June ACA Round Up

In our June ACA Round-Up, we break down key updates from the new CMS Final Rule and dive into all things contracting with O'Neill Marketing. We also highlight the opportunity to pivot toward PPO and ancillary product sales. Don’t miss details on upcoming HealthSherpa webinars designed to help agents navigate these changes and stay ahead.

This month’s ACA Round-Up featured key updates on CMS rule changes, state compliance shifts, and a live walkthrough of O’Neill’s contracting process with guest presenter Logan Woods.

Key Highlights:

CMS Rule Changes Announced
CMS released new regulations that will affect plan year 2026, including:

Elimination of the 150% FPL Special Enrollment Period (SEP)
A $5 minimum premium for auto-renewed $0 plans unless a new application is submitted

Because the rules were released late Friday, O’Neill is taking time to review them thoroughly.

A quick-reference summary will be emailed soon
A joint O’Neill and HealthSherpa webinar is coming
In the meantime, HealthSherpa is hosting public webinars on July 1 and July 2

Georgia Access Certification Required
Agents selling in Georgia must recertify through Georgia Access starting July 31—even if using HealthSherpa. Complete certification early to avoid delays during Open Enrollment.

NPN Override Bans Expanded
New Hampshire has joined Iowa, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Wisconsin in banning NPN overrides. If you're selling in any of these states, you must have a direct appointment with each carrier.

FFM Certification Downtime
The CMS MLMS platform will be offline beginning July 11 while 2026 certification is prepared. If you need to complete or download your 2025 certificate, do so before that date.

O’Neill Team Offline July 9–11
O’Neill Marketing will be attending its annual conference July 9 through July 11. Expect delayed response times during this period as the team will be offline and unavailable.

Contracting Process Overview with Logan Woods

Logan provided a full walkthrough of the O’Neill contracting experience, including:

Overview of more than 20 ACA carriers and private plans available
Use of our interactive state-by-state Carrier Map
Accessing, tracking, and requesting carrier appointments through the Agent Portal
Understanding portal substatuses and appointment timelines
Benefits of opting into an OIA email for enhanced contract management
Downloadable Contracting Roadmap available in the portal

For questions about appointments or contracting, email contracting@oneillmarketing.net

More Webinars

May ACA Round-Up

Stay up to date on the latest ACA changes with our May 2025 ACA Round-Up Webinar. We cover updates on SEP verification, Aetna CVS exits, proposed CMS rules, enhanced subsidies, Open Enrollment changes, and more.

April ACA Round-Up

In this month’s ACA Round-Up, we’re covering key carrier updates, compliance reminders, and introducing a powerful new feature in the O'Neill Agent Portal — the Customers Tab! This game-changing tool helps you view all your policies in one place, audit your book of business, and ensure you're getting paid for the business you write.

March ACA Round-Up

March’s ACA Webinar covers key updates every agent should know, including HealthSherpa’s new carrier codes, the latest on contracting blackout periods, Wisconsin’s new rule prohibiting NPN usage, and exciting updates to the Agent Portal—like our new Client Tab to help you track clients, policies, and manage your book of business with ease. Watch now to stay up to date!