ALHC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify

The Six-Course Path to ALHC

Associate, Life and Health Claims (ALHC) is a designation administered by the International Claim Association (ICA), and it isn't earned by passing a single exam. It's a six-course sequence: two introductory courses that establish foundational insurance knowledge, followed by four ICA courses - C1 through C4 - that build claims-specific expertise. This structure matters for anyone planning their path, because "qualifying" for ALHC really means completing prerequisites first and then working through the ICA course block in order.

This site focuses specifically on ICA C1: Medical Aspects of Claims, the course most candidates tackle first in the ICA sequence. If you're mapping out the full designation, it helps to understand how C1 fits into the bigger picture before you register for anything. For a broader look at what the credential covers, see What Is ALHC? and ALHC Certification.

Prerequisite Options: LOMA vs. AHIP

Before you can count coursework toward ALHC, you need to complete two introductory courses. ICA recognizes two approved routes, and you only need to pick one:

• LOMA route: LOMA 280 or LOMA 281, together with LOMA 290 or LOMA 291.
• AHIP route: AHIP Part A and AHIP Part B.

Neither path is inherently "easier" in a way ICA publishes data on, so the right choice usually comes down to what your employer already provides, what your team has used historically, or which materials you can access fastest. Many claims professionals already have LOMA or AHIP credits on file from onboarding or continuing education, which can shorten the runway to starting the ICA courses.

ICA C1: Medical Aspects of Claims Requirements

Once prerequisites are satisfied, C1 is typically the entry point into the ICA course block. It's delivered as an online course-and-exam package by McCann Associates through the Adaptera platform, and it's structured so you can't skip straight to testing.

For a granular breakdown of what's actually tested inside C1, pair this page with the ALHC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All Content Areas, and check How Hard Is the ALHC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 for an honest read on where candidates tend to struggle.

Registration and Fee Mechanics

Registration happens directly through the Adaptera platform, and pricing depends on ICA membership status:

• ICA members: $325 for the C1 course-and-exam package
• Nonmembers: $550 for the same package

That fee covers the course materials, the exam itself, and one retake attempt if needed - all bundled into a single purchase rather than sold separately. If your employer covers professional development costs, it's worth clarifying membership status before you register, since the member rate is a substantial discount. A full cost breakdown, including how C1 pricing compares across the ALHC path, is covered in ALHC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Exam Format and Passing Requirements

The C1 exam is built around a specific, fixed format - knowing it in advance changes how you prepare:

• 75 multiple-choice questions
• 150-minute time limit
• 70% required to pass
• Closed book - no outside references, notes, or computer tools allowed during the test

One detail candidates frequently overlook: exiting the exam submits it for scoring. There's no "save and return later" - once you leave the testing screen, that attempt is locked in. Budget your 150 minutes with that in mind, and don't exit the window to check something unless you intend to finish.

ICA itself does not require proctoring for the C1 exam, but individual employers may impose their own proctoring requirements on top of ICA's rules. If your company is sponsoring your attempt, confirm this before exam day so you're not caught off guard by an added supervision step. For the exact scoring mechanics, see ALHC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

Your Completion Timeline

Once you enroll, the clock starts. Your purchase includes the exam and one retake, and both must be completed within 180 days of enrollment. If that window closes before you've used your attempts, access expires and you'll need to repurchase the course-and-exam package to try again - there's no automatic extension.

This makes timeline planning a real part of qualifying for ALHC, not just an afterthought. If you're juggling a full claims caseload alongside study time, 180 days sounds generous until you factor in the requirement to finish all study materials before the exam even unlocks. Build in buffer time rather than enrolling and letting the window run down. See ALHC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling for how to plan around this constraint.

Who Qualifies to Pursue ALHC - and Who Hires It

There's no formal industry-experience requirement to enroll in ICA courses - the real gatekeepers are the prerequisite courses and the exams themselves. In practice, candidates are usually already working in claims-adjacent roles: claims examiners, claims analysts, medical claims reviewers, appeals specialists, and supervisors at life and health insurance carriers. Employers in this space value ALHC because it signals structured knowledge of how medical evidence, policy provisions, and claims decisions intersect - the exact territory C1 covers.

If you're evaluating whether this credential is worth the time and fee investment before you commit to prerequisites, read Is the ALHC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and ALHC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis. For a sense of the roles that list it as preferred or required, see ALHC Jobs.

Submitting External Coursework to ICA

Because the introductory courses (LOMA or AHIP) are administered outside ICA, you're responsible for submitting proof of completion directly to ICA once you finish them. This is a documentation step candidates sometimes underestimate - don't assume your LOMA or AHIP transcript automatically syncs with your ICA record.

• Keep completion certificates or transcripts from LOMA or AHIP on hand
• Submit external completion records to ICA as part of your ALHC file
• Confirm receipt before assuming you're cleared to move into C1 or subsequent ICA courses

If you're organizing your prerequisite paperwork alongside your C1 prep, our ALHC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is a useful quick-reference to keep the moving pieces straight.

Sequencing C1 Into Your Study Calendar

Because C1's exam only unlocks after you finish the study materials, your prep schedule needs to treat "complete the coursework" as its own milestone - not something to rush through to get to practice questions. A practical approach: spend the first stretch of your 180-day window purely on the assigned materials, then shift into active review and practice testing once the exam is unlocked, leaving real time before the 180-day deadline for a retake if needed.

Spacing your review sessions across weeks - rather than cramming in the final days - tends to work better for closed-book, no-reference exams like C1, simply because you can't lean on materials during the test itself. For a structured week-by-week approach built specifically around C1's content and format, see the ALHC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also sharpen exam-day timing and question familiarity using practice questions on our practice test platform before you schedule the real thing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Meeting ALHC's requirements is really a sequencing exercise: lock in your prerequisite route, submit that documentation to ICA, then work through the C1 course materials fully before the exam unlocks. Once you understand the 180-day window and the closed-book, 70%-to-pass format, the rest is execution - and practicing under realistic timed conditions on our ALHC practice test platform is one of the more direct ways to close the gap between studying and passing.