Costco seeks approval to sell Medicare plans through stores and agents

Costco has filed for permission to market Medicare coverage, aiming to roll out a modest suite of plans in the coming years. Working with SCAN Group, a nonprofit health insurer, the partnership targets roughly 5 million Medicare beneficiaries. The first wave will introduce Medicare Advantage products in two states and a Medicare supplement in a third, with sales conducted inside Costco locations, by insurance agents and via websites.

Federal regulations prohibit coupling Medicare with Costco memberships, so the offerings will be kept separate from the membership model. Details on rollout dates and specific store sites remain undisclosed pending clearance from the Medicare agency. Executives from both firms said the collaboration focuses on three key market segments, though they did not name them.