The redirect link to hc.gov (Double Redirect or “DRD”) will no longer be available after November 1st, 2025.
This change is a requirement from CMS, and all Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) partners, including HealthSherpa, must comply. CMS is prioritizing investment in EDE, which offers better technology, program integrity, and ongoing improvements not available in the Double Redirect pathway.
Learn about this change and how to increase efficiency using the EDE pathway with these educational materials. You may also be interested in registering for an upcoming training webinar, which will be held in Spanish.
Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) allows HealthSherpa to fully integrate with Healthcare.gov so you can do everything entirely on HealthSherpa, for free.
In this article we cover:
EDE enrollment experience
Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) basics
Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) is a CMS-approved technology that allows a secure backend integration into HealthCare.gov. HealthSherpa was the first to partner with CMS to implement EDE for agents.
Using HealthSherpa's free EDE integration, you are able to do everything directly on HealthSherpa, instead of needing to go to HealthCare.gov.
Benefits of HealthSherpa's EDE
With HealthSherpa, you have the leading-edge technology you need to maximize your Marketplace experience.
Examples of things you can do directly on HealthSherpa include:
Get a quote & shop for plans
Complete & edit subsidy applications using a faster experience
Obtain updated subsidy eligibility results
Submit enrollments and renewals
Identify and manage follow-ups in real-time
Upload documents
View current application statuses
Make binder payments
Report Life Changes
View & download documents such as eligibility results, 1095-A tax forms, and insufficient documentation notifications
Leverage reporting capabilities
Increase effectuation rate with post enrollment tools
Plus more!
To access all the benefits of HealthSherpa's EDE, you will need to get approved.
Getting EDE approved
To enable HealthSherpa's free EDE within your account, complete the steps below to get EDE approved.
Integrate your CMS FFM Account with your HealthSherpa for Agents account. EDE is not an option for agents who have not integrated their account. For full details on integrating your accounts, visit our FFM Account Integration FAQ.
When you log into your dashboard, you will see a “Enable EDE” button in the top - please click on this to begin the ID proofing process.
This will take you to a page to verify your identity - you will enter your contact information here and then click "Continue".
This will then pull up the ID proofing questions based on personal credit history through CMS' partner, Experian. Please note: These questions are pulled from your personal information, so please answer with your own information (not information about your business)
Upon successful ID proofing, you will be taken back to your dashboard and the 'Enable EDE' button in the top of your dashboard will be gone. You now have access to EDE!
EDE enrollment experience
Once you have enabled EDE within your account you will have the ability to assist consumers with enrollments.
With consumer consent, you may search for a consumer's existing subsidy application by keying in their information, checking the box indicating you have received consent to work on the consumer's behalf, and selecting the "Search the Marketplace" button.
With HealthSherpa, agents can use Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) to process the full subsidy application, without the client needing to log into HealthCare.gov.
HealthSherpa will sync with the Marketplace to retrieve the final eligibility results -this may take a few seconds.
Once the results are ready, if eligible, you’ll then move to plan shopping.
Plan results can be filtered to ensure you're finding the strongest plan to meet your client's needs.
From the plan results page, if needed you can also save your consumer’s information as a lead and come back to finalize later.
Once a plan is confirmed, your enrollment submission is complete. After submission, comes the important step of effectuating the policy.
HealthSherpa offers post-enrollment tools for agents to manage and service clients after initial enrollment to help effectuate clients. Watch a recording of one of our recent webinars to learn more.
Frequently asked questions
What if I see the 'Enable EDE' button reappear at a later date?
Once you have enabled EDE, if you ever notice the ‘Enable EDE’ button reappear, simply repeat these steps and enable EDE. EDE connectivity can be severed by a variety of things including:
loss of application permission (eg. permission was lost or expired)
loss of FFM certification
loss of EDE connectivity (eg. through a CMS password expiration)
What do I do if I am not FFM certified, but sell in one of the HealthSherpa supported ACA state-based marketplaces?
If you are not FFM certified, but are certified to sell within one of the supported ACA state-based marketplace (e.g. Georgia), you will need to reach out to Agent Support. Agent Support will be able to manually complete identity verification so that you may proceed.
Additional Resources
Have questions? Contact our Agent Support Team at (888) 684-1373 or agent_support@healthsherpa.com.
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Keywords: ID proof, ID proofing, identity, EDE, Enable