HEALTHCARE & MEDICARE

Lead Quality and Lead Number: The most important thing when serving vulnerable people is

The marketing of the Medicare program is known as the “secret maze”, an opaque system in which high-paying agents and brokers are sneaking in the money that can be better spent on providing high-quality care.

The Senate Finance Committee noted that fees and commissions for these agents grew at a CAGR of 19%, while enrollment in the Medicare program increased by just 7%, promising to bring more transparency to marketing programs through new rules.

And, they are not the only decision makers ready to attack marketers through lack of clear practices or actions. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) closely monitor marketers.

One thing they look at is the way marketers engage with potential customers.

Therefore, compliance with relevant laws regarding telephone outreach is more than a simple regulatory hurdle – it has become a strategic priority.

As the CMS and FCC reviews increase, Medicare marketers must rethink how they originate, validate and engage with leads. Taking focus from the lead volume and redirecting it to lead quality will help them prove themselves to conduct ethical operations.

Failure to do so will result in fines, reputational losses and erosion of profit margins.

Why a lot of methods don't work

Large-volume call strategies often prioritize proportion over sensitivity, resulting in repeated exposure and confusion among older people. To reach a large scale, marketers often rely on low-end positioning (e.g., using outdated or unverified data sources) to increase the chance of calling an individual without legal requirements for opting in to agree.

Low quality not only wastes money, but also erodes trust and increases legal exposure. With the strict implementation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and a series of related class action lawsuits that have been conducted, organizations are realizing that cheap prospects most often bring hidden costs.

The latest updates to TCPA, especially the reduced 10-day exit window and the cross-channel revocation rules that will take effect next year, highlight the need for a more transparent, unified and auditable consent system.

However, some marketers continue to rely on misleading prospect forms, recycled cold sentence lists, motivational data capture, and masked caller IDs. Not only are these strategies inconsistent with consumer expectations, they are increasingly non-compliant within the austerity scope set by the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission.

Based on consent, quality leads to more sales while protecting the elderly

In healthcare marketing, quality beats quantity every time when it comes to pursuing sales leads.

The strategic shift for Medicare marketers means leveraging high-value leads (verified through behavioral data, consent logs and real-time ratings) to reduce risk and ensure marketers are helping rather than harassing consumers.

Medicare outreach activities involve decision-making and have long-term consequences. Performance-based acquisition model – A model focusing on enrollment, retention and actual policy outcomes that only work when marketers start with qualified, compliant and agreed prospects.

Additionally, CMS requires third-party marketing organizations (TPMOs) to obtain explicit one-to-one consent from beneficiaries before sharing their personal information with other TPMOs. The rule is designed to protect consumers’ privacy and prevent unauthorized data transfer in health insurance marketing, as well as aggressive marketing strategies such as reselling potential customers or cold electricity.

Seniors are a vulnerable population, protecting them from deceptive advertising, excessive outreach or unauthorized use of data, which should be a top priority for every Medicare marketer.

How Medicare Marketers Build Trust with AI

Health insurance marketing teams need to use technologies that enable real-time verification and precise positioning to modernize lead flows, reducing risks and improving results. Artificial intelligence tools can support consent policies based on updates.

In this new era of compliance-driven marketing, AI is crucial. Smart dialers and real-time lead scoring systems allow organizations to prioritize publicity to individuals most likely to switch and confirm valid consent. AI can also help mark fatigue signals, detect changes in consumer behavior, and even explain implicit exit languages, all of which are crucial under the new TCPA framework.

Importantly, AI can also help automatically confirm the opt-out within the five-minute TCPA grace period, minimizing the risk of unintentional non-compliance.

A roadmap that aligns with effective strategies

In summary, this is a key point in establishing a Medicare marketing strategy that can better serve the elderly while providing better performance for the organization.

  • Review lead sources and cut contacts in any case of lack of consent transparency. tpmos [third-party marketing organizations] Whether dialing manually or through automatic dialing technology, clear written consent must be obtained through “clear and obvious disclosure”.
  • Invest in technologies that enable real-time consent verification, AI-driven scoring and multi-channel revocation tracking.
  • Align teams and suppliers at the results, not just call volume.
  • Build a system that unifies suppression lists and exit protocols across voice, SMS and email channels to prepare for 2026.
  • Extensive training – not only the marketing and contact center team, but anyone who may receive a revocation request.

Compliance is not a cost center – it's a competitive advantage

Whether through TCPA or CMS, potential fines – now up to $1,500 per contact, or $51,000+ per violation of violation, the bet is too high to shorten the corners. The industry must adopt stronger opt-in verification, real-time consent tracking and ethical data procurement practices. Responsibility extends to contractual business, and holding third-party chief suppliers must also be held liable.

By protecting consumers, especially vulnerable seniors, marketers also protect their brands, revenue potential and opportunities for future growth.

Photo: Nuthawut Somsuk, Getty Images


Lisa Leight joined the Convoso team after years of leading marketing teams in the software, aerospace and technology industries, where she drives measurable growth. Early in her career, she served as a consultant to McKinsey and EY. She also co-founded Stanton Associates, a boutique consulting firm that helps mid-market companies drive profitable growth. She received her MBA from Stanford Business School and her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University where she studied industrial engineering.

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