Identity Verification Isn’t as Complicated as It Sounds
Identity verification is one of those terms that sounds like a compliance headache before you even know what it does. Jordyne Cerullo, Senior Director of Agency Sales at HealthSherpa, told Mike Papuc, The Brokerage Inc.’s National Health Sales Director, that there’s a lot of confusion around it in the industry right now. By the end of this, you’ll know what it requires, and what to do if a client hits a snag.
What It Is, and Why It Exists
Identity verification is separate from agent authorization, but the two work together. It validates two things: that you are who you say you are as the agent, and that your client is who they say they are as the member. That’s it. It’s not a new hurdle stacked on top of everything else. It’s a safeguard built directly into the process you already use.
The One Thing That’s On You
Setting up your own ID.me account, linked to your CMS portal, is separate from agent authorization and needs to happen on its own. Cerullo’s advice is to knock this out early, while open enrollment is still weeks away, not something you’re scrambling to finish once November hits. The Brokerage Inc. has a dedicated resource deck walking through this exact process, and a team ready to help if you get stuck.
Not Every Client Needs Extra Steps
CMS flags certain members as “high-risk”: new to the marketplace or their state, a premium under $30, or working with a new agent. Cerullo says this is exactly where most agents panic, because that list can sound like it covers an entire book of business. It doesn’t work that way in practice. Verification is built directly into the authorization workflow, so for more than 80% of members, the entire experience is clicking one link. Verification happens automatically in the background. Nobody notices.
If a Client Does Hit a Snag
Most issues resolve with a quick call to the Experian escalation line. If that doesn’t work, clients are directed to ID.me or Persona, both CMS-approved and already running successfully in Georgia for over a year. For harder edge cases, like a landline-only phone or no government-issued ID, HealthSherpa is publishing specific FAQs and is already working with CMS on a landline solution. In the meantime, the marketplace itself can step in to help a client through it.
Once a member completes verification, that’s it for good. It’s evergreen per platform, so you won’t need to do it again for that client on HealthSherpa. There’s no repeating this every year the way there is with authorization. There may be a little more friction this first year while everyone adjusts, but it’s a one-time step, not an annual one.
Identity verification isn’t the complicated process it sounds like on paper. One setup step on your end, and a background process for almost everyone else. If something doesn’t go the way you expect, you don’t have to sort it out alone. The Brokerage Inc. is ready to help.
This piece is part two of the three-part HealthSherpa series. If you haven’t seen part one on agent authorization, catch up here, part three on 2027’s Passive Renewals is next.
There's more in the full conversation with Jordyne and Mike.
