Insurance Training HQ - April 2026 Newsletter
Delayed but still in the game!
Topics discussed in this Newsletter:
March Recap
Medicare Level 100 Update
MARC Update
Industry News
Looking Ahead
👋 Welcome & April Overview
April has been BUSY to say the least, but great news incoming! 🎯
In March we delved into where we are with some of our projects and provided some transparency as to some of our set backs. In April we had to pause our blog series, “Why Training Is So Important for Agency Success”, and focus on getting the Medicare Level 100 Core Foundation Series completed and begin making headway into the Medicare Agent Resource Center (MARC).
I’m proud to say, that we have lift off on both of those fronts!
We will continue the blog series again in the coming days so please stay tuned! As we round out the Blog Series, we will begin to shift our focus toward sales tips and Medicare knowledge tips to ensure agents are continuing to stay on their game!
🪴March Recap
In March we published 3 articles:
Training is an Investment; Not a Cost — I talked about why Medicare agencies should stop viewing training as an expense and start treating it as infrastructure. I shared how structured, ongoing training can reduce preventable mistakes, improve compliance, support retention, strengthen carrier relationships, and create more consistent agent performance. The main takeaway is simple: pressure may drive short-term production, but strong training infrastructure creates long-term sustainability.
March Newsletter — In the March Newsletter, I shared an update on the progress of Insurance Training HQ, including why the course launch timeline shifted slightly and how that extra time is being used to strengthen the training program. I also covered the completion progress of the Medicare course series, the upcoming Medicare Agent Resource Center, and industry reminders around compliance, including the Aetna settlement and rumors about CMS consulting fees. The main focus for March is continuing to build practical, compliant, and useful training resources for Medicare agents and agencies.
Member Pricing Update — In this article, I shared that Insurance Training HQ has decided to keep the Agent HQ Plus membership at $40 per month instead of increasing it to $80 on April 1st. I explained that while the platform is still being built and improved, we want to keep it affordable and accessible for both new and experienced agents. The main message is that our focus remains on providing real value through training, support, resources, and ongoing development without creating an unnecessary financial burden for members.
We completed our Medicare Level 100 Course Series up to the Medicare 106 course and begin developing content for the Medicare Agent Resource Center in preparation for mid-Q2 when we hope to publish the first version of the Resource Center.
🎓Medicare Level 100
Big news! The Medicare Level 100 Core Foundation Series is officially complete! 🎉
This isn’t just another checklist item, it’s a game-changer for agents who want a real, practical foundation in Medicare beyond AHIP and carrier certs. Level 100 fills the gaps most programs miss and prepares you to move confidently into advanced topics like Sales and Compliance.
What you get
Ten sequential courses (Medicare 101 → Medicare 110) designed to build knowledge step‑by‑step.
A Certificate of Completion after passing the final exam. Proof you’ve mastered the essentials.
Short video lessons, knowledge checks, and practice quizzes after each module to reinforce learning.
Gamification and scenario-based examples to keep training interactive and memorable.
Robust resources: statistics that explain the “why,” job-aid blueprints, and state-by-state resource guides (including SPAP listings and Medigap guaranteed-issue rights).
Course topics covered
What is Medicare?
Part A & Part B
Part D
Medicare Supplements (Medigap)
Medicare Advantage
Chronic Special Needs Plans (C‑SNP)
Subsidy Programs & Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D‑SNP)
Federal Plans & Alternative Coverage
Election Periods
Changes Coming to Medicare 2027
Final exam for certification
Why this matters?
Graduates leave Level 100 with a solid, practical understanding of Medicare essentials — not just theory, but ready-to-use knowledge for real client conversations and next-level training.
What’s next?
We’ll be releasing a video demo and a walkthrough of the Medicare Level 100 courses in the coming days. Keep an eye on your inbox, you won’t want to miss it!
How much does the course series cost?
Agent HQ Plus members: Included with your monthly membership.
Agent HQ Light members: $19.99 per course.
Full series purchase: $199.00
Are these courses approved for CE credits?
