- ALHC is a six-course designation from the International Claim Association (ICA), not a single test.
- This site focuses on ICA C1, Medical Aspects of Claims, delivered online by McCann Associates via Adaptera.
- The C1 exam has 75 multiple-choice questions, a 150-minute limit, and a 70% passing requirement.
- Enrollment costs $325 for ICA members or $550 for nonmembers and includes one retake within 180 days.
What Is a ALHC?
ALHC stands for Associate, Life and Health Claims, a professional designation awarded by the International Claim Association (ICA) to claims professionals in the life, health, and disability insurance industry. It is not a single certification exam you sit for once and walk away with a credential - it is a structured curriculum made up of six separate courses, each with its own exam, that together demonstrate mastery of the technical, medical, and procedural knowledge required to adjudicate life and health claims correctly.
If you have landed here because a job posting, a manager, or a professional development plan mentioned "ALHC," it's worth understanding upfront that the letters ALHC are used by more than one credentialing body in the broader insurance world. This site and this article are specifically about the ICA's Associate, Life and Health Claims designation - the one built around courses labeled C1 through C4, plus two prerequisite courses. If you want the plain-language breakdown of the acronym itself, see our companion pieces on ALHC meaning and what ALHC stands for.
The Six-Course Path to the ALHC Designation
Earning the ALHC designation means completing six total pieces of coursework, split into two categories:
- Two introductory courses, satisfied through one of two approved routes: LOMA 280 or 281 paired with LOMA 290 or 291, or AHIP Parts A and B.
- Four ICA courses, labeled C1 through C4, which cover the claims-specific curriculum built by the International Claim Association.
Because the introductory courses are administered by LOMA or AHIP rather than by ICA directly, candidates who complete them elsewhere need to submit external completion records to ICA so the credits count toward the designation. This two-track structure trips people up more than the exams themselves do - if you're unsure which combination applies to your situation, our detailed breakdown of ALHC requirements walks through eligibility and prerequisite mapping in full.
Key Takeaway
Don't assume "ALHC exam" means one test. Budget time and money for six discrete pieces of coursework: two intro courses (LOMA or AHIP) plus ICA's C1, C2, C3, and C4.
Inside C1: Medical Aspects of Claims
Of the four ICA courses, C1 - Medical Aspects of Claims - is the one covered in depth on this site, and it's typically the course claims professionals tackle first because it establishes the clinical literacy that later ICA coursework builds on. C1 is designed to give claims examiners, adjusters, and analysts enough grounding in anatomy, medical terminology, disease processes, and treatment patterns to read a medical record critically rather than take it at face value.
What C1 Candidates Are Expected to Master
C1's content is built around interpreting medical documentation the way a claims professional actually encounters it - attending physician statements, hospital records, diagnostic codes, and treatment histories - and using that interpretation to inform claim decisions.
- Medical terminology and anatomical systems as they appear in claim files
- Common disease processes and how they progress, which affects claim duration and prognosis
- How to evaluate attending physician statements and supporting clinical evidence
- Recognizing red flags in documentation that warrant further medical review
Because C1 sits at the intersection of clinical knowledge and claims judgment, it rewards candidates who can connect a medical fact to its practical impact on a claim decision - not just memorize definitions. For a full content-area breakdown of what's tested and how heavily, see the ALHC Exam Domains 2026 guide.
How the C1 Exam Actually Works
The C1 course and exam package is delivered entirely online. McCann Associates administers the course content and testing through the Adaptera platform, and the mechanics are straightforward but unforgiving of shortcuts:
| Exam Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Question format | 75 multiple-choice questions |
| Time limit | 150 minutes |
| Passing requirement | 70% |
| Reference materials | Closed book - no outside references or computer assistance |
| Access window | Exam and one retake, both within 180 days of enrollment |
| Proctoring | Not required by ICA, though some employers require it |
A few operational details matter more than they might seem at first glance. First, the exam does not unlock until you've completed the study materials in the course - you can't skip ahead and attempt the test cold. Second, the exam is closed book: no notes, no outside reference materials, and no computer assistance during the test itself. Third, exiting the exam submits it for scoring, so there's no "save and resume" safety net once you've started. Plan for an uninterrupted 150-minute block.
