Legal review pending
Medicare Choose Privacy Policy
Effective date: Pending legal review
Medicare Choose provides Medicare plan comparison tools, educational information, and, when requested by a user, connections to licensed insurance agents or agencies. This Privacy Policy explains how Medicare Choose collects, uses, stores, discloses, and protects information through the Medicare Choose website, mobile application, and related online services.
Medicare Choose is not Medicare, CMS, a government agency, an insurance company, an insurance plan, or an insurance agency. Medicare Choose does not offer, sell, underwrite, issue, enroll users in, or administer Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D, or other insurance plans.
Using Medicare Choose is voluntary. You may use certain comparison features without saving a profile. If you choose to save information, create an account, request agent assistance, or otherwise submit information, Medicare Choose will use and disclose that information as described in this Privacy Policy and in any consent screens presented to you.
1. Information We Collect
Information you provide
- Contact information, such as your name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, and communication preferences.
- Location information you provide, such as ZIP code, county, and state, so the Service can display plans available in your area.
- Medicare-related comparison information, such as your current plan, plan preferences, prescription drugs, dosages, quantities, pharmacies, doctors, providers, saved comparisons, and other information you choose to enter.
- Account information, such as username, password or authentication information, saved-profile settings, and account history.
- Communications with Medicare Choose, including support requests, questions, feedback, notes, and consent records.
Agent and business-user information
For licensed agents, agencies, or business users, Medicare Choose may collect licensing information, National Producer Number, state appointments or certifications, agency affiliation, business contact information, payment or billing information, account credentials, lead-management activity, and compliance records.
Information collected automatically
- Technical information, such as IP address, browser type, device identifiers, operating system, app version, referring pages, pages viewed, dates and times of use, log files, crash reports, and security logs.
- Usage information, such as searches, comparison activity, saved-plan activity, button clicks, consent selections, and interactions with the Service.
- Cookie and similar technology information.
Information from third parties or public sources
- Plan-related data obtained from CMS, Medicare.gov, CMS APIs, publicly available CMS data, or other permitted sources used to provide plan-comparison functionality.
- Information from service providers, analytics providers, authentication providers, payment processors, security vendors, licensed agents or agencies, or other business partners where permitted by law.
2. Sensitive Beneficiary and Health-Related Information
Medicare Choose may collect information that can be sensitive, including prescription drug information, pharmacy preferences, provider preferences, current plan information, health-related preferences, and information that may reveal or relate to a beneficiary's health care needs.
Medicare Choose is not a health care provider and does not provide medical advice. Medicare Choose is not intended to diagnose, treat, or manage any medical condition.
Medicare Choose will collect, save, or share sensitive beneficiary information only as described in this Privacy Policy, as necessary to provide the Service, or as authorized by the user. If separate consent is required by law or Medicare program requirements, Medicare Choose will seek that consent before using or disclosing the information for that purpose.
3. How We Use Information
- To provide Medicare plan information and comparison results based on the information you enter.
- To save, retrieve, update, or delete your profile, saved comparison, or account information when you choose to use those features.
- To connect you with a licensed insurance agent or agency only when you request that connection and provide any required consent.
- To communicate with you about your account, saved profile, comparison activity, support requests, security notices, privacy notices, or changes to the Service.
- To operate, maintain, test, secure, improve, troubleshoot, and develop the Service.
- To maintain consent records, audit logs, compliance records, agent records, fraud-prevention records, and other records needed for legal, regulatory, insurance, Medicare, CMS, business, or security purposes.
- To comply with applicable law, regulations, legal process, and governmental requests.
- To protect the rights, privacy, safety, security, and property of Medicare Choose, users, agents, agencies, service providers, and others.
4. Agent Referrals and Lead Sharing
Medicare Choose may allow a beneficiary to request to be connected with a licensed insurance agent or agency. Medicare Choose may be compensated by licensed agents, agencies, or other third parties that pay a fee to be eligible to receive beneficiary inquiries or lead information.
Medicare Choose will not share your contact information or sensitive beneficiary information with a licensed agent, agency, or other third party for marketing, enrollment, or follow-up contact unless you request that connection and provide the consent required by applicable law and Medicare program requirements.
When required, Medicare Choose will seek one-to-one consent for each agent, agency, or other recipient that will receive your information for marketing or enrollment-related contact. Consent may include permission for the agent or agency to contact you by telephone, text message, email, or other permitted method regarding Medicare plan options.
An agent or agency that receives your information may have its own privacy practices. Medicare Choose is not responsible for the independent privacy practices, advice, recommendations, or enrollment assistance of agents or agencies after your information has been shared with your consent.
5. How We Share Information
- With service providers that help operate, host, secure, maintain, analyze, support, or improve the Service.
