In This Issue:
- Plan Year 2017 Agent and Broker Registration and
Training is Now Live – Check out the Kick-off Message from Kevin Counihan!
- Options for Completing Plan Year 2017 FFM Agent and
Broker Registration and Training
o
The
Marketplace Learning Management System (MLMS) Platform
o
FFM
Agent and Broker Training via CMS-approved Vendors
- Plan Year 2017 Registration and Training Resources
o
What’s
New for Plan Year 2017
o
Upcoming
Webinars
o
Myths
and Facts about Plan Year 2017 Registration and Training
o
MLMS
Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Now
Available
o
New
Location for the Plan Year 2016 Agent and Broker FFM Registration Completion
List
o
Quick
Reference Guide (QRGs) on CMS Enterprise Portal User IDs
- Enhancements to FFM Agent and Broker Registration and
Training for Plan Year 2017
o
Refresher
Training Curriculum
o
No
Confirmation Codes Needed for CMS-approved Vendor Training
o
Enrollment
in Curricula
o
New
Agents and Brokers Must Complete Identity Proofing to Access Training
o
Changes
to the Plan Year 2017 Registration Completion Certificates
- Did You Know? Who to Contact with Your Registration and Training
Questions
- Follow Us on Twitter
Agent/Broker Registration for Plan Year 2017 is Now Available on the CMS Enterprise Portal
Plan Year 2017 Agent and Broker Registration and Training is Now Live – Check out the Kick-off Message from Kevin Counihan!
CMS is excited to announce FFM Agent and Broker Registration for the plan year 2017 is now live! Visit the Agents and Brokers Resources webpage for information about FFM registration and training and the important role agents and brokers play in assisting consumers in the Marketplace in a message from Kevin Counihan, CMS’ Chief Executive Officer of the Marketplace and Director of the Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO).
Options for Completing Plan Year 2017 FFM Agent and Broker Registration and Training
Plan year 2017 FFM agent and broker training will continue to be offered through both the MLMS and through CMS-approved vendors. While both training options satisfy the FFM agent and broker training requirement, if you complete training from one of the CMS-approved vendors, you may qualify for continuing education unit (CEU) credits, depending on the state or states you operate in. See the following articles for more information about these two training options.
The Marketplace
Learning Management System (MLMS) Platform
CMS is again offering FFM agent and broker training on
the MLMS platform. The training offered by CMS through the MLMS does not offer
CEU credits and is offered at no cost.
The MLMS is accessible via the “Agent Broker
Registration Status” page on the CMS
Enterprise Portal. If you plan to participate in the FFM for plan year
2017, regardless of whether you participated in past years, you need to
complete or update your agent/broker profile in the MLMS, enroll in and
complete the desired Marketplace training curriculum, pass the exams, and read
and accept the applicable Marketplace Agreement(s). As in previous years, the
SHOP Marketplace training and exam are optional, but highly recommended.
Agents and brokers who participated in the FFMs during
plan year 2016 are eligible to take a Refresher Training to complete their plan
year 2017 Individual Marketplace training requirement. See the Refresher
Training Curriculum article below for more information.
FFM Agent and Broker
Training Via CMS-approved Vendors
As in plan year 2016, you may complete the required FFM
agent and broker training through CMS-approved vendors. Completion of a
training curriculum, including the associated exams, through one of the
CMS-approved vendors will fulfill the FFM training requirement for agents and
brokers registering to participate in plan year 2017. If you choose to take
training through a CMS-approved vendor, you are required to establish a CMS
Enterprise Portal account and select the agent/broker role if you have not already
done so in a previous plan year. All CMS-approved vendors offer refresher
training for plan year 2016 agents and brokers returning to the Individual
Marketplace. As in previous years, CMS highly recommends that agents and
brokers participating in the SHOP Marketplace take the SHOP Marketplace
training, but it is not required.
There are two CMS-approved vendors offering FFM training
for agents and brokers for plan year 2017. They are:
For more information on the trainings each CMS-approved
vendor offers, please visit the Agents
and Brokers Resources webpage.
Agents and brokers who chose to complete training
through a CMS-approved vendor must access the vendor’s training via the CMS
Enterprise Portal and should not go directly to the vendor’s website to access
the training content.
Pursuant to 45 CFR 155.222, vendors are required to
offer CEU credits in a minimum of five states where the FFMs are operating. The
number of CEU credits and the states where they are available may vary by
vendor. Vendors may also charge a fee to agents and brokers who choose to take
their FFM agent and broker trainings.
If you choose to complete training through a
CMS-approved vendor, you will still need to execute the applicable Agreement(s)
and update your MLMS profile on the MLMS after completing required training and
prior to assisting consumers seeking to enroll in coverage through the
FFMs.
