Agents & how we are paid
Plan Sponsors Must Report What They Pay Medicare Agents to CMS by July 31
Under the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D contract year rules, insurance companies have until midnight Eastern time on July 31 to submit and certify all agent and broker compensation data in the CMS Health Plan Management System, a transparency step designed to keep enrollee steering in check.
By the Goodsurance editorial teamJuly 24, 2026
Medicare Advantage and Part D plan sponsors face a July 31, 2026 deadline with CMS. From June 1 through 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on July 31, organizations offering Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage must log into the CMS Health Plan Management System, known as HPMS, and submit their agent and broker compensation data for the 2027 contract year. The submission is not considered complete until a senior officer, specifically a chief executive, chief operating, or chief financial officer, attests in HPMS that the figures are accurate. Plans that miss the deadline are out of compliance with CMS marketing regulations for 2027. The reporting requirement gives CMS visibility into the full range of payments plan sponsors make to agents and brokers, including base commissions, bonuses, and administrative fees. Federal rules cap the total compensation an agent or broker may receive per Medicare enrollee per year, with limits set annually by CMS. The reporting system helps CMS verify that compensation structures stay within those caps and do not create financial incentives for agents to favor a plan that benefits the agent rather than the beneficiary. The 2027 contract year rules, established in the final rule published April 6, 2026, include this attestation as part of a broader accountability framework for Medicare marketing.
July 31 is the deadline for Medicare plan insurers to tell CMS what they pay their agents, a key annual oversight checkpoint.
In plain words
By July 31, 2026, insurance companies that sell Medicare plans must tell CMS how much they pay their salespeople, called agents or brokers. A top company official must also sign off on the numbers. This helps CMS make sure companies are not paying agents extra to push people into plans that might not be the best fit. If a company misses the deadline, it breaks Medicare marketing rules. This is one way the government tries to ensure the people helping seniors pick Medicare plans give honest, unbiased advice.
Understand the basics first
Source: Federal Register
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