Health Market Advocates — Health Insurance and Medicare Guidance for Individuals, Families, Self-Employed Professionals, and Small Businesses

Health Market Advocates helps self-employed professionals, families, small business owners, and people turning 65 understand their options and choose coverage with confidence — without pressure. Founded by Joshua Ruiz, Your Insurance Professor .

Our Team

Meet the Advocates Behind Health Market Advocates

Joshua Ruiz, founder of Health Market Advocates and Your Insurance Professor

Joshua Ruiz

Founder & Your Insurance Professor

Joshua leads the agency as its founder and primary educator — the teacher behind every plain-English explanation you’ll find on this site.

Mission Over Commission

Insurance decisions can feel overwhelming — especially when you’re self-employed, approaching Medicare, retiring before 65, or trying to protect your family or employees.

Joshua Ruiz founded Health Market Advocates to give people something different: a calm, educational, no-pressure place to understand your options before making a decision. That philosophy now guides a whole team of advocates — so when you reach out, a qualified HMA team member will help you understand what you’re choosing, why it matters, and how your coverage fits your real life.

And the relationship doesn’t end after enrollment. Our goal is lifelong education, claims support, annual reviews, and ongoing advocacy whenever you need a real person in your corner.

Kelly Ruiz, Licensed Agent at Health Market Advocates

Kelly Ruiz

Licensed Agent

Yvonne Geddie, Licensed Agent at Health Market Advocates

Yvonne Geddie

Licensed Agent

Brad Partridge, Licensed Agent at Health Market Advocates

Brad Partridge

Licensed Agent

Michael Cook, Licensed Agent at Health Market Advocates

Michael Cook

Licensed Agent

Health Market Advocates

How Can We Help You?

Pick the situation that sounds like you. You’ll get plain-English guidance built for your stage of life — no pressure, no jargon.

Energetic couple in their sixties enjoying a coastal bike ride
Medicare & Turning 65

Turning 65 or on Medicare

New to Medicare or reviewing your current plan? Get clear, no‑pressure guidance on Parts A, B, C, and D — including help if you’re retiring before 65.

Self-employed woman smiling while working at her bright home office
Individual & Family

Self‑Employed, Individuals & Families

No employer plan? No problem. We help freelancers, contractors, and families compare real coverage options that fit your budget and your doctors.

Husband and wife shop owners standing proudly at their storefront
Small Business

Small Business Owners

Whether you need coverage for yourself as an owner or a group plan for your team, we make small business benefits simple and affordable.

Three generations of a family laughing together at golden hour
Life & Supplemental

Life, Supplemental & Everything Else

Life insurance, dental, vision, accident coverage, and more. And if we don’t handle it, we’ll connect you with a trusted professional who does.

Prefer to talk it through? Talk with our team

Cover of the Welcome to Medicare guidebook from Health Market Advocates

No-Cost Medicare Guide: Welcome to Medicare

Turning 65 in the next year — or helping a parent or spouse who is? Our plain-English guidebook walks you through what Medicare covers, what it doesn’t, the deadlines that actually matter, and the questions to ask before you enroll.

No jargon. No sales pitch. Just the education you wish someone had given you first.

No-Cost Download

Get the Medicare Guidebook

🔒 We’ll never share or sell your information.

5.00★★★★★

Based on 63 client reviews

Independent Agency

Independent Guidance. Access to Leading Insurance Carriers.

Health Market Advocates works with more than 30 insurance carriers to help clients compare appropriate coverage options.

  • AARP Medicare plans from UnitedHealthcare logo
  • Aetna logo
  • Ambetter Health logo
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield logo
  • Cigna logo
  • Humana logo
  • Mutual of Omaha logo
  • National General logo
  • Transamerica logo
  • Wellcare logo

Carrier logos are shown to indicate carrier access and do not imply endorsement. Logos are the property of their respective owners.

Request Your No-Pressure Quote

Takes about 30 seconds. No spam, no obligation.

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A few quick details help our team prepare accurate options for you. (Your request is already saved — this part just makes your quote better.)

🔒 Your information is secure and will never be shared or sold.

Good Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions people ask us most — answered the way we’d answer them across the kitchen table.

No. Our guidance costs you nothing — we’re compensated by the insurance carriers when you enroll, and that compensation doesn’t change what you pay. Because we’re independent and shop many carriers, our advice is built around what fits you, not what pays us.

Ideally about 6 months before your 65th birthday. Your Initial Enrollment Period spans 7 months (the 3 months before your birthday month, your birthday month, and the 3 months after), and starting early means no deadline stress and time to actually understand your options. Visit our Medicare page for a full plain-English walkthrough.

Not at all. Depending on your situation, options can include ACA marketplace plans (with or without subsidies), private individual plans, and other arrangements. The right answer depends on your income, your doctors, and your family — which is exactly what a quick review with our team sorts out.

Yes — that’s one of our specialties. Whether you need coverage just for yourself as an owner or a true group plan for your team, we’ll walk you through the options, the costs, and what makes sense at your size. Many of our small business clients are surprised how affordable the right setup can be.

Always. Checking your doctors, your hospitals, and your prescriptions against a plan’s network is a standard part of every recommendation we make — it’s often the difference between a plan that looks good on paper and one that actually works for your life.

No — that’s when the relationship really starts. You get ongoing support with claims questions, an annual review to make sure your plan still fits, and a real person in your corner whenever something changes in your life or your coverage.