Rob Hutchins Robert Bruce Hutchins Jr · Insurance · CA Lic #0I53734 · Ladera Ranch, CA

Why your phone rings after you ask about Medicare

By Rob Hutchins. Last updated November 5, 2026.

Often it's because the ad or website you used was run by a lead company. It collects your request and passes it to people who pay for it, and each of them then has a reason to call you. You can get help without any of that.

How a lead works

  1. You see an ad or a website offering information, a guide or a plan check. It asks for your name and phone number.
  2. The fine print may ask you to agree to be contacted. Since October 2024, federal rules let one marketing company share your details with another only with your written consent, and that consent has to list each company that receives them.
  3. Whoever receives your request paid for it, or paid for the ad that brought it in. They have money to earn back, so they call, and they may call quickly and often.

Some of the people on the other end of those calls are honest and careful. That isn't the point. The point is that you didn't choose them.

Other calls are outright scams. Medicare's own site says, "Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home."

How to spot a lead form before you click

  • The company has an official-sounding name, or has "Medicare" in its name, and it isn't Medicare.gov.
  • It wants your phone number before it tells you who would call.
  • The small print mentions partners, or says someone will contact you without saying who.
  • You can't tell who would call you. No person's name, and no license number.

Where to get help without it

  • Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE

    They can tell you about every plan in your area.

  • HICAP, California's counseling program

    One-on-one counseling that doesn't sell or endorse anything.

    1-800-434-0222

  • A licensed agent you choose by name

    Look up the license first. Then ask three questions: Who else gets my number? How do you get paid? Do you offer every plan in my area?

That's why I set this up the way I did.

You pick a time and I call you. Your name never goes on a lead list and is never sold.

Book a time with Rob

If the calls have already started

  • Tell each caller: "Please put me on your do not call list." Say it in those words. A company has to honor that request, and federal rules give it up to 10 business days. Write down the date.
  • Add your number to the Do Not Call Registry. Go to DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. Companies you've given written permission can still call until you tell them to stop.
  • Keep your Medicare number to yourself. Medicare's site says not to give your card or number to anyone except your doctor or people who should have it, such as an agent you chose when you're enrolling. Never give it to someone who called you out of the blue.
  • Don't join a plan on a call you didn't ask for. Medicare's site says to avoid joining over the phone "unless you called and asked for help."
  • Report it. Call 1-800-MEDICARE about suspected fraud. Report unwanted calls at DoNotCall.gov.

Questions people ask

Why am I getting so many calls about Medicare?

Often because you filled out a form or clicked an ad run by a lead company, which passed your request to people who paid for it. Calls also pick up around the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15 to December 7, and some calls are scams.

Can I get help with Medicare without my number being sold?

Yes. Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE and HICAP at 1-800-434-0222 don't sell your number. You can also go directly to an agent you've chosen by name, and ask who else will get your number before you give it.

Will booking with you stop these calls?

No. I can't stop calls that started somewhere else. Booking with me just won't add to them.

Where this comes from