California agents back Web firms

The California Association of Health Underwriters wants its state’s public exchange to let “Web-based entities” help with enrollment.

Traditional brick-and-mortar agents in some states have opposed letting Web-based entities help with the sale of “qualified health plan” coverage. Those agents have argued that letting the Web-based entities help with QHP sales would make the damage the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is doing to agents even worse.

In California, however, the CAHU board has voted unanimously to ask the Covered California exchange board to allow use of Web-based entity technology.

“The current process requires too many steps,” CAHU said in a message it sent to the Covered California board.