Who should the agent contact to get pre-approval for marketing materials?

Review and approval of advertising materials should be submitted to Covered California at agents@covered.ca.gov.

Agents should allow at least 10 business days from the date of the request for Covered California to review any materials submitted. When submitting required materials for approval, indicate the following in the subject line: Advertising Approval Request – Agent name and material type. When submitting revised material, indicate so in the body of the email and include the original submission date of the material. Do not bundle multiple materials in the same submission email. Send a separate email for each material. The only exception is translations. Translations may be sent in one email along with the corresponding English version if available.

If customer service representatives assist with employee enrollments and changes do they need to be a Certified Insurance Agent?

Anyone using the CALHEERs system to enroll and maintain groups will need to be a Certified Insurance Agent.

Can an agent take the Covered California 8-hour certification class only and receive CE credit?

Yes. The agent will get CE credit after having taken the 8-hour class. The agent does not need to complete any other steps towards certification in order to receive CE credit for having taken the 8-hour class. The agent will need to follow the usual process: create an account with Covered California and then log into the Learning Management System to sign up for a class.

Are there Certified Enrollment Counselors in the private individual marketplace or only in Covered California’s Individual Marketplace?

Certified Enrollment Counselors only assist consumers in Covered California’s Individual Marketplace.

What is CalHEERS?

CalHEERS is the California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment and Retention System. It is a web-based system that streamlines the eligibility and enrollment process for all products and programs available through Covered California.

Can agents use translators that are not Certified Insurance Agents?

If the translator is using the CALHEERs system to enroll and maintain groups, the translator will need to be a Certified Insurance Agent.

Why would consumers need an agent if they can go online and sign-up?

Certified Insurance Agents bring a depth of experience to consumers by:

• Serving as trusted licensed advisors
• Maintaining deep customer relationships
• Providing valued service (not just enrollment but ongoing support)
• Offering solutions within and outside of Covered California

What is the impact of the ACA on the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance (SF HCSO)

The City and County of San Francisco recently published FAQs on the HCSO and the Affordable Care Act. Click here:

http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=6306

Will agents be able to make changes to their Covered California account?

If agents would like to make changes to their Covered California account (the one first established when registering for training), they will be able to so do once all steps in their certification process have been completed.  At that time they will be able to modify their agent profile and payment information (to direct payments to their agency rather than themselves).

How much information will Certified Enrollment Counselors need and have access to?

Certified Enrollment Counselors will have information about consumers, health insurance, affordability programs, and Covered California health plans in order to provide in-person assistance to consumers and successfully enroll them in coverage.