Are Medicare TV Commercials Legitimate?

Medicare TV commercials are legitimate in the sense that they are run by legitimate companies. In order to enroll someone in a Medicare health insurance plan, a company must be a licensed insurance agency which has been certified by the government.

However, Medicare commercials have received a lot of criticism for their misleading marketing practices. For example, many commercials featured red, white, and blue coloring and some even show a waving American flag. These commercials are run by private companies but people thought they were contacting the government.

Medicare commercials also receive criticism for advertising government savings programs, such as the “Give Back Benefit”, but only a small percentage of people are actually eligible for these government programs.

In response to deceiving advertising practices, the government (CMS) has implemented updated Medicare marketing guidelines and regulations for 2022. You may notice that Medicare Commercials now have less red, white, and blue coloring to reduce confusion that the commercials are from the government, and less mention of the “Give Back Benefit” and other low-eligibility savings programs. 

Additional Resources

Medicare Marketing Guidelines - CMS

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Health-Plans/ManagedCareMarketing/FinalPartCMarketingGuidelines

Last updated: October 3, 2022