Before you enable this campaign
| Check | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Campaign scope | Confirm whether the available campaign concerns Medicare Advantage, another Medicare product or general inquiries. |
| Authority to sell | Check the relevant state license, carrier requirements and current plan-year training before accepting the campaign. |
| Consent and recording | Review applicable CMS requirements as well as state law. Marketplace access is not certification that a sales process is compliant. |
Medicare inbound calls follow one of the most predictable seasonal patterns in insurance, because the periods when someone can actually enroll or make changes are set by federal rule, not by demand. Knowing that calendar matters as much as knowing what a Medicare caller wants.
The Medicare calendar
| Window | Dates | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) | October 15 to December 7 | Medicare beneficiaries can switch Medicare Advantage or Part D plans for the coming year |
| Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP) | January 1 to March 31 | People already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch plans or return to Original Medicare |
This page states enrollment windows as general information, not as a guarantee that these exact dates apply to every situation. Always confirm current dates with CMS or the relevant marketplace.
What call volume looks like outside those windows
Medicare enrollment periods affect when different plan choices may be available. Callers may also have initial or special enrollment questions outside the annual period. Use the current CMS calendar for eligibility questions and your own delivered-call history for staffing; the calendar does not establish the volume Callmart can supply.
Between the two windows, and after MA OEP closes at the end of March, Medicare call volume typically settles into a lower, steadier baseline for the rest of the spring and summer. That does not mean the vertical goes quiet; it means the calls you get are more likely to be from people turning 65 for the first time or dealing with a change in circumstances outside the normal enrollment calendar, rather than from the plan-shopping surge that defines AEP.
Who calls and what they are asking
- People about to turn 65 asking how Medicare works for the first time.
- Current Medicare Advantage members asking whether they can find a better plan during AEP or MA OEP.
- People asking about the difference between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement.
- People asking whether a specific doctor or drug is covered under a plan they are considering.
Staffing around a seasonal spike
Because AEP concentrates demand into a roughly seven-week window, staffing decisions matter more here than in a flatter vertical. Decide ahead of the window whether you will raise your daily call limit, add team members with their own softphone availability, or hold your limit steady and let excess demand pass to other buyers. Per-member daily spending allowances let an agency scale a team up for AEP without losing control of total spend.
Buying Medicare calls on Callmart
Medicare campaigns are priced and shown in your workspace with their price and connected-time buffer before you switch buying on, the same as every other campaign. Medicare Advantage is available as its own named campaign, covered on its own page, if you want detail specific to that product rather than Medicare generally.
Planning your calendar around the two windows
Because both AEP and MA OEP are fixed by CMS rather than by Callmart, the most useful planning you can do is on your own side: confirm your team's certifications are current before October 15, decide your AEP daily limits before demand actually arrives rather than while it is climbing, and revisit those limits again in late December once AEP closes and MA OEP opens on a smaller, more targeted audience of people who are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.
It also helps to separate the two windows in how you staff, not just how you price. AEP is broad: it draws people comparing plans for the first time as well as people who already have coverage and are shopping around. MA OEP is narrower, limited to people already in a Medicare Advantage plan who want one change. A team that treats the two the same way, with the same script and the same pace, will feel out of step with at least one of them. Building that distinction into your team's expectations before the calendar turns is cheaper than relearning it mid-window.
Common questions
01When is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period?
AEP runs from October 15 to December 7 each year, based on the published CMS enrollment calendar. Confirm the current year's exact dates with CMS before relying on them.
02What is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period?
MA OEP runs from January 1 to March 31 and lets people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan make one plan change or return to Original Medicare. It is separate from AEP.
03Do Medicare call volumes stay steady all year?
No steady volume is promised. Eligibility windows can change the questions callers ask, while actual delivery depends on eligible supply, your approved campaigns and your receiving settings.
04Is Medicare Advantage the same as a Medicare Supplement?
No. They are different products with different rules. See the Medicare Advantage page for a closer comparison relevant to taking calls.
05What license do I need to take Medicare calls?
You need the appropriate state insurance license, and Medicare-specific products often carry their own certification requirements. Confirm current requirements with your state regulator and carrier.