- ALHC is a six-course ICA designation; this cheat sheet focuses on C1, Medical Aspects of Claims.
- C1 costs $325 (member) or $550 (nonmember) and is delivered online through McCann Associates via Adaptera.
- The C1 exam is 75 multiple-choice questions, 150 minutes, closed book, with a 70% passing requirement.
- Enrollment includes one retake, and both attempts must happen within 180 days or you repurchase access.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This page is a one-stop review for the C1 course, Medical Aspects of Claims, which sits inside the six-course Associate, Life and Health Claims (ALHC) designation administered by the International Claim Association (ICA). It is not a comprehensive rundown of every ALHC course - it's the fast-reference version of the facts that trip candidates up the night before an exam: registration mechanics, timing, passing thresholds, and what actually shows up in the content.
If you haven't yet mapped out the full designation, start with the broader ALHC requirements breakdown or the what is ALHC overview before drilling into C1 specifics here. For deeper prep beyond this summary, pair this sheet with the full ALHC study guide.
The ALHC Path at a Glance
ALHC is earned through a structured sequence, not a single sitting. Before you touch ICA's own coursework, you need two approved introductory courses:
- LOMA 280 or 281 together with LOMA 290 or 291, OR
- AHIP Parts A and B
Once those are complete, you submit the external completion records to ICA. From there, candidates work through ICA courses C1 through C4, each delivered as its own package with its own exam. C1, the subject of this cheat sheet, covers Medical Aspects of Claims and is typically one of the first ICA-level courses candidates tackle because medical claims literacy underpins the rest of the designation.
For a full breakdown of how the prerequisite courses and ICA courses fit together, see ALHC Requirements 2026. If you're still deciding whether the whole path is worth the time investment, the ROI analysis is worth reading before you enroll in C1.
C1 Exam Mechanics You Must Memorize
These are the operational details that decide whether your exam attempt even counts. Get these wrong and you can lose money or time - not just points.
Registration and Delivery
C1 is purchased and delivered as a single course-and-exam package through McCann Associates, using the Adaptera online platform. You are not buying "just the exam" - the price covers the study materials and the assessment together.
- Member price: US$325
- Nonmember price: US$550
- Study materials must be completed before the exam unlocks
Exam Format
C1 uses a fixed, predictable structure - no surprises if you memorize this ahead of time.
- 75 multiple-choice questions
- 150-minute time limit
- 70% passing requirement
- Closed book - no outside references, notes, or computer assistance allowed
- Exiting the exam window submits it for scoring immediately, so don't click out to "check something" unless you mean to submit
Retakes and Access Windows
Enrollment includes the exam plus one retake attempt. Both attempts - original and retake - must be completed within 180 days of enrollment. If that window expires before you've used your attempts, you have to repurchase access from scratch.
- Track your 180-day clock from day one, not from when you finish studying
- ICA itself does not require proctoring, but your employer may impose its own proctoring rules
Key Takeaway
Treat the 180-day window as a hard deadline. Schedule your first attempt early enough that a retake - if needed - still fits comfortably inside that period.
For a plain-language walk-through of exactly what "passing" means numerically, see ALHC Passing Score 2026. If you want the full cost picture across the entire six-course path, not just C1, check ALHC Certification Cost 2026.
Prerequisite Routes Compared
Candidates often ask which prerequisite path is faster or cheaper. ICA accepts either route as equally valid - the choice usually comes down to what your employer already sponsors or what you've already completed.
| Route | Required Courses | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| LOMA Route | LOMA 280 or 281, plus LOMA 290 or 291 | LOMA |
| AHIP Route | AHIP Part A and AHIP Part B | AHIP |
Whichever route you choose, you're responsible for submitting the external completion records to ICA yourself - it isn't automatic. Build that administrative step into your timeline, especially if you're aiming for specific exam dates for your C1-C4 sequence.
C1 Content You're Actually Tested On
C1's title tells you the scope: Medical Aspects of Claims. This course exists because claims examiners constantly evaluate medical documentation, diagnoses, and treatment records to decide what's payable - so the exam is built around the vocabulary and judgment needed to do that competently.
