What ACA agents need to know about their NPN, FFM ID, and CMS password

What ACA agents need to know about their NPN, FFM user ID, and CMS password

Becoming an ACA agent or broker requires lots of up front work. Not only do ACA agents need to get licensed as an agent, they must also complete training and registration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Your NPN, FFM ID, and CMS password are all important for your HealthSherpa Agent Account. Below we list the information you will need to set up your HealthSherpa Account and keep it running smoothly.

HealthSherpa Agent Account Setup: NPN and FFM

When you set up your account, you will be prompted to fill in your NPN and FFM user ID. Some agents fill these fields with random characters during their account setup. However, this information needs to be accurate before trying to submit any client applications. 

In other words, you will not be able to enroll your clients through HealthSherpa without providing your NPN and FFM user ID. Below, we list where you can find your NPN number and FFM user ID.

How to find your NPN number

Your National Producer Number (NPN) is a unique number assigned to you during the licensing application process. If you are a licensed agent, you will be able to look up your NPN easily through the following site: https://nipr.com/help/look-up-your-npn

How to find your FFM user ID

As an ACA agent or broker, you created your Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM) user ID when you completed the FFM registration process through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Enterprise Portal. 

To recover your FFM user ID, you will need to return to the CMS Enterprise Portal and follow the prompts on the ‘Forgot User ID’ page. After submitting accurate information, an email containing your user ID will be sent to the email address on your profile.

If you run into any trouble with this recovery process, you can reach out to the Marketplace Service Desk at CMS_FEPS@cms.hhs.gov or CMS broker support at 855-267-1515 for help. 

The 60 day CMS password reset and HealthSherpa

Your HealthSherpa and CMS enterprise portal accounts are connected. This means that as an agent or broker who writes ACA business on HealthSherpa, you should be aware of the CMS enterprise portal’s 60-day password reset. 

The CMS enterprise portal requires agents to reset their password every 60 days, even if they’re actively enrolling clients. 

Agents with expired passwords are locked out of their CMS enterprise portal. After resetting their password, their Marketplace access through HealthSherpa will be disrupted for 24 hours. If you find yourself in this situation, double redirect will still work.

To avoid disruption to your business, it’s integral for agents to keep track of their CMS enterprise portal password and reset it before 60 days. 

When your CMS password expires, you will still be able to access your HealthSherpa agent account, but you will not be able to use any features that connect to the Marketplace. This includes search & claim as well as submitting applications directly through HealthSherpa. 

Reset your CMS password close to the beginning of OEP

OEP is only 45 days and every hour counts. As a best practice, proactively reset your CMS enterprise portal password close to the beginning of OEP, so you aren’t caught off guard during the final two weeks. 

Conclusion

Nobody wants an interruption in their ACA business. We strongly recommend that all agents and brokers keep track of their password reset deadline and make sure to change it.

Create your HealthSherpa Agent account today

With your NPN and FFM ID, you can fully set up for HealthSherpa Agent account. Once you complete these steps, you will unlock the full ability of your HealthSherpa account and be able to enroll clients directly from our site.

If you already have a HealthSherpa account, you can check that your NPN and FFM ID are accurate in the 'Settings' tab of your account. Please also consider updating your CMS password and keep track of when it needs to be reset. You can log into your HealthSherpa account here.

New to HealthSherpa? Don’t worry — it’s easy to get started with a free HealthSherpa for Agents account. HealthSherpa is an approved alternative to healthcare.gov, and we are able to help you enroll your clients directly on our site with Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE). Through a HealthSherpa account, you can enroll, track, and service your ACA clients year-round. Visit our HealthSherpa for Agents page today to learn more and sign up for an account.