“Every plan on the market was built with a weakness.”
Medicare salespeople won’t tell you which one you’re in. I will. Every plan — Medicare Advantage, Medigap, Part D — was designed with trade-offs. A $0 premium plan isn’t free. A plan with a big name on the card isn’t necessarily the best plan in your county. The weakness isn’t in the brochure. It shows up when you need the plan to actually work.
Why I Started GenerationHealth
I started GenerationHealth because I kept seeing the same thing happen: people turning 65 would sign up for whatever plan their neighbor had, or auto-renew year after year without checking whether their doctors were still in-network, or delay Medicare Part B thinking COBRA protected them when it didn't.
These aren't small mistakes. A wrong Medigap decision at 65 can cost a person the right to ever get covered again due to medical underwriting. A missed enrollment window can mean a permanent premium penalty that lasts decades. A Medicare Advantage plan that doesn't cover your cardiologist can mean a $6,000 out-of-network bill on a hospital stay.
The people making these mistakes weren't unintelligent — they were simply underinformed. And the information available online was either too generic, too confusing, or coming from sources with an incentive to sell them a specific plan.
I'm an independent broker. I don't work for any insurance company. I don't have a quota for any carrier. I'm paid the same amount by CMS regulation regardless of which plan you choose — which means my only incentive is to find you the right one. That's the business model, and it's the only one I've ever operated under.
“Are you actually sure you understand what you’re signing up for?”
Most people turning 65 get buried in Medicare mail, carrier calls, and TV ads — all saying the same thing. Nobody’s sitting down with you and walking through what your plan actually covers, what it doesn’t, and what it costs when something goes wrong. That’s the conversation that’s missing.
How I Work With Every Client
Every consultation follows the same process — not because it's a script, but because these are the things that actually matter in a Medicare comparison.
“Do you know what your plan’s weakness is?”
Every plan on the market was built with one. The $0 premium, the low monthly cost — those numbers look great until something goes wrong. Most people never find the weakness in their plan. They find it when they need the plan to work.
What Happens on a Consultation Call
A complete Medicare consultation typically takes 20–30 minutes. Here's exactly what we cover.
Confirm Your Enrollment Window
First we confirm which enrollment period applies to you — Initial Enrollment Period, Annual Enrollment Period, or a Special Enrollment Period. Getting this wrong is the source of most Medicare mistakes.
Collect Your Doctors and Prescriptions
I take down your primary care physician, specialists, preferred hospital, and every prescription — name, dose, and frequency. This takes about 5 minutes and is the foundation for everything that follows.
Build Your Side-by-Side Comparison
I run every plan available in your NC county against your specific doctors and drugs. I calculate total annual cost — not just the headline premium — for each realistic option.
Walk You Through the Numbers
I explain the comparison in plain language — what the plans cover, where they differ, what each one would actually cost you in a typical year, and what happens in a worst-case scenario (hospitalization, specialist visit).
Enroll You If You're Ready (Or Send You the Information)
If you're ready to enroll, I handle the paperwork. If you want time to think, I send you a written summary of our comparison. No pressure. No follow-up calls asking you to decide.
What NC Medicare Clients Say Matters Most When Choosing a Broker
Feedback themes from GenerationHealth consultations and Google reviews
Note: Feedback themes synthesized from GenerationHealth Google reviews and client consultations. For more information about working with a licensed NC Medicare broker, call 828-761-3326.
“Here’s what Medicare Advantage actually costs when something goes wrong.”
Your PCP visit is $0. Your blood work is $0. Then you have a cardiac event. A cancer diagnosis. A surgery that requires a specialist who isn’t in your network. Now you’re looking at an $8,300 out-of-pocket maximum, prior authorization delays, and a facility bill you didn’t expect. The $0 premium plan isn’t free — you’ll find that out the hard way, or you won’t.
