Brokers that are directly employed by a carrier, sometimes referred to as “captive brokers or producers,” are NOT eligible to be registered to sell qualified health plans through the broker portal on DC Health Link. However, they may seek eligibility to assist certain consumers to enroll through DC Health Link as a Certified Application Counselor pursuant to resolutions approved by the DC Health Link Executive Board on August 13, 2013. For more information on the Certified Application Counselor program, go to: http://hbx.dc.gov/page/certified-application-counselor-program.
Carrier Appointments
Prior to becoming a DC Health Link registered broker, a broker must obtain appointments with each carrier’s licensed entity in DC Health Link for the market in which the broker intends to sell and complete the required training.
Brokers can find the carrier’s licensed entities with which they currently have appointments by checking the NAIC database here: https://sbs.naic.org/solar-external-lookup/
Brokers selling in the Individual & Families market only must be appointed with the following licensed entities:
- CareFirst
- CareFirst BlueChoice, Inc.
- Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, Inc.
- Kaiser Permanente
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc.
Brokers selling in the Small Business market only OR both the Small Business AND Individual & Families markets must be appointed with the following licensed entities:
- Aetna:
- Aetna Life Insurance Company
- Aetna Health Inc.
- CareFirst:
- CareFirst BlueChoice, Inc.
- Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, Inc.
- Kaiser Permanente:
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc.
- UnitedHealthcare:
- UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company
- UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc.
- Optimum Choice, Inc.
Training
National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals (NABIP)has been selected as our training partner. Brokers must complete a total of six hours of training. Continuing education (CE) credits will be provided to the District of Columbia and Maryland resident brokers. Training will consist of two parts: DC Health Link policy and system training.
DC Health Link Training
- Online training is available for ALL licensed resident and non-resident brokers in the District of Columbia.
- An exam will be required for those who complete the online training.
Cost for Online Training:
- The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority is providing the training at NO COST for brokers who have a resident license in the District of Columbia. The training is also available at NO COST for brokers with a non-resident license in the District of Columbia who also have a resident license in Maryland or Virginia.
- There is a $79.99 fee for brokers that have a non-resident license in the District of Columbia with a resident license in a state other than Maryland or Virginia.
Broker Registration
Once all requirements have been met, the broker should complete a DC Health Link registration application: Register Now.
HBX will review the broker’s application to determine if all of the requirements have been satisfied to become a DC Health Link registered broker. If the requirements have been met, the application will be approved and the broker will receive an email from [email protected] with instructions for how to establish their DC Health Link login. Please allow up to 7-10 business days for review and approval of your application. Once a broker has been approved, the broker will be listed on DC Health Link for employers and individuals searching for brokers to assist in the purchase of health insurance.
If a broker submits an application but has not satisfied all of the requirements to become a DC Health Link registered broker, the broker will receive an email with information on which requirements have yet to be satisfied and the application will be put into a pending status until all of the requirements have been met.
Should you have any questions, please view the Broker and General Agency Certification and Recertification or contact the Broker Relations Team at [email protected].