Brokers operating in the federally run exchange states remain frustrated with broker functions on the website as the government announces that 26,794 enrollments were completed for health plans between Oct. 1 and Nov. 2 compared with 79,391 for the state-run exchanges.
In Arkansas, where U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data show that only 250 consumers were able to select a health plan through the Affordable Care Act’s Healthcare.gov, broker Joe Childers says the numbers are very telling. “This clearly tells us that the presumed level of engagement for individuals to take action and enroll isn’t there,” says the owner of Watershed Benefits in Little Rock. “People with incentive to get people enrolled — insurance agents who receive commission — are the only way to get this done, and unfortunately, as of now, it is much more difficult to complete an agent-assisted enrollment than it is for a person to go enroll by themselves.”