Rather than memorizing isolated facts, focus your review time on how medical information flows into a claim decision: how a diagnosis is documented, how treatment records support or contradict a claim, and how a claims examiner interprets medical terminology without a clinical background. Because this is closed-book, you need to internalize terminology rather than plan to look it up.
For a structured look at how course content across the whole designation is organized - not just C1 - see the ALHC exam domains guide. And if you're trying to gauge how C1 stacks up in overall difficulty compared to the rest of the ICA sequence, the difficulty guide is a useful companion read.
One-Week Final Review Schedule
This isn't a generic study calendar - it's built around C1's specific format: closed-book, 75 questions, 150 minutes, one retake available within 180 days. Use it in the final week before your scheduled exam date, after you've already worked through the full course materials.
Terminology Drill
- Re-read medical claims vocabulary sections without notes, since the exam is closed book
- Write short definitions from memory to test recall, not recognition
Timed Question Practice
- Simulate the 150-minute, 75-question pace using practice questions on the main practice test site
- Track which topics slow you down past two minutes per question
Weak-Spot Repair
- Revisit only the specific medical-claims concepts that caused missed answers
- Re-take a full-length practice set at the practice test platform to confirm improvement
Logistics and Rest
- Confirm your Adaptera exam access is active and within your 180-day window
- Confirm any employer proctoring requirements, since ICA itself doesn't mandate proctoring
If you want a more detailed, multi-week version of this approach covering the full ALHC sequence rather than just the final week before C1, the ALHC study guide lays that out in depth.
Who Cares About This Credential
ALHC, and the C1 Medical Aspects of Claims course specifically, is aimed at professionals working inside life and health claims departments - claims examiners, claims analysts, claims supervisors, and adjacent roles where evaluating medical documentation against policy terms is part of the job. Because the designation is built and issued by the International Claim Association, it carries recognition specifically within the claims side of the life and health insurance industry rather than being a general insurance credential.
If you're weighing how a completed designation might affect your role or job search, see ALHC Jobs for the kinds of positions where this credential is relevant, and ALHC Salary Guide 2026 for a qualitative look at how it factors into compensation conversations. For training options beyond the official ICA course materials, ALHC Training covers supplemental preparation resources.
Quick Reference Numbers
Keep this table open on a second screen the week of your exam. These are the numbers examiners actually ask about, and they're specific to C1 under ICA's ALHC designation - not any other credential using the same acronym.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Designation | Associate, Life and Health Claims (ALHC), issued by ICA |
| Course covered here | C1 - Medical Aspects of Claims |
| Delivery | Online, via McCann Associates through Adaptera |
| Member price | US$325 |
| Nonmember price | US$550 |
| Question count | 75 multiple-choice |
| Time limit | 150 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Retakes included | One, within 180 days of enrollment |
| Reference materials allowed | None - closed book |
| Full designation requirement | Two intro courses (LOMA or AHIP) + ICA C1-C4 |
For context on how this 70% threshold and 75-question format compare to broader pass-rate expectations across the designation, see ALHC Pass Rate 2026.
FAQ
This page focuses specifically on ICA's C1 course, Medical Aspects of Claims, which is one of six courses required for the full ALHC designation. The exam mechanics - fee, question count, time limit, passing score, retake policy - apply to C1, not to every course in the sequence.
Your enrollment includes one retake. Both your original attempt and the retake need to be completed within 180 days of enrollment. If you run past that window without finishing, you'll need to repurchase access to the course and exam.
No. The exam is closed book, meaning no outside reference materials or computer assistance are permitted. It's delivered online through Adaptera, and exiting the exam window submits it for scoring, so plan to complete it in one sitting.
ICA itself does not require proctoring for this exam. However, some employers impose their own proctoring requirements, so check with your organization before scheduling.
You need to complete two approved introductory courses first: either LOMA 280 or 281 together with LOMA 290 or 291, or AHIP Parts A and B. You then submit those completion records to ICA before progressing into the C1-C4 ICA coursework.