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Health Awareness in MARCH

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

This month highlights the critical importance of regular screenings, which can prevent the disease entirely by finding and removing precancerous polyps. With guidelines now recommending screenings begin at age 45, awareness efforts focus on destigmatizing the procedure and highlighting non-invasive testing options to increase compliance.

National Nutrition Month

Spearheaded by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, this observance encourages individuals to make informed food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits. The 2026 focus emphasizes how personalized, culturally accessible nutrition directly impacts chronic disease management and overall longevity.

National Kidney Month

Raising awareness about chronic kidney disease (CKD), this initiative urges people to check their risk factors, specifically high blood pressure and diabetes. Education centers on the reality that early-stage kidney disease often have no symptoms, making routine blood and urine tests vital for preserving kidney function.



2026 MARCH 18 TH

Medicare & Technology

The Biometric Login Mandate

CMS has officially rolled out updated technical guidelines for the 2026 Plan Year regarding the CMS Enterprise Portal and the Identity Management (IDM) system. Accessing the portal now requires strict Remote Identity Proofing (RIDP) routed directly through Experian, alongside mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) at every login for all agents, brokers, and certified assistors.

Consumer

While this back-end update doesn't change how you log into your personal Medicare accounts, it does mean the agents handling your sensitive enrollment data are being held to much higher cybersecurity standards by the federal government to prevent medical identity theft.

Agent

You can no longer skirt around strict digital security. If your credit report has an old address or a mismatched name, you will fail the automated Experian ID proofing and be locked out of the MLMS training and the FFM registration. CMS explicitly warned this week that you must use personal information (not agency business addresses) to verify your identity, and sharing MFA credentials with your downline or assistants is a strict violation.



References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). (2026, March). Plan Year 2026 Health Insurance Marketplace Registration and Training for New Agents and Brokers. CMS.gov.



2026 MARCH 18 TH

Health & Legislation

The Prior Authorization Showdown

Today, March 18, 2026, the House Subcommittee on Health convened a highly anticipated hearing titled "Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the U.S. Provider Landscape." Ahead of the hearing, the American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted explosive testimony regarding carrier administration, highlighting the massive strain prior authorizations put on the system.

Consumer

When your doctor says you need a procedure and your insurance company says "wait," you are trapped in the "Prior Authorization" loop. Congress is actively investigating how this bureaucratic red tape is delaying care. In 2026, choosing an insurance plan is no longer just about the network; it is about finding carriers that do not have a history of delaying necessary treatments.

Agent

This hearing intersects directly with the ongoing national conversation about healthcare "middlemen." While recent executive speeches targeted broker commissions, hospital providers are aggressively lobbying Washington to target carrier administration practices instead. Agents must expertly navigate this tension, guiding clients toward carriers with the highest automated approval ratings to ensure they actually receive the care they purchase.



References
American Hospital Association (AHA). (2026, March 17). AHA House E&C testimony on lowering health care costs for all Americans: An examination of the U.S. provider landscape. AHA.org.



2026 MARCH 18 TH

Medicare Finance

The Part B Premium Squeeze

Released on March 11, 2026, a new Joint Economic Committee report highlighted a frustrating financial reality for seniors: Medicare Part B premiums are artificially inflated. The report estimates that ongoing Medicare Advantage overpayments have driven up base Part B premiums by $212 per enrollee in 2026, totaling an additional $13.4 billion. If current practices continue, the committee projects Part B premiums could double to roughly $5,000 annually by 2035.

Consumer

Even if you choose a "$0 Premium" Medicare Advantage plan, you still have to pay your monthly Part B premium to the government. This report shows that those base costs are rising faster than inflation. Relying on a fixed income means you must have a holistic financial plan that accounts for these aggressive baseline healthcare increases over the next decade.

Agent

The "$0 MA Plan" is becoming a tougher sell when the client’s underlying Part B cost keeps eating into their Social Security check. This data point is a powerful pivot for agents licensed in life and annuities; it proves exactly why seniors need robust, guaranteed income strategies to outpace medical inflation.



References
Joint Economic Committee via AHA News. (2026, March 11). Report finds Medicare premiums are higher due to MA overpayments. AHA.org.



2026 MARCH 18 TH

Property & Casualty

The Spring Storm Reality Check

While analysts previously predicted a "softening" in the P&C market for 2026, Mother Nature had other plans. On March 17, 2026, AM Best reported that just two major carriers have already received over 38,000 property claims resulting from a devastating string of early-March severe storms across the US.

Consumer 

"Storm season" is starting earlier and hitting harder outside of traditional coastal hurricane zones. If you have not reviewed your roof deductibles and windstorm exclusions since your last renewal, you are likely underinsured. Carriers are paying out billions in Q1, which means leniency on minor underwriting exceptions will vanish quickly.

Agent

You cannot wait for renewal dates to talk to your P&C book. With 38,000 claims hitting the desks of adjusters from just two carriers in a single week, claim response times are going to plummet. Your immediate value is helping clients document their current property states now, before they need to file, ensuring they are prepared when a localized disaster strikes.



References
AM Best. (2026, March 17). Two carriers report more than 38,000 claims from severe, early-March storms. Best's News.



2026 MARCH 18 TH

Consumer Demographics

The "Expat Retiree" Medical Gap

Driven by domestic inflation and the rising cost of U.S. healthcare, a record number of American seniors are relocating to countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Portugal. Addressing this "Silver Tsunami" migration, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a consumer advisory memo on March 16, 2026, explicitly warning about the limitations of Medicare portability abroad.

Consumer 

If you are planning to spend your retirement outside of the United States, you must understand a harsh reality: traditional Medicare and most Medicare Advantage plans stop at the U.S. border. Relying on foreign public health systems can leave you stranded in an emergency. You must secure dedicated international health insurance.

Agent

This demographic shift is creating a massive coverage gap. Your Medicare clients are becoming global citizens, but their policies aren't traveling with them. This is a primary cross-selling opportunity for 2026. Agents must expand their portfolios to include Expat Medical and Long-Term Travel Health policies to retain high-net-worth seniors who split their time internationally.



References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2026, March 16). Consumer advisory: Healthcare coverage limitations for U.S. retirees residing internationally. HHS.gov.



2026 MARCH 18 TH

International Markets

The "Cyber-War" Exclusion Standard

Following elevated geopolitical tensions in early March, the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) issued a highly anticipated regulatory framework on March 14, 2026. The framework sets a new global standard for how domestic insurers must define a "State-Sponsored Cyber Attack."

Consumer / Business Owner

If a foreign government hacks into a U.S. tech vendor and your business's data is compromised as collateral damage, your standard cyber insurance might deny the claim, calling it an "Act of War." You must have your legal or insurance team review the specific "War Exclusions" in your policy language immediately, as carriers are updating these clauses to be much stricter.

Agent

The burden of explaining international cyber-warfare exclusions now falls on the retail broker. You must sit down with your commercial clients and map out exactly where their coverage stops if a breach is attributed to a nation-state rather than a standard criminal group.



References
International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS). (2026, March 14). Standardization of systemic cyber risk and state-sponsored attack exclusions. IAISweb.org.

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