HealthSherpa is an enrollment platform that agents selling marketplace insurance plans can use to streamline the enrollment process. It can be a valuable tool for agents assisting clients when comparing plans, understanding subsidies, and enrolling in coverage.
If you’re an agent selling Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance plans in the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM), read more about HealthSherpa and how you could have a FREE account when you register with Ritter at no additional cost.
What Is HealthSherpa?
As an enhanced direct enrollment (EDE) platform, HealthSherpa allows clients to enroll in marketplace coverage without the use of HealthCare.gov. At this time, EDE is only available in states that participate in the federal exchange. State-based marketplaces may have EDE capabilities coming for 2024 and beyond.
Established in 2013, HealthSherpa has quickly grown to be the largest ACA enrollment platform. More than 45,000 agents utilize the site to help their clients enroll in marketplace coverage with low stress and easy-to-use tools while saving time. EDE sites are a great way to streamline your ACA business and help your clients find the coverage they need.
What Is Enhanced Direct Enrollment?
EDE services allow approved entities to provide comprehensive quoting and enrollment services to consumers, outside of the federal marketplace. For example, these platforms are allowed to offer services to see subsidy eligibility, enroll in a plan, and continue to offer customer service to clients who enroll through the platform. Additionally, through EDE, agents are allowed to act on behalf of their clients through the platform.
Advantages of Using HealthSherpa
There are many advantages to using HealthSherpa as an insurance agent selling marketplace plans. When using an EDE platform, especially HealthSherpa, the process of enrolling clients is incredibly efficient and streamlined, saving you valuable time to assist other clients.
When using an EDE platform, especially HealthSherpa, the process of enrolling clients is incredibly efficient and streamlined, saving you valuable time to assist other clients.
Provides Assistance Throughout the Entire Enrollment Process
HealthSherpa provides support to agents and clients throughout the entire enrollment process. With an account, you can utilize their shopping tools which allow clients to compare plans by reviewing plan quotes and subsidy estimation. This tool allows agents to view all plans available in a client’s area and compare the benefits of each. If a specific medication or provider is valuable to your client, HealthSherpa also allows plans to be filtered by prescription or network.
HealthSherpa makes the application process easy. It eliminates the stress of the marketplace. Clients can enroll in the same plan they’d be able to enroll in on the exchange, without logging in to HealthCare.gov. Subsidies or cost-sharing reductions can be used on HealthSherpa if your client qualifies, allowing your client to access the same plan with the same savings they would on the marketplace. HealthSherpa allows clients to access all elements of shopping, comparing, and enrolling in a plan in a simple platform.
Saves Time
With pre-filled applications, enrolling in an ACA plan is easier than ever before. According to HealthSherpa, using their platform can reduce application time by 24 minutes! That’s 24 extra minutes you can use to create a powerful TikTok or help other clients! On average, clients can enroll in a plan in under 10 minutes, reducing the stress that comes with finding health care coverage.
According to HealthSherpa, using their platform can reduce application time by 24 minutes!
Can Easily Track Applications
HealthSherpa makes it easy to track clients’ progress in the application process. Whether clients are still shopping and comparing plans or are actively enrolling in a plan, you can see what stage they’re at and reach out to assist if you notice they’ve been stuck.
Post-Enrollment Features
After your clients have enrolled in a plan, you can upload documentation, see which clients may require a follow up, and make binder payments. It’s also easy to switch or drop coverage if your client needs to. All this information seamlessly syncs with HealthCare.gov.
User-Friendly
With its easy-to-use, clean, and modern site, HealthSherpa is very user-friendly. They have a short and helpful product overview video that agents can watch to get oriented to the platform. If you have questions or concerns about your experience, HealthSherpa also has a thorough Agent Help Center with FAQs and answers. If you’d prefer to reach out to someone, they also have a support team that is available every weekday by phone, email, and or live chat to troubleshoot.
Connect with Ritter on HealthSherpa
Ready to start using HealthSherpa to elevate your ACA business? After registering with Ritter, sign up for a HealthSherpa account and follow these instructions to join our agency! Joining Ritter’s agency allows you to access all features of the platform such as plan comparisons, subsidy evaluation, and enrollment features. Being a part of the HealthSherpa Ritter agency creates the opportunity to share leads and connect with other agents.
Potential Concerns Addressed
As with any new tool or resource, there may be a hesitancy to adapt and incorporate it into your practice. Some agents have expressed concerns with EDE platforms, and we’ll talk about why these concerns shouldn’t drive you away from using HealthSherpa.
Security
Because HealthSherpa is home to sensitive information, including your clients’ health insurance and personal identification, some agents may feel uneasy when putting this information into a non-government created website. However, HealthSherpa is highly protected and less likely to be the victim of a cyberattack due to the privacy protections in place. Agents also have the option to enable two-factor authentication on their account for an added measure of security.
Quality of Care
All plans that are offered on the health care exchange are available on HealthSherpa. This means that all preventative care and additional services covered by the ACA are also covered by any plan offered on HealthSherpa. Clients won’t be subject to a difference in care whether they signed up for a plan through HealthSherpa or on HealthCare.gov.
The ACA OEP will be here before you know it, and the time to start preparing is now. If you haven’t already, register with Ritter to enjoy all the benefits of being a Ritter agent, such as our dedicated Under-65 Sales team, a library of resources, such as our ACA eBook, and exclusive contracts! In addition to Ritter’s resources, utilize HealthSherpa to make marketplace enrollments seamless and easier than ever before.
Share Post