An independent research study · 2026

How independent agents handle compliance in everyday client communication.

A research study of how solo Medicare and ACA agents — and the small agencies they work in — actually navigate HIPAA, CMS marketing rules, and client privacy in the daily work of email, phone calls, and document sharing.

There's surprisingly little public data on how this actually works.

Independent insurance agents serving Medicare and ACA markets work under a stack of overlapping regulations — HIPAA, CMS marketing rules for Medicare Advantage and Part D, state insurance department requirements, carrier compliance terms. Most public discussion of compliance focuses on the rules themselves, not on what agents actually do in their day-to-day practice.

This study looks at the everyday reality. How do agents handle protected health information when emailing a client about a plan recommendation? Where do scope-of-appointment forms actually live? What tools do solo agents use when their FMO doesn't provide one, and what do they do when the FMO tools don't fit their workflow? What's working, what isn't, and where do agents feel exposed?

Our goal is to publish honest aggregate findings — without naming agents, agencies, or carriers — that help the people doing this work understand how their peers are handling the same problems.

The study runs through summer 2026. Participation is anonymous unless you choose to share contact information at the end. All participants receive the aggregate findings before they're published anywhere else.

Three ways to contribute, in roughly five minutes.

There's no commercial agenda here. We're not selling tools, services, or training. We're trying to understand how this work actually gets done so the eventual report reflects reality rather than a vendor pitch.

01

Take the survey

Fewer than 20 questions about your current setup, your concerns, and what's worked or failed for you. About five minutes. Anonymous.

02

Share an experience

An optional question invites longer comments — audit stories, near-misses, frustrations with current tools, things you wish someone had warned you about.

03

Opt in to a conversation

If you'd like to talk in more depth, the survey ends with an optional invitation to a 20-minute call. No pitch, no sales.

Who's behind this

An independent research team

This study is run by an independent research team with backgrounds in regulated software, small-business technology, and operational research. The team is not currently affiliated with any insurance carrier, FMO, government agency, or compliance vendor.

The goal is to understand how independent agents actually work today — and to publish honest findings that are useful to the people doing this work, regardless of where the research leads next.

Questions about the study? research@medicareagentresearch.com

Share how you actually handle compliance.

Fewer than 20 questions, about five minutes, anonymous unless you choose otherwise. Aggregate findings shared with all participants before anything is published.

Take the survey →
No login required. No follow-up email unless you opt in.