Plan Year 2017 Registration and Training Resources
What’s New for Plan
Year 2017
There are many exciting new changes to FFM agent and
broker registration and training for plan year 2017. You can find important
information to help you better understand the enhancements to this year’s
training in the “What’s New for Plan Year 2017” document on the Agents
and Brokers Resources webpage.
Upcoming Webinars
Plan Year 2017 FFM Registration and Training
Webinars: CMS will continue to host webinars on a recurring basis
during August to help you complete plan year 2017 registration and training.
The webinars will highlight updates to FFM policies and processes since plan
year 2016 and will include a web-chat question and answer session immediately
following the presentation. Available webinar sessions include:
·
“Plan Year 2017 FFM Registration and Refresher Training for
Agents and Brokers Returning to the FFMs.” This webinar will provide an
abbreviated review of the registration steps, and describe the new, condensed
refresher training option available to you if you completed registration for
the Individual Marketplace in plan year 2016. Webinar dates are:
o
August
3, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET
o
August
10, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET
·
“Plan Year 2017 FFM Registration and Training for Agents and
Brokers New to the FFMs.” This webinar will provide a detailed discussion of
registration steps and training requirement to assure you have the information
you need to complete registration, including some steps that returning agents
and brokers need not perform. This webinar will be presented on:
o
August
4, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET
Registration for the webinars is now open and you will
only be allowed to register for one session. To register, please log in to www.REGTAP.info.
If you have questions on the webinar registration process, visit the
"Agent and Broker Webinars” section of the Agents
and Brokers Resources webpage for more information.
Myths and Facts about
Plan Year 2017 Registration and Training
CMS has created the resource, “Myths and Facts about
Federally-facilitated Marketplace Plan Year 2017 Registration for Agents and
Brokers” to dispel some of the most common misconceptions agents and brokers
have about registration and training for plan year 2017. You should review this
document on the Agents
and Brokers Resources webpage, along with the information related to
registration training through the MLMS and CMS-approved vendors provided in
this newsletter, to make sure you are prepared!
MLMS Quick Reference
Guides (QRGs) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Now Available
The “Quick Reference Guide: Plan Year 2017 FFM
Registration for Agents and Brokers” provides a quick overview about how to
complete FFM registration for plan year 2017. In addition, the “Quick Reference
Guide: Plan Year 2017 Computer Configuration Requirements” provides
instructions for preparing your system for the functional requirements of the
MLMS. Finally, you can review the “Marketplace Learning Management System
Frequently Asked Questions,” which provides a list of common terms and their
definitions, as well as answers to some of the most common questions agents and
brokers have related to plan year 2017 registration and training. You can find
all of these resources on the Agents
and Brokers Resources webpage.
New Location for the
Plan Year 2016 Agent and Broker FFM Registration Completion List
The Agent Broker FFM Registration Completion List, which
contains National Producer Numbers (NPNs) for agents, brokers, and web-brokers
who have completed FFM registration, has a new look. In this new format, a
separate entry will appear for each plan year in which an agent, broker, or
web-broker has completed registration. (Previously, CMS maintained separate
Registration Completion Lists for each plan year.)
CMS anticipates refreshing this list every Friday by
4:00 PM ET. You can access the list via the Agents
and Brokers Resources webpage or by logging in to your CMS Enterprise
Portal account and going to the Agent
and Broker FFM Registration Status Page. You can check your registration
status by entering your NPN in the search functionality on the top right of the
dataset (see the magnifying glass icon).
To get a better idea of the new look and feel of the
list, click here.
You can also check out the FFM Registration Completion List Data Dictionary on
the Agent Broker FFM Registration Status Page. The Data Dictionary is a list of
the data fields and descriptions provided in the Registration Completion List
spreadsheet.
For additional information, you can also review the slides
from the “Agent and Broker FFM Registration and Termination Completion Lists”
webinar that CMS hosted on June 15. The webinar discussed changes CMS is making
to improve agents’ and brokers’ access to the Registration Completion List and
Registration Termination List.
Quick Reference Guide
(QRG) on CMS Enterprise Portal User IDs
To log in to the CMS
Enterprise Portal to complete registration and training, you need to have a
CMS user account. It is important, however, that users not create
multiple user accounts. Having multiple or duplicate accounts can lead
to delays, such as not being listed on the Agent and Broker FFM Registration
Completion List and/or delays in receiving credit or compensation from issuers
for FFM enrollment transactions.
You can review the “Quick
Reference Guide: Avoiding the Creation of a Duplicate CMS Enterprise Portal
Account” to find out how you can use the following self-service options:
·
Find
out if you have a CMS user account and retrieve your CMS User ID and password
·
Reset
the password to your CMS user account
Note: If you previously created a CMS
user account, but did not complete FFM registration, you can still use your
existing account and do not need to create a new one.
