What Trusted Senior Specialists does

Trusted Senior Specialists (TSS) is a Houston, Texas-based, veteran-owned insurance agency founded in 2005 by Michael Wilhelm and Melinda Gonzalez Wilhelm. The company specializes in Medicare-related health insurance distribution, offering Medicare Advantage plans (HMO, PPO, PFFS, SNP), Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans A/B/D/F/G/K/L/M/N, Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, and ancillary products including dental, vision, hearing, cancer, heart attack/stroke, hospital indemnity, and final expense (life) insurance. TSS also serves Veterans with dedicated benefits guidance and provides individual/family health insurance for non-Medicare consumers. The company represents 37 insurance carrier organizations offering 1,855 products nationally and holds BBB Pinnacle Awards (2014, 2016, 2017, 2025) with BBB Winner of Distinction recognition since 2011.

TSS operates through a distributed sales model anchored by approximately 5,000 licensed agents operating across all 50 states (with co-founder Melinda Wilhelm personally licensed nationwide), supported by a Houston headquarters, a call center, and a national training function. Its technology stack centers on HubSpot CRM for scheduling, lead management, and agent workflows, with multi-channel client engagement spanning phone, video screen sharing, text messaging, email, and social media Live events on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Multilingual support covers English, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog, and Punjabi. The company has served more than 82,000 Americans cumulatively and employs 101-250 W-2 staff in addition to its contractor agent network.

The business model is a pure commission-based agency: TSS is compensated exclusively through commissions paid by the 37 insurance carriers it represents, with no cost to the consumer. Revenue is driven by policy sales and renewals across Medicare Advantage, Supplements, Part D, ancillary products, and life insurance. The company is privately held by its founders as a Texas LLC, with no disclosed institutional investment, funding rounds, or M&A activity in the available source material.

Name

Trusted Senior Specialists

Legal name

Trusted Senior Specialists LLC

Website

https://trustedseniorspecialists.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Trusted Senior Specialists is a Houston-based, veteran-owned insurance agency that distributes Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Part D, and ancillary health products through a network of 5,000 licensed agents across all 50 states, representing 37 carriers and earning commission-based revenue from insurance providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medicare Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Benefits, Insurance & Long-Term Care Planning Navigation (Medicare/Medicaid/LTC) (HLADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Benefits, Insurance & Entitlement Navigation (Medicare/Medicaid/VA/LTC) (HSABAIAG)

Keywords

• Medicare insurance brokerage
• Senior health insurance
• Medicare Advantage plans
• Insurance agent services
• Veterans Benefits guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commission Revenue: The company earns commissions from insurance carriers for selling Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Part D prescription drug plans, and ancillary products. Services are provided at no cost to the consumer as agents are compensated directly by insurance carriers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Trusted Senior Specialists is a veteran-owned insurance brokerage that distributes Medicare and health insurance products to individual consumers through a network of 5,000 licensed agents. The agency serves as an authorized broker representing 37 insurance organizations offering 1,855 products including Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Part D, Individual/Family health insurance, ancillary products (Dental/Vision/Hearing, Cancer, Heart/Stroke, Hospital Indemnity), and Final Expense insurance. Services are provided at no charge to consumers, with the firm compensated through carrier commissions.

