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HealthSherpa is excited to partner with Georgia Access and support the State of Georgia in their transition to a State-based Exchange (SBE) for ACA enrollments for plan year 2025! Georgia Access is the first SBE to bring the benefits of the EDE experience to consumers and agents, partnering with EDE entities like HealthSherpa.
With this partnership, Agents will be able to help Georgians shop for, compare, and enroll in quality, affordable healthcare coverage using HealthSherpa, just as they have in previous years.
Agents who plan to write in Georgia in plan year 2025 will need to be licensed in Georgia, complete Georgia Access certification, and activate their Georgia Access Agent Portal account.
Agents must complete Georgia Access certification
Agents are required to complete Georgia Access certification and pass the exam to be eligible to participate on Georgia Access beginning November 1, 2024.
You will need to sign in to your Georgia Access Certification Platform account or create an account before starting training.
You can check your Georgia Access certification status on the Georgia Access Agent Listings page.
You can learn more about the types of training, how much time to set aside for training, and more, on the Georgia Access Agents page.
Certification requirements vary by state. Georgia Access certification only applies for applications written for the State of Georgia. If you wish to sell ACA plans for additional states, you’ll need to complete the marketplace certification required by the respective state(s). Learn more here.
Once you have completed your Georgia Access Certification, you will receive an email from Georgia Access that includes instructions to activate your Georgia Access Agent Portal account. Please complete this activation to ensure that your AOR is properly applied to applications you submit for Georgia clients.
Webinar: HealthSherpa & Georgia Access
This recording is from our webinar on October 9th and covers what you can expect on HealthSherpa in plan year 2025, a live demonstration of our platform, and live Q&A discussion.
HealthSherpa & Georgia Access training deck
Frequently asked questions
What if I am getting an EDE access error?
If you see an error like “User unauthorized to access EDE for Georgia Access,” please:
Confirm your NPN is on the Georgia Access Agent Certification List.
If it is not on that list, verify that:
You typed your NPN properly into the Georgia Access LMS when you completed training.
Your licensure in SIRCON is valid
You have completed Georgia Access Training
Your Georgia Access Agent Portal account is active. You can find information about your Agent Portal registration here.
If everything looks accurate and you are still experiencing issues, contact Georgia Access Partner Support at 888-312-4237 or edesupport@georgiaaccess.ga.gov. You may also check back the next day to rule out a timing issue.
When will Georgia Access be available as an SBE?
Georgia will launch Georgia Access as a full SBE on November 1, 2024 for plan year 2025 applications.
Window Shopping for Georgia Access will begin on October 28th. At that time, agents will start seeing plans for the upcoming plan year on HealthSherpa when they shop. Note: If you are not FFM certified for plan year 2024, CMS will not allow HealthSherpa to grant you access until 11/1.
Special Enrollment Period (SEP) applications for plan year 2024 will still utilize the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM).
Can I use HealthSherpa to enroll clients in Georgia when plan year 2025 begins?
Yes. Agents will be able to enroll clients in Georgia using HealthSherpa for Agents in plan year 2025 as they have in previous plan years.
You may use the same HealthSherpa for Agents account for both Marketplace enrollments and Georgia Access enrollments.
Your clients in Georgia will appear alongside clients in other Marketplace states.
If you only sell in Georgia, you will not need to integrate your FFM account, but you will need to use multi-factor authentication.
HealthSherpa is an EDE vendor working with Georgia Access to provide direct access to Exchange shopping and enrollment.
Do agents need to do anything to maintain access to PY24 Georgia clients in HealthSherpa?
Due to technical limitations as Georgia transitions to an SBM, agents must complete their FFM certification for plan year 2025 in order to continue servicing and accessing Georgia clients interested in plan year 2024 coverage.
If you are a Georgia-only agent and do not plan to complete your FFM certification for plan year 2025, you can continue using Healthcare.gov to make changes to 2024 Georgia plans as needed.
Will I need to use a separate platform to enroll Georgia clients in plan year 2025?
No. Agents will be able to enroll clients in Georgia using HealthSherpa for Agents just as they have in previous plan years.
Will my Georgia book of business live inside HealthSherpa for Agents?
Yes, your book of business will remain as it is currently. If you used HealthSherpa to service your Georgia clients in past plan years, those clients will continue to appear in your HealthSherpa account.
Will my existing book of business on the FFM be transferred to the Georgia Access SBE?
