♪
{Dave} Welcome, and thanks for tuning in to Agent and Broker Learning On Demand: a Marketplace Original Series!
In this video, we'll talk more about the help desks, call centers and other resources available to agents and brokers to help them
succeed in the Marketplace. We're joined by our colleagues, Angela and Betty.
As a reminder, throughout this video, the term "Health Insurance Marketplace," or "Marketplace," refers to
Federally-Facilitated Marketplaces, or FFM’s, including FFM’s where states perform plan management functions and
state-based marketplaces on the federal platform or SPM-FPS.
CMS offers several help desks and call centers to support agents and brokers. These include the Agent/Broker Email Help Desk,
the Marketplace Service Desk, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Training Help Desk, and the
Marketplace Call Center - Direct Agent/Broker Line.
Have either of you ever reached out to one of the help desks or call centers for assistance?
{Betty} Yeah, of course! I actually contacted the Agent/Broker Email Help Desk earlier today to understand how to sign up for Help On Demand.
I'm still fairly new to the Marketplace and the help desk quickly helped me get started.
{Dave} That's great to hear, Betty. I'm happy to hear you had such a great experience! The Agent/Broker Email Help Desk is focused on
general agent and broker questions, including those about Find Local Help and Help on Demand. For approximately 75% of questions, the
Agent/Broker Email Help Desk responds in one to two business days. If you have a more complex question, it may take longer to resolve.
What about you, Angela, have you reached out to the help desks for assistance?
{Angela} Just last week I called the Marketplace Service Desk to help me with registration and training for plan year 2019. I needed my password
reset for the CMS Enterprise Portal to access the Marketplace Learning Management System to compete registration and training.
I also had some general questions on the training requirements.
{Dave} Great, Angela! I'm glad they were able to help. The Marketplace Service Desk is able to assist with a lot of questions regarding the
CMS Enterprise Portal and registration and training, which is especially important as agents and brokers register for plan year 2019.
Note that during Open Enrollment, the service desk hours may be extended and available on weekends.
If you have specific questions on training provided by America's Health Insurance Plans, or AHIP, then you'll want to contact their
direct training help desk. AHIP offers year-round technical support for agents and brokers Monday thru Saturday by phone or email, in both
English and Spanish. If you have consumer-specific inquiries, like assistance for a consumer to reset the password for their consumer
Healthcare.gov account, or working through consumer eligibility issues, contact the direct agent and broker partner line.
Only current year Marketplace-registered agents and brokers can use this line. Be sure to have your National Producer Number, or NPN,
handy, as you'll need it to access this line. Unlike other help desks and call centers, this line is available 24 hours a day each day of the week.
As a reminder, agents and brokers should not request or use a consumer's HealthCare.gov login credentials.
This number can be used for consumer application questions and issues. If you need to check the status of a consumer's data match or
SEP verification issue, or if the consumer is part of a multi-tax household, or if the consumer is having technical difficulties
completing the online application, you should contact the call center to get additional information and guidance.
When contacting the Marketplace Call Center, you'll need to have the consumer on the line, unless they have previously authorized you to
work on their behalf. Authorization to speak on their behalf without them on the line is not the same as having your NPN on their
application. And remember, a consumer can choose how long you’re authorized to work on their behalf with the Marketplace Call Center.
This can range from just one call to up to 365 days.
{Angela} That's a good tip! I always recommend that my clients choose one year for my authorization so I can easily assist them with future issues.
{Betty} I wasn't even thinking of that, thanks Angela! But to step back, why are there so many help desks at CMS? It seems a little confusing.
{Dave} I understand your confusion, Betty. CMS does offer many avenues for agents and brokers to seek support. As you can imagine, CMS is a
large organization and agents and brokers have many complex needs. Our help desk process helps ensure agents and brokers can get the
most efficient response. We recommend you familiarize yourself with the help desks and their areas of expertise.
This will ensure you get the fastest response!
{Angela} That's a good point. I frequently use the Help Desk and Other Resources materials on the CMS Agents and Brokers Resources
webpage to know which help desk to contact.
{Dave} That's good to hear, Angela! You'll also find the Resources for Agents and Brokers webpage helpful. It's the primary outlet for agents and
brokers to receive information about the Marketplace. It provides the latest news and resources, including newsletters, webinars, and tip
sheets with a convenient search tool that lets you quickly browse through the content for agents and brokers. But these are just a few
of the resources out there. We've also launched a new FAQ database that provides answers to commonly asked questions.
{Betty} That sounds helpful.
{Dave} It is, Betty! Checking these resources regularly will help save you a phone call or email to one of the Marketplace help desks. You should
also follow us on social media on the LinkedIn page for Marketplace Agents and Broker. This dedicated page contains posts with
announcements, new resources, and upcoming webinars. There are regular webinars for agents and brokers to help you assist consumers
before and after open enrollment ends.
{Angela} Don't forget, a lot of really great information is sent out via email!
{Dave} Marketplace emails contain important information on webinars, new resources, important dates and deadlines, and open enrollment.
Emails are sent to agents and brokers after they've registered and completed training with the Marketplace. You can also subscribe to
agent and broker emails by emailing a request to the Agent/Broker Email Help Desk mentioned earlier.
{Betty} Are there any other resources?
{Dave} There are, Betty. You can also check HealthCare.gov and the Agent and Broker Newsletter! Check out the Resources for Agents and
Brokers webpage for information on or links to these other resources.
Thanks, Angela and Betty, for talking about the help desks, call centers, and other resources available to agents and brokers.
And thank you for watching!
♪