November 3rd, 2022
Agents can extend their FFM account integration
In order to submit applications and resolve data matching issues (DMIs) via EDE, HealthSherpa is required, per CMS, to have agents and brokers integrate their FFM account. To make this integration process easier, we've added the ability to extend a user's integration.
To extend your account integration, navigate to your settings tab, scroll to the FFM Account Integration section, and click "Extend my integration now" as shown below.
November 1st, 2022
New: Off-exchange dental plans
HealthSherpa now includes off-exchange dental plans (ie, non-qualified dental plans or NQD) in the HealthSherpa Marketplace. Agents will be able to shop for and sell off-exchange dental plans alongside health plans in a subset of states.
To quote for off-exchange dental plans, agents will select "quote off-ex dental" from the quote dropdown on their main dashboard.
November 1st, 2022
Updated application incorporates the "family glitch" fix
HealthSherpa has updated its application to account for the family glitch fix.
When applying for a client who is offered employer-sponsored coverage, be sure to have the employee-only and the family cost of coverage available to ensure you can get an accurate subsidy determination. You will need that information to enter into the Employer Sponsored Coverage section of the user flow as seen below:
November 1st, 2022
New: Easy pricing (ie, standard) plans
Users can now filter for standard plans by applying an additional filter called 'easy pricing.'
Easy pricing plans are new and require the consumers to only pay copays for select services, even before they've met their deductible. These services include:
Doctor and specialist visits (plus mental health)
Urgent care
Generic drugs and most preferred drugs
Physical, speech, and occupational therapy
October 19th, 2022
Improvement: Printer friendly PDF for plan comparison
When agents print a plan comparison summary, they'll now generate a more streamlined PDF to share with their clients.
Here's an example of the new PDF format:
September 1, 2022
New: CMS IDM-Okta user authentication
CMS requires all Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) partners, including HealthSherpa, to two-factor authentication for agents and brokers. Agents and brokers will not be able to use their HealthSherpa account (or any other account with an EDE partner) without this authentication.
To ensure your HealthSherpa account is integrated with CMS, click into your Settings, and click the “Integrate My FFM Account” button. If you see a red icon and “Disabled” you have not integrated your account. Click “Integrate My FFM Account”.
This will launch the CMS Okta Identity Management portal in a new window. Log in using your FFM username and password to authenticate and link your HealthSherpa account.
Once the account is integrated, the agent will see a green check mark noting your successful account integration.
So long as your account remains active, you will not have to go through this authentication process again. If you do not log in for 30 days, you will be prompted to go back into your Settings and authenticate again.
June 22, 2022
New: Archive contacts in bulk
From either the ‘Clients’ or ‘Leads’ tab, agents now have the option to select several contacts and archive them.
Simply select the checkmark next to at least one contact’s name and press the ‘Archive’ button as shown below. A popup will appear to confirm that the selected contacts should be archived.
This feature can also be used to unarchive multiple contacts. Learn more about archived Clients and Leads here.
June 15th, 2022
New: Agency DMI exports
To assist Agencies with DMI resolutions, HealthSherpa has launched a new export that reports Agency-level DMI statuses. This new feature should be especially helpful for Agencies who have internal teams dedicated to DMI resolution.
This new Agency Admin report will pull DMIs with a due date from the past two months to anytime in the future. For all DMIs within that timeframe, the export includes the following information
Agent name
Client FFM app id
DMI type
DMI status
DMI Due date
URL Link to Client Details Page
Agency admins can pull this export by clicking on the ‘Export’ button above the table in the ‘Clients’ tab. After the following popup appears, press the 'Export DMIs' button.
Additionally, all Agency Admins can automatically receive this export in a weekly email if they are opted into receiving them from the ‘Settings’ tab.
June 6, 2022
Improvement: Error Details on ‘Oops!’ Page
When agents encounter an error, they will now see details about what occurred on the ‘Oops!’ page. These error explanations will be visible for agents who are certified, ID proofed, licensed, and have EDE enabled.
Whenever possible, the error will include the following:
Code or other identifier for technical follow-up
Easy to understand explanation
Recovery actions and troubleshooting if known
May 31, 2022
Follow-up document reminders for clients
Agents and Agencies now have the option to send an automatic email to active clients about their follow up documents 15, 5, and 1 days before their deadline.
The email signature for these emails will include one of the following:
For independent agents: the contact information in your HealthSherpa Account
For agencies: either the contact information for each individual downline agent or a customizable signature from the Admin account.
