STATEMENT FROM GORMAN HEALTH GROUP REGARDING THE FINAL GUIDANCE FOR THE ROLE OF AGENTS, BROKERS AND WEB-BROKERS IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACES:
Washington, DC. May 1, 2013-“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just released final guidance for the role of agents, brokers and web-brokers in health insurance marketplaces,” said Executive Chairman John Gorman. “We are grateful to CMS for getting this guidance out on the street as quickly and thoughtfully as they did. With the huge cut in Navigator funding, the reality is agents and brokers will be driving the vast majority of enrollment in more than two dozen states.”
“In the guidance, CMS clarifies that every agent, broker and web-broker must complete the core training provided by CMS. Upon completion, each agent, broker and web-broker will receive a certificate and User ID from CMS, enabling them to sell in each Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM). Every issuer must complete license checks and appointments, as well as validate Marketplace training before an agent can sell their products.”
“The business imperative for issuers in the new health insurance marketplaces is that they go beyond this regulation and ensure their agents complete plan-specific training, which will diminish consumer confusion and make enrollments stick. Year one of health reform will be a land-grab with an estimated 7 million people entering the Marketplaces. The competitive edge will go to the plans with the best trained agents. The beneficiaries of health reform are chronically ill, long-term uninsured, and are all over the map in health literacy -- and we’re about to inundate them with some very complex choices. What we’ve seen in Medicare is that without plan specific training, millions of consumers will be confused or misled about their choices.”
“Gorman Health Group has been assisting health plan issuers conduct product-specific training, complete agent license checks and appointments, as well as maintain compliant oversight over their sales forces since the inception of Medicare Part D,” said President & CEO Jeff Fox. “GHG built Sales Sentinel™ as a complete agent onboarding and oversight tool and today we train 30 thousand agents each year. Health plans currently building their sales force in preparation for the launch of the FFM must ensure they’re positioned to make the most of the opportunity and minimize current and future compliance risks.”
About Gorman Health Group | www.gormanhealthgroup.com
Gorman Health Group is a national health care professional services and software company staffed by subject-matter experts, former health plan executives and seasoned regulators. For over 16 years, hundreds of clients serving millions of beneficiaries have leveraged the strategic counsel and technology solutions of GHG to maintain compliant operations, improve market position, and advance growth objectives. Learn more at gormanhealthgroup.com.
Kristina D’Ambrosio
Associate Director of Marketing
Gorman Health Group
202.315.4477
kdambrosio@gormanhealthgroup.com
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