About a third of enrollees seek help in making complex decisions about whether to enroll in original Medicare or select among private-sector alternatives, called Medicare Advantage.
Now a blockbuster lawsuit filed May 1 by the federal Department of Justice alleges that insurers Aetna, Elevance Health (formerly Anthem), and Humana paid “hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks” to large insurance brokerages — eHealth, GoHealth, and SelectQuote. The payments, made from 2016 to at least 2021, were incentives to steer patients into the insurer’s Medicare Advantage plans, the lawsuit alleges, while also discouraging enrollment of potentially more costly disabled beneficiaries.
Policy experts say the lawsuit will add fuel to long-running concerns about whether Medicare enrollees are being encouraged to select the coverage that is best for them — or the one that makes the most money for the broker.
Appleby, J. (2025, May 19). Trump’s DOJ accuses Medicare advantage insurers of paying ‘Kickbacks’ for Primo customers – KFF Health News. KFF Health News. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/justice-department-accuses-medicare-advantage-insurers-kickbacks-top-customers/
Bowers, L. (2025, May 7). Feds accuse insurers, brokers of steering older adults to certain MA plans regardless of suitability – McKnight’s Senior Living. McKnight’s Senior Living. https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/news/feds-accuse-insurance-companies-brokers-of-steering-older-adults-to-certain-medicare-advantage-plans-regardless-of-suitability/
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