HealthCare.gov Managers Announce Producer Portal

[Duaine]

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is adding a Web portal for the agents and brokers who help small employers sign up for coverage through HealthCare.gov, an HHS official says.

The Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) division at the HHS-run exchanges will also give small employers new Web features, according to Rhett Buttle. An employer can use the tools to set up a SHOP account, complete an eligibility application, obtain an eligibility determination, and upload an employee roster.

An employer will also be able to use a HealthCare.gov feature to assign an agent or broker to a SHOP account, Buttle says.

Buttle, director of private sector engagement at HHS, announced the site changes in a blog entry.

HHS supervises the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in all states and runs the PPACA exchanges in some. The new SHOP features will serve employers in the states in which HHS handles SHOP enrollment.

HHS plans to start by making the features available in Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Missouri in late October, Buttle says. The 2015 SHOP plan open enrollment period is supposed to start Nov. 15, 2014, and end Feb. 15, 2015. HHS hopes to make the new tools available to employers in all states with HHS-run SHOP exchanges in November, Buttle says.

SHOP plans are available in most of the country this year, but few SHOP enrollment websites work, and ordinary SHOP enrollment is believed to be low. HHS has not given SHOP enrollment figures in PPACA exchange enrollment reports. In March, Kathleen Sebelius, the former HHS secretary, testified at a House hearing on the program. She declined to give any details about SHOP enrollment or SHOP feature development.

HealthCare.gov managers announce producer portal | LifeHealthPro

 

[Ann H]

They should do this for non-group plans for individuals and families. As the last paragraph of the article said, "...few SHOP enrollment websites work, and ordinary SHOP enrollment is believed to be low." In the meantime, broker involvement in IFP enrollment is high, and a producer portal would be of extreme value.

 

[kgmom219]

Has anyone actually written a SHOP plan?

I got close, but they decided to stay direct with the carrier. Thank goodness!

Oh....and Ann is correct as usual. We need a producer portal for Indy.

 

[cadylou]

They should do this for non-group plans for individuals and families. As the last paragraph of the article said, "...few SHOP enrollment websites work, and ordinary SHOP enrollment is believed to be low." In the meantime, broker involvement in IFP enrollment is high, and a producer portal would be of extreme value.

Oh, you mean they should develop something of value??

SHOP is a non-starter in my market so far. Only 2 plans on it, and the amount of information that is required to apply scares many of my small businesses. I've been told they'd rather forgo the tax credit just to stay out of it.

The only reason they'd develop producer/agent tools for SHOP would be via pressure from the insurance companies who don't want to have to service that stuff directly. In the individual market, they don't care since the sentiment seems to be that once people get used to it & the Healthcare.gov site works - people will just buy direct without the agent. After all, CMS runs the Federal marketplace & they don't value agents when it comes to Part D. We get paid nothing, for something that is the major expense for most of my seniors & takes the most amount of analysis during the enrollment period. Call me cynical, but if CMS is involved, they will attempt to streamline the federal marketplace to look a lot like Medicare.gov & also begin to impose arduous marketing rules on the agent. I hope I'm wrong on that . . . .we'll see . . . .

 

[Yagents]

Call me cynical, but if CMS is involved, they will attempt to streamline the federal marketplace to look a lot like Medicare.gov & also begin to impose arduous marketing rules on the agent. I hope I'm wrong on that . . . .we'll see . . . .

So spot ON !!

Anyone ever try out the "find local help" page at HC.gov??
Do you think most consumers can figure out how to actually include agents in the search results. Not only do they not automatically list us, they make a button that is too confusing for most consumers to figure out.

https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/

 

[AllenChicago]

I made the mistake of adding myself to the state of Illinois portal at the invitation of GetCoveredIllinois.org.. Everyone who called me wanted assistance enrolling in Medicaid. I gave them the phone number to the IL Medicaid hotline and wished them look.

 

[houcoogster]

I made the mistake of adding myself to the state of Illinois portal at the invitation of GetCoveredIllinois.org.. Everyone who called me wanted assistance enrolling in Medicaid. I gave them the phone number to the IL Medicaid hotline and wished them look.

lol.............................Going for the low hanging fruit will get you everytime!

In fairness...even I would've fell for that. Too tempting.

 

[AllenChicago]

lol.............................Going for the low hanging fruit will get you everytime!

In fairness...even I would've fell for that. Too tempting.

I wouldn't mind helping people enroll in Medicaid if the state paid $100 per application, like they did for I-CHIP before it was terminated. But since Medicaid people who enrolled in March are just now getting their "Your Medicaid Application has been received" letters, IL Medicaid probably doesn't want any more applicants this year.
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