Agent Authorization Starts October 12: What to Do Now?
A new CMS requirement launches in a few days. Prepare now, and you'll spend less time on it once open enrollment begins.
CMS now requires every Enhanced Direct Enrollment platform, including HealthSherpa, to have agent authorization live, as of October 12. It replaces invalid action, the error message you used to get when a policy already had a different agent of record, usually meaning a three-way call or a frustrating resume link. Going forward, you need your client’s authorization before accessing or changing their application, once per plan year, per platform.
Jordyne Cerullo, Senior Director of Agency Sales at HealthSherpa, told Mike Papuc, The Brokerage Inc.’s National Health Sales Director, ahead of the launch: “Educate yourself on these changes that are coming next week, because whether you want to see them or not, they are coming.” That week has arrived, and the agents who act on it now are the ones who’ll feel the least disruption.
Don’t Wait Until a Client’s in Front of You
The process is simple: send an authorization link by text or email, your client clicks it, and you’re cleared to work that account for the rest of the plan year. HealthSherpa has run a similar solution in Georgia for over a year, and Cerullo pointed to good results there, adding “less than a minute” to enrollment in most cases.
You can send requests right now, well ahead of when you’ll actually need them during open enrollment, and once a client authorizes you, it’s good for the whole year. Clear your book early, through the new Authorizations tab, filterable by carrier and trackable by status, and you walk into November already done with this step instead of explaining it to clients one by one. Links expire in 15 minutes, but clients can request a new one themselves, so there’s no backlog to manage later.
A few things worth knowing:
Your 2026 clients stay fully viewable without new authorization. That requirement is about 2027, though a 2026 app change or new SEP enrollment will likely need it too.
NPN override still works, tied to the FFM username rather than agent of record.
This doesn’t replace your existing consent process, it runs alongside it.
What to Do Now That It’s Live
Log into HealthSherpa and find the new Authorizations tab.
Segment however makes sense for your book.
Send requests in bulk, not one at a time. Text or email, your choice.
Use the built-in tracker to see where things stand.
Prioritize 2027 authorization. Only touch 2026 if you’re changing an app or handling a new SEP enrollment.
Hit a snag? Use HealthSherpa’s feedback button on the left navigation bar.
New CMS requirements change every year. Handle this one now for a smooth selling season. If a question comes up along the way, The Brokerage Inc. is ready to help you sort it out.
This is part one of a three-part series on what’s changing with HealthSherpa is open enrollment. Part two covers Identity Verification, and part three looks at what’s ahead with Passive Renewals in 2027.
There's more in the full conversation with Jordyne and Mike.