For a deeper dive into exactly what scoring at 70% requires in practice, read our ALHC Passing Score guide, and if you want a broader sense of how the format compares to other insurance credentialing exams, How Hard Is the ALHC Exam? covers that comparison in detail.
Registration, Fees, and Deadlines
C1 is purchased as a course-and-exam package rather than as separate line items. Pricing depends on ICA membership status:
- ICA member price: $325
- Nonmember price: $550
That single fee covers the online course materials, the exam itself, and one retake attempt - all usable within a 180-day window from purchase. Because the clock starts at enrollment rather than at your first study session, it's worth registering only once you're genuinely ready to begin working through the material, not months in advance "just to lock in the price." A full accounting of what the entire six-course ALHC path costs - not just C1 - is broken down in our ALHC Certification Cost guide.
Since C1's registration runs on a rolling window tied to your personal purchase date rather than fixed testing dates, there's no seasonal registration deadline to track the way there might be for a paper-based exam. Still, if you're coordinating C1 alongside other ICA courses or your organization's training calendar, our ALHC Exam Dates guide explains how to sequence coursework sensibly.
Who Pursues the ALHC and Who Hires For It
The ALHC designation is aimed squarely at people who work inside the claims function of life, health, and disability insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and reinsurers - not agents, underwriters, or actuaries. Typical candidates include:
- Claims examiners and analysts responsible for evaluating and paying life, health, or disability claims
- Claims supervisors and team leads who need a shared technical vocabulary with their staff
- Medical claims reviewers who work closely with attending physician statements and clinical records
- Compliance and quality-review staff auditing claim decisions for accuracy
Because C1 specifically builds medical literacy, professionals whose day-to-day work involves reading clinical documentation - rather than pure policy or contract interpretation - tend to see the most direct, immediate application of the coursework. If you're weighing whether the time and cost are justified for your career stage, our ROI analysis and salary guide both dig into how the designation tends to factor into claims career trajectories.
Key Takeaway
ALHC (and specifically C1) is built for claims-side insurance professionals who regularly interpret medical documentation - it is not a generic insurance credential for sales or underwriting roles.
Preparing for the C1 Exam
Because the exam is closed book and unlocks only after you finish the study materials, your prep strategy should be built around the course content itself rather than outside references you won't be able to use on test day. A simple way to structure the weeks leading up to your attempt:
Work through the core medical terminology and anatomy sections
- Build a personal glossary of terms as you encounter them in the course material
- Connect each body system to the type of claim it typically generates
Focus on disease processes and documentation interpretation
- Practice reading sample attending physician statements critically
- Note how disease progression affects claim duration and prognosis judgments
Consolidate and simulate exam conditions
- Review weaker sections identified during study
- Time yourself on practice questions to build comfort with the 150-minute closed-book format
Since you only get one retake within a 180-day window, treat your first attempt as the one that counts. Our ALHC Study Guide 2026 expands on pacing and review techniques in more depth, and running timed practice questions on our practice test platform is one of the most direct ways to get comfortable with the multiple-choice format before the real thing. You can also use practice exams here to gauge readiness against the 70% passing bar before you burn your official attempt.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Associate, Life and Health Claims is a six-course designation - two introductory courses (LOMA or AHIP) plus ICA courses C1 through C4. C1, Medical Aspects of Claims, is the course covered in detail on this site.
McCann Associates delivers the online course and exam through the Adaptera platform on behalf of the International Claim Association (ICA), which grants the ALHC designation.
ICA does not require proctoring for the C1 exam, though individual employers may impose their own proctoring requirement, so check with your organization before scheduling.
Your C1 enrollment includes one retake, and both the original exam and the retake must be completed within 180 days of purchase. If that window lapses, you'll need to repurchase access.
No. The C1 exam is closed book with no outside reference materials or computer assistance permitted, and exiting the exam automatically submits it for scoring.
For the complete list of related terminology and quick-reference facts, our What Is ALHC? and ALHC Cheat Sheet 2026 pages are good next stops, and if you're still deciding whether to enroll, the ALHC Certification overview ties all of these pieces together.