Product overview

Trusted Senior Specialists is a veteran-owned insurance agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of Medicare and health insurance solutions. The core offering centers on Medicare Solutions including Original Medicare (Parts A, B, and D) and Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, PPO, PFFS, SNP), supplemented by Medicare Supplement Plans (A, B, D, F, G, K, L, M, N) for gap coverage. The company also provides Individual Health Insurance, ancillary products including Dental/Vision/Hearing, Cancer Plans, Heart Attack and Stroke Plans, and Hospital Indemnity coverage, plus Final Expense Insurance with No Exam and No Waiting Period options. All services are delivered through licensed agents providing enrollment guidance and ongoing support, with specialization in veteran benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medicare Solutions Comprehensive Medicare guidance including enrollment support, plan comparisons, and ongoing assistance for Medicare beneficiaries new to the program or seeking guidance. Covers Original Medicare (Parts A, B, and D) and serves as the gateway to all Medicare Advantage and Supplement offerings.
• Medicare Advantage Plans Private insurance alternative to Original Medicare that bundles Part A, Part B, and often Part D coverage with additional benefits like dental, vision, and hearing. Available in HMO, PPO, PFFS, and SNP variants.
• Medicare Supplement Plans Medigap insurance policies that help pay for costs not covered by Original Medicare, including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. Available across plan types A, B, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N.
• Individual Health Insurance Affordable health insurance coverage for individuals and families not eligible for Medicare, including ACA marketplace and private plan options.
• Veteran's Benefits Specialized Medicare and healthcare guidance services for veterans seeking quality healthcare coverage and coordination with VA benefits.
• Dental, Vision, and Hearing Plans Supplemental coverage for routine dental care, vision exams and eyewear, and hearing aids and exams. Complements primary Medicare or health insurance.
• Cancer Plans Supplemental insurance providing cash benefits to help cover cancer-related expenses including treatment, transportation, and lost income.
• Heart Attack and Stroke Plans Supplemental insurance offering cash benefits to help with heart attack and stroke-related medical costs and recovery expenses.
• Hospital Indemnity Supplemental insurance providing daily or per-stay cash benefits to cover hospital expenses not paid by primary insurance.
• Final Expense Insurance Life insurance designed to cover end-of-life expenses including funeral costs, medical bills, and outstanding debts. Includes No Exam and No Waiting Period options.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Medicare.govcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrusted Senior Specialists is an authorized agent/broker for Medicare plans, representing 37 organizations that offer 1,855 products nationally. They direct consumers to Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, and State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) for comprehensive option information.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Medicare.com: Lead-generation and Medicare plan comparison platform that connects beneficiaries with licensed insurance agents. Direct competitor in the Medicare lead-and-conversion funnel that TSS relies on.
• eHealth: Public online health insurance marketplace with a major Medicare segment, selling Medicare Advantage, Supplement, and Part D plans via call-center agents and direct-to-consumer web tools. Direct competitor for TSS's Medicare customers and agents.
• SelectQuote: Public senior-focused insurance distributor (SelectQuote Senior) that sells Medicare Advantage, Supplement, and ancillary products through a large inside-sales agent network. Highly comparable business model, customer base, and commission economics to TSS.
• Benefytt Technologies (Health Insurance Innovations): Insurance technology and distribution platform for health, Medicare Supplement, and ancillary products sold through call-center agents. Closely mirrors TSS in agent-led, commission-based senior distribution.
• GoHealth: Public Medicare-focused insurance broker using a tech-enabled agent platform to sell Medicare Advantage, Supplement, and prescription drug plans. Competes for the same beneficiary demographic and carrier relationships as TSS.
• HealthMarkets: Private national insurance brokerage distributing health, Medicare, and supplemental products through a network of independent agents. Closely aligned to TSS in carrier-agnostic agency model and senior customer focus.

Broad incumbents

• Mutual of Omaha: Established insurance carrier and direct distributor of Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage (through Wellcare partnerships), and Final Expense products. Competes both as a carrier partner to TSS and as a direct-to-seniors sales channel.
• Aetna (CVS Health): Major Medicare Advantage carrier and one of the carriers TSS represents. As carriers increasingly invest in direct-to-consumer enrollment, large MA payers like Aetna represent both a current revenue source and a structural competitive threat to agency-based models.
• Bankers Life (CNO Financial Group): Incumbent career-agent insurance agency and subsidiary of CNO Financial Group, focused on Medicare Supplement, long-term care, and retirement products for middle-income Americans. Larger and more diversified than TSS but competes for the same senior demographic.

Emerging players

• Healthcare.com: Digital insurance marketplace focused on ACA, Medicare, and ancillary products, with a growing agent-assisted enrollment offering. Represents the emerging digital-first competitive threat to traditional agent-led Medicare brokers like TSS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/medicaretss
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TSSTelevision
• Facebookfacebook.com/TSSforlife
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trusted-senior-specialists
• Instagraminstagram.com/trustedseniorspecialists
• Pinterestpinterest.com/trustedseniorsp

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trusted Senior Specialists