Web-Based Entities

Help Achieve ACA Enrollment Goals

By partnering with WBEs, state exchanges can cast a wider net to help as many uninsured people as possible take advantage of the coverage opportunities presented by the Affordable Care Act including enrollment of eligible consumers in Medicaid, CHIP or subsidized qualified health plans. As an additional enrollment option for consumers, WBEs can serve as an extension of a state exchange’s own enrollment process.

After providing individual and household data, eligible consumers visiting a WBE can be directed - as appropriate - to the state’s Medicaid or CHIP enrollment functions, or else provided with access to the same qualified health plans and subsidy information presented through the state exchange. Once a qualified health plan is chosen, the application information can be forwarded to the state exchange for processing.

The web-based entities concept is described in 45 CFR § 155.220, which allows states, if they choose, to let agents and brokers assist qualified individuals, employers and employees during the QHP enrollment process if they meet certain conditions and requirements.