Not yet. We will begin submitting these courses for CE approval across states in the coming weeks. Our goal is to help agents deepen their knowledge and to reward their efforts with CE credits once approvals are secured.
Which state should we prioritize for CE approval? Tell us where you’re located in the comments so we can focus on your state first.
🌐Medicare Agent Resource Center (MARC) Update
We’re building MARC — the Medicare Agent Resource Center — to be your one-stop hub for everything agents need. Think of it as a single, searchable home for our best job aids, quick-reference knowledge guides, short how-to videos, and curated links — all designed to save you time and help you close more business.
Why it matters
Access anytime, anywhere: Whether your agency already offers similar tools or not, MARC gives you consistent, reliable resources you can use no matter who you partner with.
Practical, bite-sized content: Short videos and concise job aids make it easy to get answers fast and refresh key skills between appointments.
Built for action: Materials are focused on real-world selling, compliance, and client conversations to boost your confidence and conversion.
Who can get it
MARC will be available exclusively to Agent HQ Plus members.
We want MARC to be built around what you actually need. Tell us: what tools, topics, or formats would make MARC indispensable for your day-to-day?
Leave a comment with your suggestions — we’re listening and will use your feedback as we finalize the design and start adding content.
📰Industry News
🦅CMS finalizes a stronger than expected 2027 Medicare Advantage rate increase
CMS released its 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement in early April, finalizing an average 2.48% increase in Medicare Advantage payments for 2027. That translates to more than $13 billion in additional MA payments to plans. CMS also noted that when estimated MA risk-score trend is included, the overall increase rises to 4.98%. This was a meaningful shift from the earlier Advance Notice, which had projected only a 0.09% average increase.
Why it matters:
This gives carriers more room than expected as they prepare 2027 bids, but it does not remove the pressure from higher utilization, medical cost trend, Star Ratings changes, and margin recovery goals. Agents should still prepare clients for the possibility of benefit adjustments, premium changes, network changes, and county-level plan shifts heading into future AEP cycles.
🗞️ Reuters: Insurer stocks surged after the final MA rate announcement
Reuters covered the market reaction to the CMS rate announcement, reporting that the final 2.48% average MA payment increase was much higher than the near-flat January proposal and that insurers would also benefit from risk-adjustment-related changes, bringing the total increase to roughly 5%. Reuters reported that shares of UnitedHealth, Humana, and CVS rose between 8% and 14% in extended trading after the announcement.
The article also highlighted the industry’s argument that the earlier proposal did not adequately reflect rising medical costs. AHIP’s response, quoted by Reuters, emphasized that plans would continue focusing on keeping coverage and care affordable during a period of sharply rising medical costs.
Why it matters:
The investor reaction shows that Medicare Advantage remains a major driver of carrier valuations and strategy. For agents, the key takeaway is that carriers now have somewhat better 2027 funding visibility, but that does not automatically mean richer benefits. Carriers may still use the extra room to stabilize margins, manage risk, and offset elevated care costs.
🗞️ Healthcare Dive: CMS overhauls Star Ratings, potentially sending billions more to insurers
We talked about this in our previous article about the 2027 Final Rule regarding Medicare Star Rating changes. Healthcare Dive reported that CMS finalized a significant overhaul of the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings system. The rule cuts 11 Star Ratings measures, removes several administrative/process-focused metrics, and stops implementation of the planned Health Equity Index, while restoring a more generous bonus structure for consistently high-performing plans.
Healthcare Dive noted that the changes are expected to increase insurer ratings and reimbursement tied to Star Ratings bonuses. The article also reported that the Star Ratings changes are projected to cost taxpayers more than $18 billion over the next decade, according to analysis in the final rule. Most of the changes begin with the 2027 measurement period and will affect 2029 Star Ratings.
Why it matters:
Star Ratings influence quality bonus payments, plan rebates, supplemental benefits, premiums, and carrier competitiveness. For agencies, this is a reminder that the “star story” is not just a consumer-facing quality score; it is also a funding and benefit-design issue. Plans with improved Star Ratings economics may gain more flexibility, while plans under pressure may continue adjusting benefits or markets.
