TL;DR
GoAEP is an educational platform for licensed insurance professionals. Content is general information, not legal, compliance, tax, financial, or Medicare plan advice. Agents and agencies remain responsible for CMS, carrier, state, federal, TCPA, email, SMS, privacy, and marketing rules. GoAEP, Lync, Lync CRM, Lync Greetings, and LyncCIS are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Medicare, CMS, or any government agency. This lesson collects the disclaimers, the agent-side compliance reminders, and a curated list of trusted regulatory and industry resources — so the rules of the road are always one click away.
Why it matters
Stay informed. Stay compliant. Stay ahead.
Modern Medicare agents work in one of the most regulated corners of financial services — and the rules cross CMS, carriers, state DOIs, the FCC, the FTC, and a growing stack of privacy laws.
This lesson exists for two reasons. First, to make the educational scope of GoAEP and the independence of every Lync platform unambiguous. Second, to put the trusted, primary-source compliance resources every agent should already be using in one place — so the rules of the road are never more than a click away.
Three disclaimers every reader should understand before applying this guide
1 · Educational disclaimer
GoAEP provides educational information, technology guidance, and business resources for licensed insurance professionals. Content is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, compliance, tax, financial, or Medicare plan advice.
- Written for licensed agents and agency operators — not consumers
- Frameworks and examples are illustrative, not prescriptive
- No content here replaces guidance from counsel, carrier compliance, or FMO
- Apply through the lens of the agent's own license, state, and carrier mix
Tooling note · Treat GoAEP like a continuing-education resource, not a compliance manual.
2 · Compliance reminder
Agents and agencies are responsible for following all CMS, carrier, state, federal, TCPA, email, SMS, privacy, and marketing requirements applicable to their business.
- CMS Medicare Communications & Marketing Guidelines (MCMG) govern Medicare marketing
- Carriers layer additional rules on top of CMS — always check the carrier portal
- TCPA governs calls and SMS; CAN-SPAM and state privacy laws govern email and data
- State Departments of Insurance own producer conduct, advertising, and licensing
Tooling note · When CMS, carrier, and state rules conflict, the most restrictive rule wins.
3 · No-affiliation disclaimer
GoAEP, Lync, Lync CRM, Lync Greetings, and LyncCIS are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Medicare, CMS, or any government agency.
- All Lync platforms are independent commercial products
- No content here is issued, reviewed, or endorsed by CMS or Medicare
- Use of each platform may be subject to its own terms and privacy policy
- Agent-facing communications should mirror the same independence in their copy
Tooling note · Independence is a feature, not a footnote — it keeps the guidance honest.
Why the disclaimers matter
Educational scope is what keeps this guide useful
A platform that pretends to be a compliance authority becomes useless the moment the rules change. By staying explicitly educational and independent, GoAEP can move at the speed agents actually need — and leave the binding interpretations to the regulators, carriers, and counsel who own them.
What 'agent responsibility' actually covers in 2026
Most agents already know the headline rules. The risk usually lives in the seams — the places where Medicare marketing, communications law, and state producer conduct overlap.
At a minimum, every Medicare-focused agency should have a written, dated answer for: how leads are sourced and consented; how SOAs are captured and stored; how recordings are produced and retained; how marketing pieces are reviewed and filed; how SMS and email programs are registered, throttled, and unsubscribed; and how client data is stored, shared, and deleted on request.
GoAEP can help frame those answers. It cannot sign them. That signature belongs to the agency principal, the compliance officer, and — where the question is binding — licensed counsel.
Agent legal-and-compliance basics worth re-reading before AEP
Timeline
Trusted resources to bookmark — primary sources, not opinions
Step 01
CMS — Medicare.gov and the Medicare Communications & Marketing Guidelines
The federal source for Medicare program rules and marketing requirements. Every carrier rule traces back here.
Step 02
NAIC — National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Model laws and regulatory positions adopted (or adapted) by state DOIs. Useful for understanding where state rules are heading.
Step 03
NIPR — National Insurance Producer Registry
Licensing, appointments, and continuing-education status across states. The system of record for producer credentials.
Step 04
Your State Department of Insurance
Producer conduct, advertising review, complaint handling, and state-specific bulletins. The state DOI almost always has the final word on producer behavior in that state.
Step 05
FCC — Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
Calling, SMS, autodialer, prior express consent, and Do-Not-Call rules. The FCC is the rule-maker; the courts are the enforcer.
Step 06
FTC — Advertising, endorsements, and Do-Not-Call enforcement
Truth-in-advertising, testimonial rules, and the National Do Not Call Registry. Reviews and 'top producer' language live under this regime.
Step 07
III — Insurance Information Institute (iii.org)
Industry-level statistics, consumer-facing explanations, and context useful for educational marketing and media outreach.
Step 08
Carrier compliance portals
Every appointed carrier maintains its own rulebook, marketing review process, and prohibited-content list. Treat the carrier portal as the layer above CMS, not below it.
Who owns what — a quick responsibility matrix
You focus on your clients. We'll handle the tech.
— GoAEP · presented by Lync
Key takeaways
- GoAEP content is educational — not legal, compliance, tax, financial, or plan advice.
- Agents and agencies are responsible for CMS, carrier, state, federal, TCPA, email, SMS, privacy, and marketing rules.
- GoAEP and all Lync platforms are independent — not affiliated with Medicare, CMS, or any government agency.
- Bookmark the core regulators: CMS, NAIC, NIPR, FCC (TCPA), FTC, and your state Department of Insurance.
- Each Lync platform may have its own terms, privacy policy, pricing, and onboarding requirements.
Frequently asked
FAQs
- Is GoAEP legal or compliance advice?
- No. GoAEP is an educational platform for licensed insurance professionals. The content is general information about technology, marketing, and operational readiness — it is not legal, compliance, tax, financial, or Medicare plan advice. Agents should confirm specifics with their upline, carrier compliance team, FMO, and licensed counsel where applicable.
- Who is responsible for CMS, TCPA, and state-level compliance?
- The agent and agency. CMS marketing rules, carrier policies, state insurance department requirements, TCPA (telephone and SMS), CAN-SPAM (email), state privacy laws, and recording laws all apply to the individual writing and servicing business. GoAEP describes the rules at a high level — it does not transfer that responsibility.
- Is GoAEP or Lync affiliated with Medicare or CMS?
- No. GoAEP, Lync, Lync CRM, Lync Greetings, and LyncCIS are independent. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), or any government agency.
- Where should agents go for primary-source compliance information?
- Start with CMS (Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines), the NAIC (model laws), NIPR (licensing), the FCC (TCPA), the FTC (advertising and Do-Not-Call), and the state Department of Insurance for every state the agent is licensed in. Carrier-specific rules come from the carrier's compliance portal.
- Do the four Lync platforms share one set of terms?
- No. Use of each platform may be subject to its own terms, privacy policy, pricing, onboarding requirements, third-party carrier or platform rules, and applicable compliance obligations. Review each platform's terms at signup.
Authoritative sources
Related reading
From the printed guide
This lesson's one-pager
Preview the printed page for this lesson, or download just this page as a standalone PDF.
From the 2026 Readiness Guide
Lesson 14 — printable one-pager
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