2027 AEP OPERATIONS · REVIEWED AUGUST 14, 2026
Short answer: Before working the 2027 Medicare Annual Election Period, verify active state authority, organization-accepted annual training and testing, current product certification, contracts, appointments or ready-to-sell status, approved marketing assets, compliant contact and appointment procedures, working enrollment systems, and a documented beneficiary-review process. Medicare's Annual Election Period runs October 15 through December 7 each year, but preparation and authorization must be complete before an agent conducts the relevant marketing or enrollment activity.
Official sources: CMS: Medicare Open Enrollment · CMS: 2027 Agent and Broker Training & Testing Guidelines · CMS: Marketing models, standard documents, and educational material · NIPR: State insurance licensing information
Use one evidence-based review for licensing, annual training, product status, approved marketing, beneficiary safeguards, enrollment systems, and follow-up operations.
By NHP University Editorial Team · Review method · CMS and NIPR sources reviewed August 14, 2026
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Document license, certification, product, marketing, system, beneficiary-review, and capacity gates before seasonal activity begins.
Use this for readiness controls only. Do not record beneficiary identifiers, health information, application data, or login credentials.
CALENDAR CONTROL
CMS states that Medicare Open Enrollment occurs October 15 through December 7 every year. People with Medicare can use that period to change Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage for the following year. Do not treat every beneficiary or every date as an AEP transaction.
| Phase | Agent objective | Evidence before advancing |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Resolve resident and nonresident licenses, NPN or identity mismatches, contracts, hierarchy, and renewal risks | Active state records and a clean contracting exception list |
| 2027 certification | Complete the training, independent test, product modules, and attestations each organization assigns | Current completion records and state-by-product ready-to-sell confirmation |
| Pre-launch operations | Load only approved materials and current plan data; test contact, appointment, call-recording, comparison, enrollment, and escalation procedures | Documented test cases and organization approval or procedure references |
| October 15–December 7 | Apply the correct election-period and enrollment process to each eligible beneficiary | Complete beneficiary-specific review, required records, and approved submission status |
| Post-submission and closeout | Resolve pends, confirm effective status through approved channels, service questions, and retain records | Closed exception log and documented handoff or follow-up |
Sources for this section: CMS: Medicare Open Enrollment · CMS: 2027 Agent and Broker Training & Testing Guidelines · NIPR: State insurance licensing information · NIPR: Manage or renew an insurance license
GO / NO-GO REVIEW
Readiness can differ by jurisdiction, organization, plan family, and hierarchy. Use a matrix and stop a row whenever evidence is missing or inconsistent.
| Workstream | Pass condition | Stop condition |
|---|---|---|
| State authority | Active license and correct line of authority in the state of business | Expired, pending, wrong line, unresolved resident/nonresident issue, or renewal risk |
| Annual training and test | 2027 program and independent test accepted by the organization | Wrong year, unaccepted program, failed or incomplete test, or missing transfer |
| Product certification | Assigned product modules and attestations complete | Missing product, state, plan-year, or organization-specific requirement |
| Contract and appointment | Approved relationship and any required state appointment are effective | Pending agreement, background, hierarchy, appointment, writing number, or termination |
| Ready-to-sell | Organization confirms current state-and-product status | Portal does not show the intended product or status cannot be verified |
| Sales operations | Current approved materials, contact method, SOA process, call recording, comparison workflow, and enrollment system pass testing | A workaround depends on old assets, personal devices, unapproved scripts, or incomplete records |
Sources for this section: CMS: 2027 Agent and Broker Training & Testing Guidelines · CMS: Agent Broker Compensation · NIPR: Manage or renew an insurance license
MARKETING AND CONTACT CONTROLS
CMS's 2027 training map covers prohibited and inappropriate marketing, unsolicited contact, personal marketing appointments, Scope of Appointment, TPMO disclosures, events, referrals, health-care settings, cross-selling, and call recording. The organization may impose detailed scripts, systems, approvals, and retention procedures to operationalize those rules.
The 2027 guidance says a written Scope of Appointment is required for in-person personal marketing appointments and notes removal of the former 48-hour waiting period. It also states that organizations must ensure TPMOs record marketing, sales, and enrollment calls, including the audio portion of web-based calls, in their entirety. Follow the organization's current interpretation and system instructions for the actual interaction.
Document how permission or an inbound request was obtained and whether the planned channel is allowed. Do not turn an unverified lead list into outreach.
Capture and retain the current required scope before the applicable personal marketing appointment; discuss only the agreed product categories.
