By: Elena Mart

In the world of Medicare insurance, many agents follow a familiar playbook: set up booths during enrollment periods, run advertisements featuring celebrity spokespeople, and wait for seniors to come to them. Ryan George, Vice President of Part C, identified a potential limitation in this approach – it can put the burden on those who often need the most help navigating an already complex system.

“Most Medicare agents that we meet tend to operate with a business model comparable to the Girl Scouts, where they just set up a booth and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got Medicare,'” Ryan explains. His alternative strategy has helped reshape how Medicare benefits reach those who need them most through a network of strategic partnerships that bring clarity and coverage to beneficiaries right where they already are.

Moving Beyond Traditional Medicare Outreach

For many seniors, the flood of Medicare information arrives primarily through those “annoying commercials you might see on TV featuring figures like Joe Namath, J.J. Walker, and others,” as Ryan puts it. Part C has pursued a different course, and one built on relationships rather than chance consumer encounters.

“What we have done is adopted a different approach,” he says. “We partner with financial advisor firms, insurance brokerage firms, pharmacies, and grocery stores.”

This partnership strategy wasn’t developed overnight. It grew from Ryan’s background in estate planning and financial advising, where he learned early in his career about the value of staying in your lane while bringing in specialists when needed.

“We stuck to our lane,” Ryan recalls of his earlier career. “If we needed a tax attorney, we would bring one in. If we needed a specific accountant, we would bring one in. I learned that early on.”

Fostering Trust Through Collaborative Relationships

Unlike his previous work in estate planning, where commissions were tied directly to client decisions, Ryan found a notable difference in Medicare’s federally regulated structure. Since brokers receive the same commission regardless of which plan a client chooses, the focus shifts entirely to education and finding the best fit for each individual.

“We’re positioned as a value add for people, and we get brought in frequently,” Ryan explains. “It is something that not many people do, especially at a larger level.”

The Connector’s Approach

At the heart of Ryan’s partnership strategy is a strong belief in connecting dots for others without an immediate expectation of return. It’s a philosophy he applies widely in business and life.

“I have a lot of different connections in different areas, so I’m always trying to piece things together for other people,” he shares. “I have learned that if you can connect the dots for people, it often comes back full circle.”

This connector’s mindset extends beyond formal business relationships. Ryan recalls meeting a homeowner who runs a maintenance company and, upon learning about his services, hired him for work at his own home. These natural connections create steady growth for Part C, as one satisfied client can lead to a ripple effect of referrals and trust.

The Human Impact

Despite the business advantages of partnerships, for George, the human impact remains a high priority. His approach to Medicare education was shaped by personal experience with family members.

“My mom was a trauma nurse, and she has lupus, the autoimmune disorder,” Ryan shares. “She had to go on Medicare under 65 because she wasn’t able to work anymore.” This personal exposure to Medicare’s importance for vulnerable populations fuels his commitment to accessibility.

Similarly, memories of his grandparents, who helped raise him but passed away before he entered the Medicare field, inspire his work. “When I was first starting out, I loved sitting at Medicare-aged clients’ kitchen tables because it reminded me of sitting with them,” he says.

The Evolving Landscape of Medicare Partnerships

Looking ahead, Ryan believes the partnership model could gain momentum as Medicare continues to grow in complexity. While contractual obligations prevent him from discussing specific upcoming projects, he acknowledges that the Medicare brokerage space has become a focus for private equity investment, with growth often tied to company valuation.

For consumers navigating the Medicare landscape, these partnerships may provide access to expertise they might otherwise never encounter. For partners like financial advisors, pharmacies, and insurance brokerages, the arrangement offers added value for clients without requiring specialized Medicare knowledge.

For Ryan George, who started his career feeling like the outsider in high-net-worth client meetings, these partnerships help simplify a complex system for people of all backgrounds – meeting them where they are rather than waiting for them to find their way to a Medicare booth during enrollment season.

“The most rewarding thing about it,” he says of his work in Medicare, “is that ultimately, it is federally regulated… all we’re there to do is educate you, and then we’ll give you our professional opinion. But you pick what you believe is the most suitable for you.”

Through strategic alliances and a commitment to education over sales, Ryan George and Part C are helping redefine how Medicare benefits reach those who need them most – one partnership at a time.

Published by Joseph T.