The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish an appeal process for exceptions to a federal moratorium on new agents and brokers for the 2027 Affordable Care Act plan year. State regulators warned that the restriction could leave insurers without enough registered personnel to support consumers during open enrollment, which begins Nov. 1 and earlier in some states. The moratorium applies to new registrations in the Federally Facilitated Marketplace and state marketplaces that use the federal enrollment platform. Limiting carriers to agents and brokers approved for 2026 could constrain new or expanding insurers, prevent existing carriers from increasing staffing and impede the replacement of personnel who retire, leave or change specialties. The NAIC said exceptions should be available at the request of state regulators, health insurers, agencies and brokerages, while applicants associated with fraud remain blocked. It also renewed its request for CMS to prohibit Enhanced Direct Enrollment partners from allowing National Producer Numbers to be shared, which regulators linked to unauthorized plan switching.
US National Association of Insurance Commissioners calls for exceptions to federal ACA agent and broker moratorium
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners asked CMS to create an exception process for the 2027 moratorium on new Affordable Care Act marketplace agents and brokers. State regulators warned that the restriction could create staffing shortages for insurers and reduce consumer assistance during open enrollment.