🏛️ Medicare Advantage Improvement Act — targets prior authorization and access-to-care issues
On April 23, Rep. John Joyce announced the introduction of H.R. 8375, the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing administrative barriers in Medicare Advantage. The bill focuses on issues such as prior authorization delays, coverage denials, transparency, and plan accountability.
Additional policy coverage from LeadingAge described several proposed changes, including faster prior authorization timelines, stronger payment protections for providers, limits on improper retroactive denials or coding downgrades after authorization, and a new compliance-based oversight framework for MA plans. LeadingAge also reported that, if enacted, the bill’s provisions would generally take effect January 1, 2028.
Why it matters:
Prior authorization is becoming one of the biggest policy pressure points in Medicare Advantage. Agents should not present proposed legislation as current law, but they can use this development to explain that lawmakers are actively examining access-to-care, denial, and administrative burden concerns. This is especially relevant when clients compare MA plans with Original Medicare plus a supplement.
📜Humana and UnitedHealth earnings show stabilization efforts—but different MA strategies
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) and Humana both reported April earnings that gave the Medicare Advantage market a clearer read on carrier strategy heading into the 2027 bid cycle.
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) posted $111.7 billion in first-quarter revenue, adjusted EPS of $7.23, and raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to greater than $18.25, signaling improved confidence after a difficult prior year and continued focus on pricing, cost discipline, and medical-cost management.
Humana’s results showed a more complicated story. The company entered 2026 after delivering on its 2025 adjusted earnings expectations, reporting FY 2025 adjusted EPS of $17.14 and an insurance segment benefit ratio of 90.4%, slightly better than guidance. In April, Humana reported Q1 2026 adjusted EPS of $10.31, an insurance segment benefit ratio of 89.4%, and reaffirmed expectations for approximately 25% individual Medicare Advantage membership growth in 2026 over 2025.
However, agents and agencies should watch Humana’s distribution strategy closely. Publicly available broker and industry sources indicate Humana has made certain MA/MAPD plans non-commissionable or decommissioned for agent enrollment purposes, updated its commission structure effective April 1, 2026 to prorate some new-to-Medicare commissions, and paused certain contracting, transfer, or hierarchy-movement activity in parts of the broker channel. Some of this information is publicly discussed in broker-facing and industry sources, but the full operational scope may vary by agency, hierarchy, market, and contract status.
Why it matters:
Humana appears to be balancing strong 2026 MA membership growth with margin discipline, Star Ratings headwinds, benefit-design pressure, and tighter control of distribution economics. For agencies, this could affect which Humana plans are practical to market, how agents are compensated, whether new agents or downlines can be onboarded quickly, and how much Humana production flows through the independent broker channel. While it is reasonable to expect these distribution changes to affect future sales momentum and possibly future earnings commentary, Humana has not publicly quantified a specific earnings impact from these broker-channel changes.
Agent takeaway:
Agencies should review Humana commission schedules, plan-level commissionability, contracting status, hierarchy rules, and market availability before building sales projections around Humana for the next quarter. This is also a good reminder to diversify carrier strategy and prepare agents for a 2027 environment where carriers may prioritize profitability over pure membership growth.
🧭Looking Ahead
As we look ahead to May and beyond, we’re excited about what’s next. If you’ve been following us, you’ll want to know about our new tool for telephonic and field agents: Election Period IQ — the Qualifier Tool. It helps agents quickly determine whether a beneficiary qualifies for an election period. Read the article for full details.
We are just weeks away from launching the Medicare Agent Resource Center (MARC) exclusively for Agent HQ Plus members. The Medicare Level 100 Core Foundation Series is entering production, and we’ll be pursuing CE approval for the course series in the coming weeks. Expect additional announcements as this program develops.
We believe agencies will find strong value in MARC and the Level 100 series, and we hope they adopt it for their agents. We’ll share updates as progress is made.
Your Partners in Success,
Jay Sweat
Founder, Insurance Training HQ