The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period — October 15 through December 7 — is the single highest-volume window in Medicare sales. Every Medicare-enrolled individual in the country can change their plan during this window. Most agents treat AEP as a busier version of the rest of the year. The agents who produce exceptional AEP numbers treat it as a separate operational mode that requires specific preparation starting in April.
The AEP Preparation Timeline
April through June: List Accumulation
The highest-converting AEP leads are T65 prospects who turned 65 between January and June and have already been in Initial Enrollment Period — they have made a plan choice but often made it quickly under pressure and are now six months in with real experience using the coverage.
Simultaneously, build your existing Medicare Advantage client list for AEP re-enrollment review. Every MA client has the right to switch plans during AEP, and premium changes, network changes, and formulary updates create annual dissatisfaction. Your existing book is AEP's highest-conversion segment.
July through September: Intelligence Gathering
CMS releases the Medicare Plan Finder data and carrier AEP plan filings in September. Monitor your primary carriers for premium change announcements, network changes, and formulary updates. An MA plan raising premiums by $40 per month creates a dissatisfied client who is motivated to switch.
Also pull your rate increase monitoring from Medigap rate increase campaigns. Carriers who filed increases taking effect January 1 create motivated comparison-shoppers.
October 1 through October 14: Pre-AEP Outreach
Pre-AEP educational calls can begin October 1. You cannot take applications before October 15, but you can schedule AEP review appointments. An agent with 40 appointments scheduled before October 15 enters AEP in execution mode rather than prospecting mode.
October 15 through December 7: Execution
The eight-week window. The operational priority order:
- Existing MA clients with plan changes: First calls go to clients whose plans are raising premiums, narrowing networks, or changing formularies.
- Warm prospects from pre-AEP outreach: Appointments already scheduled.
- T65 post-IEP prospects from April–June list: Have experience with their plan, often have questions.
- Fresh AEP-filtered cold list: New Medicare-eligible prospects reached for the first time during AEP.
The AEP-Specific Opener
"Hi [Name], this is [Agent]. I am a Medicare broker calling because we are in the Annual Enrollment Period right now — the window where you can review your current plan and make changes for next year. This window closes December 7. Quick question: are you currently on a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement?"
The deadline reference — December 7 — creates genuine urgency without manufactured pressure.
List Volume Planning for AEP
If your goal is 40 additional policies during the 8-week window and your dial-to-policy rate is 2.2%, you need 1,820 additional verified records. At $0.03 per verified record, that is $54.60 in incremental list cost for $24,000–$30,000 in incremental first-year commission. Order these records in September.
Browse AEP-filtered, verified lead inventory at cleanleads365.com/buy-leads.
References
- CMS. (2023). Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Rules. 42 C.F.R. 422.62.
- LIMRA. (2023). Medicare Distribution Study. AEP volume concentration and agent preparation correlation.
