Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) FAQ
Guidance for FAQ regarding Agents/Brokers and Registration and Profile Set-up
Program Area: Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP)
Question: In the Individual Marketplace, issuers are ensuring that Agent/Brokers selling Marketplace plans have completed required Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) training by collecting copies of certificates. Do issuers also need to confirm training for Agent/Brokers in the Federally-facilitated Small Business Health Options Program (FF-SHOP) Marketplace?
Answer: The Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM) will not validate National Producer Numbers (NPNs) provided by Agent/Brokers. It is the issuer's responsibility to ensure that the Agent/Brokers appointed with each issuer hold a valid state health insurance license. The FF-SHOP Marketplace will only allow Agent/Brokers to access the online portal if the Agent/Broker is registered with the FFM and has completed the FF-SHOP Privacy and Security Agreement. Issuers are encouraged (though not required) to collect this information from appointed Agent/Brokers.
Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Issue Date: July 03, 2014
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