Privacy Policy

Signature Shield Insurance Agency ("Signature Shield," "we," "us," or "our") is a licensed independent insurance agency offering Medicare, health insurance, and life insurance products and services to individuals, families, and seniors.

We are licensed in GA and operate in compliance with applicable federal and state insurance privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), and applicable state insurance regulations.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal and health information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what rights you have regarding your information.

To provide Medicare, health insurance, and life insurance services, we collect the following types of information:

Personal Identification

• Full legal name, date of birth, and gender
• Home address, phone number, and email address
• Social Security Number — only when required for insurance applications
• Government-issued ID when required for identity verification

Medicare-Specific Information

• Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) and Medicare card information
• Medicare Part A and Part B enrollment and effective dates
• Current Medicare plan information including Advantage, Supplement, and Part D plans
• Low Income Subsidy (Extra Help) and Medicaid enrollment status

Health & Medical Information

• Current health conditions and medical history relevant to insurance eligibility
• Current prescription medications and dosages
• Preferred doctors, specialists, hospitals, and pharmacies
• Tobacco use status — affects health and life insurance premiums
• Height, weight, and health metrics required for life insurance underwriting

Financial Information

• Household income — used to determine ACA subsidy and cost-sharing eligibility
• Payment information for premium processing
• Bank account information only when you authorize automatic premium payments

Life Insurance Information

• Beneficiary names, relationships, and contact information
• Occupation and occupational hazards that affect underwriting
• Existing life insurance coverage amounts and carrier information

We use the information we collect solely to provide and support your insurance services:

Medicare Services

• Determining Medicare eligibility and enrollment windows
• Comparing Medicare Advantage, Supplement (Medigap), and Part D plans
• Submitting Medicare enrollments to CMS and insurance carriers
• Conducting Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) and Special Enrollment Period (SEP) reviews
• Assisting with Medicare claims questions and coverage issues

Health Insurance Services

• Determining ACA marketplace eligibility and applicable subsidies
• Comparing individual, family, and group health insurance plans
• Submitting health insurance applications to carriers and the marketplace
• Supporting Open Enrollment Period and Special Enrollment Period applications

Life Insurance Services

• Assessing coverage needs based on income, debts, and family situation
• Obtaining term, whole, universal, and final expense life insurance quotes
• Submitting life insurance applications through the underwriting process
• Assisting with policy changes, beneficiary updates, and claims guidance

General Operations

• Verifying identity and preventing fraud
• Maintaining client records as required by state insurance regulations
• Sending enrollment deadline reminders and coverage change notices

When you provide health information in connection with obtaining Medicare or health insurance, that information may constitute Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA. We take our HIPAA obligations seriously.

How We Handle PHI

• We use and disclose PHI only as necessary to provide your insurance services
• We share PHI with carriers and CMS only to process applications and enrollments
• We do not use PHI for marketing without your explicit written authorization
• All staff receive mandatory HIPAA training and are bound by confidentiality obligations

Your HIPAA Rights

• Request and receive a copy of health information we maintain about you
• Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete health information
• Receive a record of certain disclosures we have made of your health information
• Request restrictions on how we use or share your health information
• File a complaint with HHS at hhs.gov/hipaa if you believe your rights have been violated

As a licensed insurance agency, we are considered a financial institution under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), which requires us to protect the security and confidentiality of your nonpublic personal financial information.

• We provide you with a clear privacy notice explaining our information practices
• We give you the opportunity to opt out of certain information sharing with non-affiliated third parties
• We maintain a written information security program to protect your financial data
• We provide existing clients with an annual privacy notice as required by law

We share your information only as necessary to provide your insurance services or as required by law. We do not sell your information. We may share with:

Insurance Carriers

We share necessary information with licensed insurance carriers to obtain quotes, submit applications, and manage your coverage. Each carrier is independently subject to HIPAA, GLBA, and applicable state privacy laws.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

For Medicare enrollments, we share required information with CMS and the federal Health Insurance Marketplace as required by law to process your application.

State Insurance Departments

We may share information with state insurance regulators to maintain our license, respond to regulatory inquiries, or comply with state insurance laws.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or lawful government request, disclosing only the minimum information necessary.

Given the sensitive nature of Medicare, health, and life insurance information, we maintain the following security protections:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all information transmitted through our website and forms
• Encrypted storage of all Social Security Numbers, Medicare IDs, and health information
• Strict access controls — staff may only access client information needed to serve that client
• Mandatory HIPAA and privacy training for all agents and staff
• Secure disposal of physical and electronic records containing personal information
• Written information security program as required by the GLBA Safeguards Rule

Data Retention

We retain records for the minimum periods required by law:

As a client or prospective client, you have the following rights regarding your personal and health information:

Georgia Residents

Georgia residents have specific rights under the Georgia Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act (GIIPPA), including the right to access personal information collected in connection with an insurance transaction, request corrections, and receive a record of certain disclosures.

How to Exercise Your Rights

Contact us by phone, email, or through our contact form. We will respond within 30 days and may need to verify your identity before processing your request. There is no charge for submitting a privacy rights request.

Medicare Marketing Rules (CMS)

• We are prohibited from contacting you unsolicited about Medicare Advantage or Part D plans without your express permission
• We must document a Scope of Appointment before any Medicare sales meeting
• We cannot cross-sell non-health products during a Medicare appointment without your consent
• All Medicare marketing materials we use are CMS-approved

General Communications

• We may contact you about enrollment deadlines, plan changes, and relevant insurance information
• You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email
• Unsubscribing does not affect service-related communications about your active coverage
• We never use your health or medical information for marketing without your written authorization
• We comply with the National Do Not Call Registry and applicable state do-not-call laws

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our services, applicable insurance laws, or CMS regulations. When we make material changes we will update the Last Updated date, post the revised policy on our website, and notify existing clients by email of significant changes.

We recommend reviewing this policy annually, particularly before each Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7).

For privacy questions, to exercise your rights, to opt out of communications, or to report a privacy concern:

This Privacy Policy is effective as of May 24, 2026. © 2026 Signature Shield Insurance . All rights reserved. This agency is not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare, Medicaid, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or any government agency.