- With licensed insurance agents or agencies only when you request or authorize an agent connection or when otherwise permitted by applicable law.
- With CMS, Medicare plan sponsors, regulators, law enforcement, courts, or other governmental authorities when required or permitted by law, regulation, legal process, Medicare program requirements, audit obligations, or compliance obligations.
- With professional advisers, including attorneys, auditors, accountants, insurers, and consultants, as reasonably necessary for business, legal, compliance, or risk-management purposes.
- In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or similar business transaction, subject to appropriate protections and applicable law.
- With your direction, consent, or authorization.
6. No Sale of Medicare Plans; Limits on Sale or Sharing of Personal Information
Medicare Choose does not sell Medicare plans and does not charge beneficiaries for using the plan-comparison tool or requesting an agent connection. Medicare Choose does not sell sensitive beneficiary information in the ordinary meaning of that term. Medicare Choose may receive compensation from licensed agents or agencies that pay to be eligible to receive beneficiary inquiries or lead information when a beneficiary requests agent assistance and provides any required consent.
Some state privacy laws define "sale," "sharing," or "targeted advertising" broadly. To the extent a particular activity is considered a sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or disclosure of consumer health data under applicable law, Medicare Choose will provide any required notice, consent, opt-out, or other rights required by that law.
7. Cookies, Analytics, and Similar Technologies
Medicare Choose may use cookies, pixels, software development kits, analytics tools, log files, and similar technologies to operate the Service, remember settings, authenticate users, measure usage, improve performance, detect fraud, protect security, and understand how users interact with the Service.
Medicare Choose should not use third-party tracking technologies to disclose sensitive beneficiary information for unrelated advertising without any consent required by law. Users may be able to control certain cookies through browser settings or other controls provided through the Service.
8. Data Retention
Medicare Choose retains information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Service, maintain user accounts and saved profiles, comply with legal, regulatory, Medicare, CMS, insurance, audit, tax, accounting, and recordkeeping obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, detect or prevent fraud, and protect security.
If you request deletion of your account or saved profile, Medicare Choose will delete or de-identify information where required by law and where reasonably feasible. Medicare Choose may retain certain information where retention is required or permitted for legal, compliance, security, backup, fraud-prevention, dispute-resolution, or recordkeeping purposes.
9. Your Choices and Privacy Rights
- You may choose not to provide certain information, but some features may not work without it.
- You may choose whether to save your profile or comparison information, subject to the features available at the time.
- You may request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a copy of certain personal information, subject to applicable law and verification of your identity.
- You may withdraw consent for future sharing with agents or agencies, although withdrawal will not affect disclosures already made with your consent or information retained as required or permitted by law.
- You may opt out of certain marketing communications by using available unsubscribe tools or contacting Medicare Choose.
- Residents of certain states may have additional privacy rights. Medicare Choose will honor applicable rights where required by law.
10. Telephone, Text Message, and Email Consent
If you ask to be contacted or connected with an agent, Medicare Choose or the selected licensed agent or agency may contact you using the contact information you provide, but only as permitted by applicable law and any consent you provide.
Where required, Medicare Choose will request separate prior express written consent for marketing or enrollment-related calls, text messages, or other communications. Consent is not a condition of using Medicare Choose's plan-comparison tool.
11. Security
Medicare Choose uses administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. No website, application, transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Users are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their account credentials and promptly notifying Medicare Choose of suspected unauthorized access.
12. Health Breach and Security Incident Notice
If Medicare Choose experiences a security incident involving personal information, sensitive beneficiary information, or consumer health information, Medicare Choose will evaluate its notice obligations under applicable federal and state law, which may include the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule, state data breach notification laws, consumer health privacy laws, or other applicable requirements.
13. Children
The Service is intended for Medicare beneficiaries and adults assisting Medicare beneficiaries. It is not directed to children under 13, and Medicare Choose does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
14. Medicare and CMS Disclaimer
Medicare Choose is not a government website and is not Medicare, CMS, or any federal or state agency. Medicare Choose displays plan information for comparison purposes and may not include every plan available in your area. Visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE for information about all available options. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
Plan information may change. Before making enrollment decisions, users should confirm information directly with Medicare.gov, the plan sponsor, 1-800-MEDICARE, a local State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or a licensed insurance agent.
15. Changes to this Privacy Policy
Medicare Choose may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated policy will be posted with a revised effective date. If required by law, Medicare Choose will provide additional notice or request consent for material changes.
16. Contact
For privacy questions, requests, or concerns, contact Medicare Choose at:
Medicare Choose
P.O. Box 88, Rock Hill, SC 29731
privacy@medicarechoose.com