Remove prior-year decks, flyers, benefit summaries, formularies, directories, scripts, disclaimers, and plan comparisons from active folders.
Test recording, disclosure, storage, retrieval, and failure escalation for each marketing, sales, or enrollment call channel the organization requires to be recorded.
Keep educational and marketing activities within the current organization procedure, including notices, materials, sign-in treatment, and any transition between event types.
Sources for this section: CMS: 2027 Agent and Broker Training & Testing Guidelines · CMS: Marketing models, standard documents, and educational material
BEFORE THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS
CMS's 2027 guidelines direct organizations to train agents on a detailed pre-enrollment discussion. A generic statement that one plan has better benefits is not a substitute for reviewing the person's actual needs and current plan information.
| Review area | Evidence to check | Record the outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Providers and facilities | Primary care, specialists, preferred hospital, other facilities, and network rules | Current source consulted, date checked, and any out-of-network consequence discussed |
| Prescriptions and pharmacies | Current drugs, formulary placement, restrictions, preferred pharmacy, and network | Plan-year source, pharmacy choice, and material limitations discussed |
| Costs | Plan premium, continued Part B premium, deductible, copays, coinsurance, and relevant service costs | Beneficiary-specific comparison without describing a maximum or allowance as guaranteed savings |
| Coverage needs | Dental, vision, hearing, durable medical equipment, therapy, travel, and other stated needs | Which needs were discussed and which require official plan or provider confirmation |
| Other coverage and eligibility | Current MA, Part D, Medigap, employer, Medicaid, LIS, SNP, or institutional status as applicable | Potential effect of enrollment, applicable election period, and unresolved eligibility questions |
| Plan documents and recourse | Summary of Benefits, Evidence of Coverage, ANOC, directories, formulary, cancellation rights, and complaints | Documents used and required disclosures or acknowledgments completed |
Sources for this section: CMS: 2027 Agent and Broker Training & Testing Guidelines · CMS: Marketing models, standard documents, and educational material · CMS: Medicare Open Enrollment
RUN THE SEASON WITH CONTROLS
Review organization alerts, system availability, product suspensions, license or certification exceptions, and updated procedures before the first interaction.
Match submitted requests to approved receipt or pending status. Never recreate, resubmit, or alter an enrollment without following the organization's current process.
Escalate failed recordings, missing SOAs, incomplete attestations, consent gaps, or unavailable plan documents immediately; stop the affected workflow until resolved.
Track beneficiary concerns, inaccurate statements, material misunderstandings, privacy issues, and plan questions to the responsible organization channel with clear ownership.
Set limits based on the time needed for accurate comparison, documentation, submission, and service. AEP volume does not reduce the duty to follow the process.
Review a sample of records across contact source, appointment scope, recording, plan comparison, election period, enrollment evidence, and follow-up; correct systemic problems, not only individual files.
Sources for this section: CMS: 2027 Agent and Broker Training & Testing Guidelines · CMS: Agent Broker Compensation · NIPR: Manage or renew an insurance license
COMMON QUESTIONS
Medicare's Annual Election Period runs October 15 through December 7 every year. It allows people with Medicare to change Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage for the following year.
No. Licensing, 2027 training, product certification, contracts, appointments, approved materials, system testing, and operating controls need to be resolved before the agent conducts the relevant marketing or enrollment activity.
No. Confirm that you are licensed, contracted, appointed where required, certified, and ready-to-sell for the specific organization, state, and product, and use only the approved comparison and marketing process.
Stop or pause when authority cannot be verified, the required scope or contact permission is missing, call recording fails where required, current plan documents are unavailable, eligibility or election-period facts are unresolved, or the enrollment system cannot create the required record.
No. A checklist helps control readiness and compliance. It does not create beneficiary demand, product availability, valid election periods, retention, compensation, or earnings, and it does not imply CMS or carrier endorsement.
PREPARE THE FOUNDATION
Browse NHP University's general course catalog for supplemental insurance education. Complete all official 2027 training, product, contracting, appointment, and compliance steps through the responsible organizations.
This guide is educational and does not guarantee a license, job, appointment, client, income, or regulatory outcome. Requirements and programs change; confirm current rules with the responsible regulator, agency, employer, exchange, or carrier.
Published 2026-08-14. Last modified 2026-08-14. CMS and NIPR sources reviewed August 14, 2026.
Initial publication using CMS's 2027 agent training guidance and current Medicare Open Enrollment dates.
See the editorial and corrections policy.