Georgia Access attempted to migrate agents’ clients from the FFM to Georgia Access. If this migration was successful, you should also see your clients when you log in to your Georgia Access account.
Important note about renewing clients for PY25: If you do not see your book of business in your Georgia Access account, the migration by Georgia Access may have failed. In this case, you will still see your clients in HealthSherpa, but you will need to actively renew them to remain the agent of record.
When is Window Shopping?
Georgia has communicated that the Window Shopping period will begin on Monday, October 28, 2024. Functionality through HealthSherpa will look and act the same as what you’re currently used to.
The State of Georgia will release PUFs for plans within the state on their own schedule outside of CMS. As they now run their own exchange, they will be approving those with carriers and disseminating to appropriate web brokers and EDE partners in the same way that CMS does.
Will subsidy levels in Georgia be different than FFM subsidy levels?
No. Because subsidy eligibility is set at the federal level. Georgia will utilize the same Federal Poverty Guidelines as the FFM. Learn more about the 2024 FPL chart here.
When should I contact CMS and when should I contact Georgia Access?
To keep it simple, anything related to PY24 plans should be directed to CMS, and anything related to PY25 QHPs and agent licensing should be directed to Georgia Access.
Will Georgia Access have DRD?
No, the Georgia Access agent portal is only accessible through EDE. This means DRD will not be supported by any EDE entity including HealthSherpa.
Will non-resident agents be able to write and renew clients in Georgia?
Georgia Access has not put restrictions on residency with their licensure and certification. If you are licensed with the State of Georgia and certified with Georgia Access, you will be able to write or renew for Georgia clients through HealthSherpa regardless of residency.
Are both FFM certification and GA certification required to write in GA?
If you wish to sell only in Georgia for PY2025, you need to complete Georgia Access certification for PY2025 and do not need to complete FFM certification for PY2025. Note: If you do not complete FFM certification for PY2025, CMS will revoke your access to PY2024 FFM applications once CMS processes role revocations for PY2024 (role revocations typically take place in late October).
If you wish to sell in other states for PY2025, certification required can vary by state and is often determined by the type of marketplace used in the the state:
View the marketplace types by state here.
If you wish to sell in states utilizing a “State-based marketplace using the federal platform” or the “Federally-facilitated marketplace” complete your annual FFM certification.
Select HealthSherpa’s FFM training during your MLMS training step
If you wish to sell in states utilizing a “State-based marketplace” complete the unique certification(s) required by the respective state(s).
Go here to locate the state(s) you wish to sell within. Note there is a link to each state’s respective exchange in bullet three.
Will NPN Override still be available for Georgia Access?
Yes. HealthSherpa’s NPN Override functionality will still be available in Georgia. Agents must continue to follow any state appointment and certification laws, including being appointed with the relevant carriers where required.
Can consumers disagree to share data with Georgia Medicaid?
According to Georgia Access, no, consumers must agree to share data with Georgia Medicaid as a part of their eligibility determination.
How is Georgia Access handling ICHRA?
ICHRA questions will continue to be included in Georgia applications.
Are there any differences for payment options for GA Access?
No. The Georgia Access transition does not have any impact here; Carriers with payment integration will continue to have that as their primary payment redirect connection.
What will the renewal process look like for Georgia Access?
The renewals process for Georgia will work in the same way it did when Georgia utilized the FFM. Learn more about the renewal flows available on HealthSherpa here.
Active renewals are encouraged to ensure NPN accuracy, provide consumers the opportunity to make any necessary updates to their plan, and ensure they have suitable coverage for the upcoming plan year.
Why is my NPN showing as a blank AOR on renewal applications?
This could be because your Georgia Access agent portal account has not yet been activated. Once you have completed your Georgia Access Certification, you will receive an email from Georgia Access that includes instructions to activate your Georgia Access Agent Portal account. Please complete this activation to ensure that your AOR is properly applied to applications you submit for Georgia clients. If you encounter any issues with activation, contact the Georgia Access Contact Center at 888-312-4237.
Additional resources
Agents who have questions about the Georgia Access experience on HealthSherpa for Agents can submit them here.
Agents should direct questions about enrollment, application, and policy issues to Georgia Access at Agents@GeorgiaAccess.ga.gov. More information about Georgia Access can be found on the Georgia Access website.
Visit https://oci.georgia.gov/agents-agency-licensing for information on Georgia licensing requirements and the application process.
Visit https://www.sircon.com/georgia to apply for a license, check the status of a license or application, and update contact information.