Here's an example of the email, which is going to the client of a fictional agent named Jose Gomez. The bulleted list contains any follow-up that's in an "Action needed" or "Insufficient docs" status. Text in [brackets] indicates content specific to that client/application.
These emails can be turned off from the ‘Settings’ tab in all accounts except for downline agents under an Admin who has turned it on at the agency-level.
May 17, 2022
Improvement: Avoid Search & Claim duplicates
In the event that you Search & Claim a client who already appears in your "Clients" tab, you will now be able to update the application and view it instead of creating a duplicate by selecting the "View in Dash" button.
Below is an illustrative example of the new button:
An Agent may need to do a Search & Claim on one of their existing applications if they want to make sure they have the most up to date information (e.g. payment statuses, document statuses, premium amounts) in their HealthSherpa account.
May 3, 2022
View more rows at once from the 'Clients' and 'Leads' tables
At the bottom of the 'Clients' and 'Leads' tables, you can now select to see 10, 20 or 50 rows on one page.
When you select a new row amount, it will scroll you to the top of the page and start on page 1. If you refresh the page, it will default to 10 rows.
March 21, 2022
New Monthly SEP for clients ≤150% FPL
Agents can now enroll or change plans for eligible clients through this new SEP.
Clients are eligible for this SEP if they fit both of these criteria:
Have an estimated annual household income at or below 150% FPL
Are otherwise eligible for APTC*
*As a reminder: Consumers with income below 100% FPL but who do not qualify for Medicaid due to immigration status only may still be eligible for APTC if they meet all other Marketplace eligibility requirements. They would also qualify to use this SEP.
When enrolling an eligible client, there will be one noticeable change in the quoter. If you enter an income in the qualifying range, you will skip the “SEP reasons” step shown below.
All of the questions in the application will remain the same. The application will automatically detect the SEP for clients with qualifying income, so you do not need to mark anything in the Upcoming/Recent Changes section for your client to receive this SEP.
March 4, 2022
Improvements to the Follow-Up Documents Column
In your Clients table, you will now see due dates for your clients’ follow-up documents. If more than one follow-up document is needed for a client, the due date that’s closest will be listed in the table.
You can now also sort the Documents column by due date. Rows in the Documents column will sort based on date and status. If you sort to see clients with the closest due dates first, the statuses will sort in this order:
Action Needed
Insufficient Documentation
Processing
Expired
Completed
Not required
Click here for descriptions of what each of these statuses mean and directions on how to upload follow-up documents.
February 15, 2022
New: Agency Roster Exports
Agency Admins can now export information on their downline agents. We added this feature to help Agencies do the following:
Email their downline agents who have linked HealthSherpa agent accounts
Check whether their downline agents’ settings are accurate
Confirm their downline agents have enabled EDE
Assess enrollment volume at the downline agent-level
To download your Agency Roster export, click the ‘Export’ button from the Agency tab. A modal similar to the example below will appear, and you will click ‘Export agents’ to receive a copy of your roster.
February 3, 2022
Improved workflow for dependents aging off applications
In situations where a newly-independent member* is aging off of an application and needs to create their own, they are now able to complete their application on HealthSherpa without redirecting to HealthCare.gov.
Specifically, the newly-independent member’s application on HealthSherpa will not erroneously sync with their parent’s application from the prior year.
Prior to starting the new application, remember to remove the newly-independent member from the previous application.
This can be done by visiting the Who’s Applying for Coverage page via Report Changes, removing the member, and then resubmitting the application.
*Defined as an individual who was a dependent during the prior Open Enrollment period, but are now independent (for e.g. turning 26 during the Open Enrollment period).
January 25, 2022
Added export report flexibility
When clicking the ‘Export’ button from the Clients or Agency pages, a modal will now appear that lets you choose an export date range. Agencies are also able to include archived clients in the export.
We made this change so you can get an export for a shorter date range instead of all of your clients every time. This lessens the load on our system, and means faster delivery of the information you need!
January 24, 2022
Email notifications for follow-up document changes
With Follow-up Document Notification Emails, you’ll receive an email at 1:00AM EST if there are any follow up document status changes for your clients. The email will include a simple, digestible table like the example below of all the status changes that occurred that day.
The table you receive via email is not a running list — it will only include information on client statuses that have changed within the last 24 hours.