Question: I read today CoveredCa will not partner with for profit web base brokers. Dose this mean they will not certify them or allow them to place business through the exchange?
Answer: No, any licensed agent who completes the required training and passes the certification test can be certified to place business through Covered California. Only individual agents can be certified - not business entities or agencies. The fact that an agent operates a web-based business does not affect his or her eligibility for certification. Covered California has decided to delay, for at least the initial open enrollment period, the electronic interface that would allow web-based agents to connect to the exchange with full functionality. Such functionality would allow an applicant to complete the entire application and enrollment process without leaving the web-based agent’s web site. Federally facilitated exchanges (33 states) plan to provide this interface this year.
Does that mean we would have to take a paper application? How would we use the subsidy calculators? How do we even show the comparisons, key in the information, and not be able to enroll there? Covered CA had a webinar showing what their site will look like with all the tools and it is excellent and well designed. If the agent isn’t mentioned how will we get people back from that site to do a paper application?