gov is explicit: plans and their agents cannot ask for your bank account or credit card number over the phone or in person just to give you a quote. They cannot require you to speak with a sales agent to get information about a plan. And they cannot ask you to pay over the phone or online, because the plan has to send you a bill.

Medicare.gov also advises not to share your Medicare Number or other personal information with anyone who contacts you by phone, email, or in person unless you contacted them first and gave permission to be contacted. If someone pressures you otherwise, hang up and report it. The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) network helps people recognize and report Medicare fraud and errors.

What's actually set for 2027

A few program-level numbers are confirmed. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The most any Part D plan may charge as a deductible is $700. The Part D base beneficiary premium — the national figure used to calculate the late-enrollment penalty — is $41.33; actual plan premiums are set plan by plan.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced. CMS typically releases them in the fall. Social Security announced a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment on October 14, 2026, payable beginning January 2027.

Annual Enrollment runs October 15 – December 7, 2026, with choices taking effect January 1, 2027.

A note on enrollment flexibility

If you have Medicaid or qualify for Extra Help, you have a monthly Special Enrollment Period to move to Original Medicare paired with a stand-alone Part D plan, or to switch stand-alone Part D plans. Full-benefit dual-eligible individuals can join an integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) in any month.

Comparing your coverage paths

Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan — often combined with a Medigap policy — gives you broad provider access and predictable cost-sharing, but Medigap premiums and medical, drug, dental, and vision costs are separate. Medicare Advantage bundles coverage, often with extra benefits, but uses networks and plan-specific rules. Neither is "better"; the right fit depends on your doctors, prescriptions, budget, and travel patterns.

Where to go for unbiased information

For a complete look at every option in your area, use Medicare.gov's plan finder or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That's the one source designed to show you everything — not just what any single hotline happens to sell.