Enhancements to FFM Agent and Broker Registration and Training for Plan Year 2017
Refresher Training
Curriculum
For the first time, agents and brokers who participated
in the FFMs for plan year 2016 are eligible to take a streamlined refresher
training. CMS estimates returning agents and brokers will spend an estimated
two hours completing the scenario-based refresher training modules and exam, in
comparison to the approximately four hours (not including SHOP Marketplace) to
complete the full training and exams. Returning agents and brokers still have
the option to take the more comprehensive training even if you are eligible to
take the refresher training. There is no refresher training for the SHOP
Marketplace curriculum and only agreements are required in the SHOP Marketplace.
New agents and brokers who complete the full plan year
2017 FFM registration and training requirements will be eligible to take the
streamlined refresher training for returning agents and brokers in the next
year.
No Confirmation Codes
Needed for CMS-approved Vendor Training
In contrast to last year, agents and brokers who opt to
take FFM training via CMS-approved vendors do not need to enter a code in the
MLMS to verify that they have completed vendor training. Once training is
completed via your preferred CMS-approved vendor, you will be directed to log
back in to the CMS Enterprise Portal to complete registration and will receive
a confirmation email from the vendor confirming completion of the training and
how to continue with FFM registration on the MLMS.
Enrollment in
Curricula
Agents and brokers will no longer be able to enroll by
course, rather, you will enroll in curricula to avoid potential confusion about
which courses to enroll in.
New Agents and
Brokers Must Complete Identity Proofing to Access Training
Unlike in prior years, where agents and brokers could
complete identity proofing before or after completing FFM training, for plan
year 2017, identity proofing must be completed before an agent or broker is
able to access the training.
Changes to the Plan
Year 2017 Registration Completion Certificates
Registration Completion Certificates will now include
the date when the agent or broker completes the plan year 2017 FFM registration
requirement. As a reminder, you can no longer view or print your 2016 FFM
Registration Completion Certificates as of July 15.
Did You Know?
There are a number of Help Desks to assist you if you have questions about registration, training, or other topics.
- Agent and Broker Call
Center:
Contact the Agent and Broker Call Center by calling 1-855-CMS-1515
(855-267-1515) and selecting option “1.” This Call Center is available
Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM ET. The Agent and Broker Call
Center does not have access to consumer information and is not able to
handle specific questions or issues with a consumer’s application. Please
continue to call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 for
assistance related to enrolling consumers in coverage through the
Individual Marketplaces.
- FFM Producer and
Assister Help Desk: Contact the FFM Producer and Assister Help Desk at FFMProducer-AssisterHelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov
for questions about agent or broker participation in the FFMs (including
general registration and training questions not related to a specific
training platform, even if they are SHOP Marketplace-related), identity
proofing/Experian issues requiring manual verifications, policy questions,
questions pertaining to the FFM agents and brokers program, or to
subscribe to this newsletter.
- Marketplace Call Center: For questions/comments
about FFM application and enrollment, contact 1-800-318-2596 (TTY:
1-855-889-4325). This Call Center is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a
day.
- Exchange Operations
Support Center (XOSC): Contact the XOSC at 1-855-CMS-1515 (855-267-1515)
or CMS_FEPS@cms.hhs.gov for
questions about password resets and account lockouts on the CMS Enterprise
Portal; HealthCare.gov website issues; or other CMS Enterprise Portal
account issues, requests, or error messages. This Help Desk is available
Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM ET.
- MLMS Help Desk: For technical or
system-specific issues related to the MLMS, user-specific questions about
maneuvering the learning management system site, or accessing CMS training
and exams on the MLMS, contact MLMSHelpDesk@CMS.HHS.gov.
- SHOP Call Center: For inquiries related
to the SHOP Marketplace Agent/Broker Portal or coverage through the SHOP
Marketplace, contact the SHOP Call Center at 1-800-706-7893 (TTY: 711)
Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM ET.
- Web-broker Help Desk: For questions about
web-broker participation in the FFMs, contact Webbroker@cms.hhs.gov.
- AHIP: If you require
assistance with AHIP’s training option, contact the AHIP Help Desk at 800‑984-8919.
The Help Desk operators are available by phone from 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Eastern Time (ET), Monday through Friday and from 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM ET,
Saturday and Sunday. You may also contact the AHIP Help Desk via email at support@ahipinsuranceeducation.org.
- NAHU: If you require
assistance with NAHU’s training option, you may contact the NAHU Help Desk
at 844-257-0990. The Help Desk operators are available by phone from 9:00
AM – 6:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday. You may also contact the NAHU Help
Desk via email at nahu-ffm@nahu.org.
Follow Us on Twitter
You can find important information and updates by following the CMS and HealthCare.gov Twitter handles (@CMSGov and @HealthCareGov) or by searching for the hashtags #ABFFM or #ABFFSHOP on Twitter.
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