Enhancing Access for Agents and Brokers Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a toll-free customer service support help line to enable certified health insurance agents and brokers to seek assistance regarding qualified health plans offered in the federal health insurance marketplace.
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Secretary to establish procedures to permit a broker name and National Producer Number to be added to an application for enrollment in a health plan offered through a health care exchange at any time during the application process and for any enrollment period.
Requires such procedures to ensure that the National Producer Number is designed to assist consumers in obtaining needed assistance to complete enrollment, ensure that brokers are adequately compensated, and provide consumer protections by identifying each agent or broker that has worked on an enrollment case.
Directs the Secretary to:
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2175 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2175
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to enhance
access for independent agents and brokers to information regarding
marketplace enrollment.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 27, 2014
Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Warner, Ms.
Heitkamp, and Mr. Begich) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to enhance
access for independent agents and brokers to information regarding
marketplace enrollment.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Enhancing Access for Agents and
Brokers Act''.
SEC. 2. ENHANCING ACCESS FOR INDEPENDENT AGENTS AND BROKERS.
(a) Agent and Broker and Consumer Support Line.--Not later than 30
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health
and Human Services shall establish a dedicated toll-free customer
service support help line to enable certified health insurance agents
and brokers to seek assistance regarding qualified health plans offered
in the Federal health insurance marketplace.
(b) National Producer Number.--Section 1312(e) of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18032(e)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as
subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively and redesignating the
margins accordingly;
(2) by striking ``The Secretary shall'' and inserting the
following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) National producer number.--The Secretary shall
establish procedures to permit a broker name and National
Producer Number to be added to an application for enrollment in
a qualified health plan offered through an Exchange at any time
during the application process, and for any enrollment period
described in section 1311(c)(6). Such procedures shall ensure
that the National Producer Number is designed to assist
consumers in obtaining needed assistance to complete
enrollment, to ensure that brokers are adequately compensated
for their role in that process, and to provide protections to
consumers by identifying each agent or broker that has worked
on an enrollment case in the event of any errors or other
issues with the application.
``(3) List of agents and brokers.--Not later than 14 days
after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the
Secretary shall make available on the Internet website
maintained by the Federal Government for health insurance
coverage (healthcare.gov or any subsequent Internet site (or
sites) that is established in whole or in part by the Federal
Government to facilitate enrollment in qualified health plans,
the receipt of tax credits or cost sharing reduction
assistance, or comparisons of available qualified health plans)
a list of all agents and brokers who have been trained and are
currently certified by the Federal Exchange, including their
name and National Producer number and if available their
business address, electronic mail address, website, and phone
number. The Secretary shall enter into a contract with the
National Insurance Producers Registry to regularly verify, at
least on a monthly basis, the licensure status of all of agents
and brokers who have been trained and are currently certified
by the Federal Exchange and a mechanism shall be developed and
made accessible to all certified agents and brokers to enable
such agents and brokers to submit any changes to their contact
and licensure information to the Secretary so that such website
updates contain accurate agent and broker contact information.
``(4) New information disclosure.--Not later than 5
business days after the promulgation of any new regulation, or
issuance of any guidance, technical letter, or other official
policy statement that impacts the enrollment of individuals in
qualified health plans, the receipt of tax credits or cost
sharing reduction assistance, or comparisons of available
qualified health plans, the Secretary provide all navigators
(under section 1311(i)), agents, and brokers who have been
trained and are currently certified by the Federal Exchange
with a clear description of such policy changes, including
specific practical guidance as to how certified navigators,
agents, and brokers can best assist their clients and help
clients take advantage of any such policy changes.''.
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Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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