Commissions
Zero-commission season: Aetna pulls broker pay from 123 plans as carriers cut 2027 commissions
Aetna won't pay for new enrollments in 123 Medicare Advantage plans across 33 states, and brokers report Humana is doing the same on more than 300. The plans stay on the market, but the pay disappears.
For the 2027 plan year, the biggest threat to a Medicare agent’s income isn’t a lower commission. It’s no commission at all. Carriers are leaving plans on the market but removing broker pay on new enrollments. The plans stay available to beneficiaries; what changes is whether the agent who enrolls them is paid.
Aetna has told the marketing organizations that sell its plans that it will not pay agents or brokers for new enrollments in 123 Medicare Advantage plans across 33 states for 2027. The affected plans span nearly 780 counties, and about one-fifth of those counties are in Georgia. Aetna will also pay nothing for new enrollments in its standalone Part D plans, which have been non-commissionable since 2025.
Two waves, one already live
Aetna confirmed the change to Becker’s Payer Issues. It isn’t waiting for January. “We have made a business decision to change certain plans to non-commissionable starting on September 15, 2026, and certain other plans starting on January 1, 2027, and we have notified brokers accordingly,” an Aetna spokesperson said.
Aetna had not publicly named the 123 plans when the notice was reported. Plan-level reporting that flags zero-commission plans to CMS is voluntary and not publicly posted. That means your upline’s grid is the only reliable list.
Humana and the rest of the market
Aetna isn’t alone. Brokers told Health Payer Specialist that more than 300 Humana Medicare Advantage and standalone Part D plans will not pay brokers a commission for 2027. Humana has not confirmed that figure publicly, so The Commission lists it as reported, not verified.
UnitedHealthcare, Elevance Health, Cigna and Blue Shield of California also pulled broker commissions on some Medicare Advantage plans during the 2025 and 2026 enrollment cycles. PPO plans have been disproportionately targeted because they tend to cost more to run than HMOs.
What it means for your income
The CMS ceiling for 2027 rose to $725 for a new Medicare Advantage enrollment in most states. On a non-commissionable plan, the commission for that new enrollment is $0. Agents need to know which plans are in that group before each appointment, so they can plan their income and answer compensation questions accurately. It should not change which plan fits a beneficiary: suitability comes first, and a non-commissionable plan can still be the right choice.
Existing members keep their coverage, and the commission decision does not change their benefits. Renewal pay is a separate question from new-enrollment pay, and the answer can differ by carrier.
Your move
- Get each carrier’s current commissionable-plan grid from your upline, and check it on the day of every appointment. Aetna’s first wave took effect mid-season.
- Ask in writing how renewals are paid on plans that stop paying for new enrollments.
- Recommend the plan that fits the client, whatever it pays you, and document your reasons. A zero-commission plan can still be the right one for a client.
- Watch January 1, when Aetna’s second group of plans becomes non-commissionable.
