RISE MMS 2026 Recap: Why Medicare Enrollment Is a Confidence Problem, Not a Form Problem

Corporate Insight attended the RISE Medicare Marketing & Sales Summit (MMS) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 24-26, 2026, where we gained valuable insight into how the Medicare industry’s leading health insurers build lasting growth amid evolving regulatory challenges. In particular, sessions that featured firsthand experiences from patient advocates and highlighted the Campfire Medicare Research Project reinforced findings in Corporate Insight’s Medicare Monitor research.

Navigating the evolving regulatory landscape

The summit opened with a presentation from Neil Patil of the Medicare Policy Initiative at Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform, exploring the regulatory landscape facing Medicare Advantage plans in 2026 and beyond. The session gave attendees an early-conference grounding in both finalized CMS rules already taking effect and proposed changes still working their way through the rulemaking process.

Gaining the member perspective from real members

In Beyond the Survey: Real Stories from Real Members, Roderick Kersch from WEX Benefits moderated a candid sit-down with three patient advocates: Karen Edwards, Connie Montgomery and Doris Maldonado. We gained valuable insight into the real challenges Medicare enrollees regularly face. These range from low health literacy and medically complex circumstances to mounting caregiver responsibilities, hurdles that affect not only members but the agents and brokers guiding them.

Later, Roderick Kersch expanded on the member experience theme with The Campfire Medicare Research Project as Your Compass to Better Member Benefits. Kersch detailed the Campfire Medicare Research Project, a study that engaged Medicare beneficiaries in peer-to-peer conversations at campgrounds across the country. Informal, high-trust conversations around a campfire, Kersch explained, were key to surfacing the candid insights that formal research methods often miss.

What campfire conversations revealed

• Medicare members’ interests and needs shift significantly across age groups, defying the assumption that 65+ is a monolithic segment
• Members struggle to differentiate between plans and rely heavily on agents, brokers and personal networks to guide their selection
• Companionship, loneliness and depression emerged as recurring themes across conversations
• Rising costs of living weigh more heavily on members’ fixed incomes than the cost of their plans

Through Corporate Insight’s October 2025 Medicare Enrollment Behaviors and Sentiments study (subscription required), we surveyed and interviewed Medicare beneficiaries about their enrollment journey, gaining valuable insights into how they choose a Medicare plan, pick an insurer and navigate the enrollment application.

Corporate Insight’s research confirms

• Market volatility erodes member confidence ahead of the Annual Enrollment Period
• Prior relations and word-of-mouth drive beneficiaries’ enrollment decisions
• Plan complexity paralyzes members at the moment of decision
• Plan premiums factor into enrollment decisions but do not determine them

“You are trying to sort through these different names and these different benefits and trying to figure out what is the difference?” – Participant, age 70

The unifying insight across sessions at RISE MMS 2026 and Corporate Insight’s Medicare enrollment research is clear: The mechanics of signing up for Medicare matter less than the confidence built across the entire ecosystem of members, agents, brokers, caregivers and patient navigators guiding enrollment decision-making. When beneficiaries struggle to differentiate between plans, lean heavily on agents and personal networks, and face mounting concerns about cost of living and loneliness, the industry’s challenge is not just marketing but meaningful guidance. For health insurers, this points to an opportunity to meet members where they are with plain-language communications, trust-building touchpoints and benefit designs that reflect the diverse needs of Medicare beneficiaries and drive both acquisition and long-term retention.

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