A Message to Agents and Brokers about COVID-19

Thoughts from HealthSherpa about supporting your clients through this time of uncertainty.

To the Agents and Brokers who use HealthSherpa for ACA enrollments,

There hasn’t been much downtime since OE7, and we wanted to extend our appreciation for the work you will do in the coming weeks as the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) pandemic unfolds.

COVID-19 is straining our health care system and triggering extreme economic instability. Nothing is certain, but we wanted to share some of our current thoughts and guidance:

• The Department of Health and Human Services declared COVID-19 testing an essential health benefit. You can find a link to each client’s plan details in their coverage information and check the standard cost sharing for lab tests.
• CT, MA, MD, NV, NY, RI, and WA have opened SEPs because of COVID-19. CA and DC both have ongoing SEPs. There has been no indication yet from CMS that a Federal Marketplace SEP will happen, but HealthSherpa is ready to notify you if that changes.
• In the coming weeks, many people will need help getting coverage. If a lead qualifies for Medicaid, you can direct them to complete their application with us for free here.
• We are following the latest policy developments on the CMS Newsroom and Healthcare.gov blog. We will continue to digest this information and publish tips and rollups for agents. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date.