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Federal regulators have blocked two private sector enrollment websites from accessing consumer information through the federal Obamacare marketplace, citing “anomalous activity.”
The unusual step comes as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is under the gun to curb unauthorized enrollment and switching of Affordable Care Act plans by rogue agents. The agency received more than 200,000 complaints in the first six months of the year about such actions.
CMS said in a written statement that it had suspended the two sites — Benefitalign and Inshura — “while the anomalous activity is researched to ensure the EDE partners are in compliance with CMS data standards.” EDE stands for “enhanced direct enrollment” and refers to websites approved to integrate with healthcare.gov.
In a separate development, the two websites, which insurance brokers use instead of the federal healthcare.gov site to enroll clients in Affordable Care Act plans, are mentioned in an ongoing civil lawsuit filed by attorneys representing consumers and agents who claim they’ve been harmed by enrollment schemes.
CMS posted on Aug. 9 an updated list of websites approved to integrate with the federal Obamacare marketplace that no longer included Benefitalign and Insura. As a result, insurance agents can’t use the websites to enroll customers in or make changes to their Obamacare plans.
Private sector enrollment sites were first allowed to integrate with healthcare.gov data under the Trump administration. About a dozen such sites are now approved to connect with the federal system.
Thwarting enrollment schemes and rogue insurance agents without making it too difficult for consumers and legitimate agents to enroll in health plans has become a political problem for the Biden administration. President Joe Biden has claimed record-breaking enrollment under the ACA as one of his administration’s major accomplishments.
In recent weeks, lawmakers have called on CMS to do more and introduced legislation to increase penalties for agents who enroll people in plans without authorization. The large number of complaints from victims of the schemes have caught the attention of House Republicans, who on June 28 requested investigations by the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.
[EXTERNAL LINK] - Biden Administration Blocks Two Private Sector Enrollment Sites From ACA Marketplace - KFF Health News
The unusual step comes as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is under the gun to curb unauthorized enrollment and switching of Affordable Care Act plans by rogue agents. The agency received more than 200,000 complaints in the first six months of the year about such actions.
CMS said in a written statement that it had suspended the two sites — Benefitalign and Inshura — “while the anomalous activity is researched to ensure the EDE partners are in compliance with CMS data standards.” EDE stands for “enhanced direct enrollment” and refers to websites approved to integrate with healthcare.gov.
In a separate development, the two websites, which insurance brokers use instead of the federal healthcare.gov site to enroll clients in Affordable Care Act plans, are mentioned in an ongoing civil lawsuit filed by attorneys representing consumers and agents who claim they’ve been harmed by enrollment schemes.
CMS posted on Aug. 9 an updated list of websites approved to integrate with the federal Obamacare marketplace that no longer included Benefitalign and Insura. As a result, insurance agents can’t use the websites to enroll customers in or make changes to their Obamacare plans.
Private sector enrollment sites were first allowed to integrate with healthcare.gov data under the Trump administration. About a dozen such sites are now approved to connect with the federal system.
Thwarting enrollment schemes and rogue insurance agents without making it too difficult for consumers and legitimate agents to enroll in health plans has become a political problem for the Biden administration. President Joe Biden has claimed record-breaking enrollment under the ACA as one of his administration’s major accomplishments.
In recent weeks, lawmakers have called on CMS to do more and introduced legislation to increase penalties for agents who enroll people in plans without authorization. The large number of complaints from victims of the schemes have caught the attention of House Republicans, who on June 28 requested investigations by the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.
[EXTERNAL LINK] - Biden Administration Blocks Two Private Sector Enrollment Sites From ACA Marketplace - KFF Health News