Independent Broker vs. Captive Agent vs. Going Direct
Understanding who you're talking to — and what their incentives are — is the most important thing you can know before a Medicare conversation.
| Factor | Independent Broker (GenerationHealth) |
Captive Agent (One carrier only) |
Direct Enrollment (Medicare.gov / carrier) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carriers compared | ✓ 20+ carriers | ✗ 1 carrier only | ~ Self-navigate all carriers |
| Doctor network verified | ✓ Every plan checked | ~ Their carrier's network only | ✗ Your responsibility |
| Prescriptions priced | ✓ Every formulary checked | ~ Their carrier's formulary | ✗ Your responsibility |
| Cost to client | ✓ Free — same premium as direct | ✓ Free — same premium | ✓ Free — no broker fee |
| Annual review support | ✓ Every AEP proactively | ~ Varies by agent | ✗ Self-managed |
What Clients Say
"Rob took the time to explain everything clearly and found us a plan that saved over $2,400 a year. He's the real deal — knowledgeable, honest, and patient with every question we had."
"I'd been auto-renewing the same Medicare Advantage plan for four years. Rob showed me my cardiologist was no longer in-network and moved me to the right plan in one call. I can't imagine what would have happened if I'd had a procedure."
"He guided. He found a solution. He returns calls. Just — helpful. That's rare."
Licenses & Credentials
NC Insurance License
License #10447418 · Lines: Life, Accident & Health · State: North Carolina
National Producer Number (NPN)
NPN #10447418 · CMS-registered · Verified in NIPR
AHIP Certification
America's Health Insurance Plans · Annual Medicare certification · Updated each plan year · Required by all major carriers
CMS-Appointed Medicare Agent
Appointed with major Medicare Advantage and Part D carriers · Compliant with CMS marketing regulations · E&O insured
Verify license independently: NCDOI.gov License Lookup → · Search by name "Robert Simm" or license #10447418
What "Independent" Actually Means
An independent broker is not employed by any insurance carrier. I am not a UnitedHealthcare agent, a Humana agent, or an Aetna agent. I hold appointments with all of them — meaning I'm authorized to sell their plans — but I work for you, not for them.
CMS regulations set broker compensation at a standardized rate. This means I earn the same amount from any carrier you choose. There is no financial incentive for me to recommend one plan over another — and that's by design.
The only way my business grows is through referrals from satisfied clients. That incentive structure is the reason GenerationHealth has a 5.0 Google rating after 12 years.
“What happens if you’re on the wrong plan when something serious comes up?”
Nothing — until it does. A diagnosis. A surgery. A specialist that isn’t covered. That’s when the affordable plan starts costing you thousands. And by the time you find out, the enrollment window is usually closed. That’s not a hypothetical — that’s what happens to people every year in North Carolina.
“What if you could see exactly what your plan costs before you ever needed it?”
Not just the premium. The total — doctors verified, drugs priced, out-of-pocket maximum calculated. That’s how this decision should be made. Most people never get shown their plan this way. When you do, the right choice becomes obvious. That’s exactly what I do in a free 20-minute review.
- NC Department of Insurance — License Verification — Verify NC Insurance License #10447418 (Robert Simm) at NCDOI.gov · Search by name or license number
- NIPR — National Producer Number Lookup — Verify NPN #10447418 in the National Insurance Producer Registry
- CMS Medicare Marketing Guidelines — Federal rules governing broker compensation, standardized payment rates, and marketing conduct
- Medicare.gov — Working with a Medicare Broker — Federal guidance on how broker compensation works and your rights when working with an agent
- NC DHHS — SHIIP — NC's free state Medicare counseling program; independent resource for comparing broker recommendations
- NC Department of Insurance — Regulation of NC insurance brokers; complaint filing; consumer protection resources
2026 Medicare Part B premium: $202.90/month. Part B deductible: $283. Part A deductible: $1,736. Source: CMS.gov
“Every plan I’ve ever reviewed has a weakness.”
Most people don’t know theirs until they need it most. Here’s what I do: I pull every plan available in your county, run your doctors and prescriptions through each one, and show you the total annual cost side by side — not just the monthly premium. One free call, 20 minutes. You leave knowing exactly which plan fits your life and exactly why. No pressure. No obligation. Just the full picture, finally.