Episode 125: ACA Trends and Future with Jeff Gaston

Episode 125: ACA Trends and Future with Jeff Gaston

From Agent Boost Marketing Podcast by Dan and Mike Hardle

June 15, 2026 · 56 min · Episode 125

About this episode

Mike Hardle interviews Jeff Gaston about ACA trends and challenges facing brokers ahead of the open enrollment season.

In Episode 125 of the Agent Boost Podcast, Mike sits down with Jeff, who just returned from the CMS Annual Marketplace Meeting in Baltimore, to break down everything brokers and agents need to know heading into this fall's open enrollment season. This episode covers the real state of ACA in 2025, from what CMS leadership actually thinks about brokers, to breaking news about the three-way call finally going away, to a full carrier-by-carrier forecast for the coming open enrollment. Jeff shares firsthand intel from inside the CMS building, including what was discussed at the large agency roundtable that rarely gets talked about publicly. Mike adds his predictions on which ACA carriers are going big, why bronze plans and HSAs are about to become dominant, and why he believes the ACA market won't truly stabilize until 2028. The conversation also digs into the very real pressure brokers are facing, overlapping Medicare AE and ACA OE deadlines, new consent form regulations, 75% QLE verification requirements, and the ongoing question of whether big tech is trying to eliminate brokers altogether. Plus, Dan and Jeff break down why 50% of agents have left the industry over the past two…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Hardle

Guest: Jeff Gaston

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CMS, CMS Annual Marketplace Meeting, Medicare, ACA

More episodes of Agent Boost Marketing Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Agent Boost Marketing Podcast podcast page.