About Andy Orlikoff
Independent insurance broker since 1999. Now serving North & South Carolina.
I started in this business in 1999 in New York. In 2004 I moved to Arizona and built American Insurance Benefits into a practice with more than 250 five-star reviews. Now I’m licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina too, working with people up and down the coast and throughout both states.
Still, what hasn’t changed in twenty-five-plus years is how I work: one person, on the phone, who actually knows your file.
Andy with his family
Why there’s no call center
When you call me, I answer. Not a receptionist, not a queue, not a rotating cast of licensed agents reading from a script. If we talked in March about your Part B timing, I remember it in September.
In other words, that’s a deliberate limit on how big this practice gets. I’d rather have a manageable number of clients I actually know than a call floor full of people who’ve never spoken to me. It’s also why I work by phone, text, and email rather than in-person appointments — it keeps me available when you need an answer instead of driving between meetings.
Why I don’t sell Medicare Advantage
This is the question I get most, so I’ll answer it plainly.
Medicare Advantage plans are heavily marketed and often look great on paper — low or zero premium, extra perks, all-in-one convenience. What the commercials don’t cover is what happens when you get sick: network restrictions, prior authorization denials, and out-of-pocket costs that arrive at the worst possible time. I’ve watched too many people discover those limits during a health crisis, when switching back to Original Medicare with a supplement is no longer an option.
So, I don’t sell them. Not because there’s no scenario where they work, but because I’m not willing to be the person who put someone in one. I stick to Medicare Supplements, where you keep your own doctors and there’s no network to fight.
What it costs to work with me
Nothing. You pay the same premium whether you come through me or call the insurance company directly — rates are filed with the state, and brokers can’t mark them up or discount them. My compensation comes from the carrier after you enroll.
In practice, what that means: there’s no reason not to have the conversation. Worst case, you learn your current coverage is already the right fit and you keep it.
Credentials
- Licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona
- National Producer Number 7558435 — verifiable at nipr.com
- Medicare and Compliance Certified
- NABIP (formerly NAHU) certified
- Marketplace Circle of Champions
- 264+ five-star Google reviews across 25 years in business
What I actually do
Medicare Supplements, ACA Marketplace plans, private and short-term medical, dental, vision (including VSP enrollment), life insurance, small group health, and supplemental coverage like cancer and hospital indemnity plans.
What I don’t do: Medicare Advantage, Part D drug plans, and military or TRICARE coverage. If you need those, I’ll point you toward someone who handles them rather than pretending otherwise.
Twenty-five years in, still the same reason I do this — family, whether it’s mine or yours.
How I’d like this to go
First, call or text me and tell me what you’ve got and what you’re worried about. I’ll tell you what your options are, what they cost, and which one I’d pick if it were my family — including when the answer is “stay where you are.” Then you decide, on your timeline. I don’t chase people.