Healthcare.gov Marketplace Status for 2016

[AllenChicago]

October 7, 2015

Healthcare.gov "enhancements" will give shoppers more customization options, thereby confusing them even more. The need for experienced health insurance broker advice, and assistance, will be very critical for 2016 enrollees.

News Release: Customer-friendly upgrades for gov't health insurance site - US News

-ac

 

[Tkruger]

Love the TIP!

(Tip: The system may not be perfect when they flip the switch. Call doctors and insurers to verify provider and hospital listings. And make sure to enter the correct name of any medications. For example, if it's a generic drug, enter the generic name.)

Gee ya think?

 

[AllenChicago]

Shopper: Hello Healthcare.gov. I take Phenepropenol, poop my pants, and see doctor SnarlAss DeBumba. What plan is best for me, oh wise one?

HC.gov: Sorry an unknown error has occurred! Come back another day..please?

 

[Norwayguy]

Shopper: Hello Healthcare.gov. I take Phenepropenol, poop my pants, and see doctor SnarlAss DeBumba. What plan is best for me, oh wise one?

HC.gov: Sorry an unknown error has occurred! Come back another day..please?

It's a feature not an error.

 

[AllenChicago]

It's a feature not an error.

October 9, 2015

"HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan said in a blog post that Healthcare.gov will have a new 'privacy manager' that lets consumers opt out of embedded connections to third-party advertising, analytics and social media sites."

I wonder if these new Privacy Settings will also limit access to 3rd party sites...like links to doctor lookups, SOBs, etc..?

US boosts privacy protection on health insurance website - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

 

[AllenChicago]

November 3, 2015

The Medical Provider Lookup Tool went Beta-live at healthcare.gov today.

Story: HealthCare.gov testing whether consumers will use physician search feature | Healthcare Dive

I tested it briefly. Out of 5 lookups, 3 matched what the carrier website said. There's a link on each quote image for you to click on, and report errors.

 

[AllenChicago]

November 10, 2015

I received an e-mail from an agency stating that Brokers can now login directly to Healthcare.gov and submit 2016 applications on behalf of prospects/clients. They allow unlimited submits for only $30 a month. Even showed a couple of screen-shots. Looks like a great time saver, as it bypasses the usual e-mail and identity verifications steps.

I've seen this "Start an Application" option after logging into HealthCare.gov through the broker portal via a WBE, but never thought much of it.

Have any of you used this new Healthcare.gov feature? Can we get to it directly, without going through an agency, WBE, or carrier?

 

[Ann H]

November 10, 2015

I received an e-mail from an agency stating that Brokers can now login directly to Healthcare.gov and submit 2016 applications on behalf of prospects/clients. They allow unlimited submits for only $30 a month. Even showed a couple of screen-shots. Looks like a great time saver, as it bypasses the usual e-mail and identity verifications steps.

I've seen this "Start an Application" option after logging into HealthCare.gov through the broker portal via a WBE, but never thought much of it.

Have any of you used this new Healthcare.gov feature? Can we get to it directly, without going through an agency, WBE, or carrier?

In the last two years, if you started an application at healthcare.gov by using a WBE's access button to log in, it would transfer you back to the source (the WBE) to pick a plan. And, of course, you can't because you didn't use the WBE to start the application.

 

[Tkruger]

November 10, 2015

I received an e-mail from an agency stating that Brokers can now login directly to Healthcare.gov and submit 2016 applications on behalf of prospects/clients. They allow unlimited submits for only $30 a month. Even showed a couple of screen-shots. Looks like a great time saver, as it bypasses the usual e-mail and identity verifications steps.

I've seen this "Start an Application" option after logging into HealthCare.gov through the broker portal via a WBE, but never thought much of it.

Have any of you used this new Healthcare.gov feature? Can we get to it directly, without going through an agency, WBE, or carrier?

I just checked this out and it doesn't look like something worth pursuing...at least not until the site is fully functional.

Final premium after tax credit doesn't populate amongst other issues.

 

[Sherota1]

November 10, 2015

I received an e-mail from an agency stating that Brokers can now login directly to Healthcare.gov and submit 2016 applications on behalf of prospects/clients. They allow unlimited submits for only $30 a month. Even showed a couple of screen-shots. Looks like a great time saver, as it bypasses the usual e-mail and identity verifications steps.

I've seen this "Start an Application" option after logging into HealthCare.gov through the broker portal via a WBE, but never thought much of it.

Have any of you used this new Healthcare.gov feature? Can we get to it directly, without going through an agency, WBE, or carrier?

I also saw the new instructions yesterday through the Marketplace access on a WBE site.

This "maybe" new option would only be worth it if it gives the agents a list of their clients that's tied to HC.gov. It automatically authorizes us as the broker eliminating three way calls and allows us to have our own account with full access to our clients information using our own user name and password. As well as what was mentioned above. No ID verification.Without these features it would not be worth it to me. This is the set up we have in Maryland. It is not as fast as the WBE systems but once the client is linked to your account the renewals have been really fast.

Optional tools but for me necessary are access to all of the same search features that the CSR's have. The SSN only lookup tool, and the Application# only lookup tool.