Plan year 2016 Open Enrollment through the Federally-facilitated
Marketplace (FFM) is underway. Agents and brokers must complete plan year 2016
FFM registration requirements prior to assisting consumers with enrollment in
coverage through the FFM. If you completed plan year 2016 FFM registration by
November 18, 2015, you should review the Agent and Broker FFM Registration
Completion List for Plan Year 2016 on the Agents and Brokers Resources webpage to
confirm that your National Producer Number (NPN) is included. You can search
NPNs by clicking the arrow in cell A1, or by using the “Ctrl + F” (or “Command
+ F”) keystroke. If you completed registration after November 18, 2015, please
check back soon.
If you have not yet completed plan year 2016 FFM registration
and training, there are multiple training options available to you via the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Enterprise Portal at https://portal.cms.gov/:
· CMS-approved
Vendor Training Option: New for plan year 2016, you may complete the
required FFM agent and broker training through one of three CMS-approved
vendors: America’s Health Insurance Plans, Inc., Gorman Health Group, and the National Association of Health Underwriters.
Vendors charge a fee for taking their training and, pursuant to 45 CFR §
155.222, are required to offer continuing education unit (CEU) credits in a
minimum of five states where the FFM is operating. The number of CEUs and the
states where they are available vary by vendor. All training through
CMS-approved vendors is accessed via the CMS Enterprise Portal at https://portal.cms.gov/. For assistance
completing FFM registration after completing training with a CMS-approved
vendor, you can watch this brief video on completing FFM registration after completing
training with a third-party vendor.
· MLMS
Training Option: In addition to the vendor training option, CMS also offers
plan year 2016 FFM agent and broker training, as it has done for the past two
years. The training offered by CMS through the Marketplace Learning Management System
(MLMS) does not offer CEU credits and is offered at no cost.
· Spanish-language
Version of MLMS Training: A Spanish-language version of the CMS-developed
plan year 2016 FFM training for agents and brokers is also available through
the MLMS.
As always, CMS appreciates your participation in assisting
consumers enroll and/or re-enroll in coverage through the FFM. If you have
questions pertaining to the FFM agent and broker program, including the FFM
registration requirements, please contact the FFM Producer and Assister Help
Desk via email at FFMProducer-AssisterHelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov. You
may also contact the Agent and Broker Call Center by calling 1-855-CMS-1515
(855-267-1515) and selecting option “1.” Call center representatives are
available Monday through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time (ET).
Please note that this call center will not have access to consumer information
and will not be able to handle specific questions or issues with a consumer’s
application. Agents and brokers should continue to call the Marketplace Call
Center at 1-800-318-2596 for assistance related to enrolling consumers
in coverage through the Individual Marketplace. For assistance related to coverage
through the Small Business Health Options (SHOP) Marketplace, please contact
the SHOP Call Center at 1-800-706-7893.
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