What is the ACA attestation form and why do agents need it?

The ACA attestation form lets clients review the information an agent will enter into their Marketplace application and sign to confirm it is correct. CMS requires this documentation to protect both the client and the agent. Having a signed attestation creates an audit trail that demonstrates the agent acted with the client's informed consent.

How does the ACA attestation process work with CrankWheel?

Start a screen sharing session and share to the client's mobile phone. Press the record button, then launch the attestation form. The client fills in their personal information while you watch in real time. When they click Submit, they see a preview and sign the form. Both the agent and client receive a PDF copy by email, and you also have a video recording of the session.

Does the ACA attestation form verify the client's identity?

Yes. CrankWheel captures the client's verified phone number along with their IP address and the information they filled in. The form is sent to the client's phone via a unique link, which ties the signature to a verified mobile number.

Is the ACA attestation form available in Spanish?

Yes. Both the ACA consent form and the ACA attestation form are available in Spanish, making it easier for agents to serve Spanish-speaking clients during open enrollment.

What is the difference between the ACA consent form and the ACA attestation form?

The ACA consent form captures the client's permission for the agent or broker to assist them with their Marketplace enrollment. The attestation form goes a step further, allowing the client to review the specific information the agent will submit on their behalf and sign to confirm its accuracy before the application is submitted.

How do agents enable the consent and attestation form feature in CrankWheel?

Log in to your CrankWheel settings, scroll to the bottom, confirm you are an agent or broker, and fill in your information. Save your settings and restart the CrankWheel extension. The form feature will then appear when you start a screen sharing session.

Gather consent and get attestation from ACA clients

This feature was launched in October 2023 and as of October 27th 2024, we are launching a version that has been updated based on CMS’ recent rule changes. This feature allows you to get forms signed with an electronic signature, including ACA consent.

For the ACA marketplace, there are two types of forms available for health insurance agents and brokers, discussed below.

For Medicare, we are also launching a Scope of Appointment (SOA) form on the same day, please see more details here.

Agents and brokers can in a simple way capture consent from their clients with the ACA Marketplace enrollment consent form.

The other form that we are rolling out, makes it possible for agents and brokers to record when they are showing their clients the information that has been put in and sign their attestation that the information the agent will put in the application is correct.

Here’s how the attestation form works:

How Health Agents and Brokers Get Client’s Attestation for Enrollment

Pre-requisite: Sign up for CrankWheel if you haven’t already done so, then log into your settings. Scroll all the way to the bottom and verify that you are an agent or a broker and fill in your information. Click Save and restart your CrankWheel extension.

Start a screen sharing session with CrankWheel and share to your client’s mobile phone. Sharing to a mobile is important since we use the phone number to validate the signature.
Press the record button and share the form with your client.
Launch the Attestation form.
Let the client fill in the personal information. You can see it live when they are filling in so you can let them know if anything isn’t correct.
Tell the client to click Submit. They will now see the preview of the form will all the information and they will see the text that are hereby verifying that they gave you the information through an online meeting.
The client signs the form with the same name that they entered at the beginning of the form.
Once the client submits the signature, the client will get a confirmation and can download the e-signed document. Both you and the client will receive the PDF via email.

Now you have both the signed attestation as well as a recording that shows you going over the data that the client attested to. The video also shows when the attestation form was being filled. See how health insurance agent Marcus Thompson streamlines ACA enrollment with screen sharing.

Frequently Asked Questions about Marketplace Attestations:

Does the signature pick up the IP address of the client?

Yes it does along with their verified phone number, and the information filled in by your client.

Is it possible to download a blank form?

You can do a demo run of signing a form yourself. Then you will get a PDF with the form sent to you by email.

Are the forms available in Spanish?

Yes! Both the ACA consent form and the ACA attestation form are available in Spanish for your clients.

Does the verification need to come from text or can it be sent from email?

To begin with you will need to send a text and your client needs to access the form through a smartphone. We may allow verification by email at a later date.

Does the client need to join by phone?

Yes, your client needs to join by phone through the link in the text message that you send via CrankWheel. We may allow verification by email at a later date, so that users could join from their computer rather than from their mobile phone.

Can consent and attestation be done just through the recording if the client can’t join by phone?

Our understanding of the CMS guidelines is that it is possible, as long as the recording captures both sides of the conversation. The easiest way is to have your client join the meeting with web audio, with automatic recording on for your account (our support team turns it on at no extra cost for insurance professionals): CrankWheel then records both sides together with your screen. If you talk on the phone, CrankWheel records only your side. If your phone system records calls, we can combine its recording with your CrankWheel recording through our API; contact support@crankwheel.com to set it up.

Can I share the HealthSherpa page?

Yes, you can share any website or software that you are using on your computer. Many agents have been using CrankWheel to show their clients information from HealthSherpa.

If a client has signed the consent or attestation by phone, can they join the ongoing session by computer?

Yes. You simply click the “Add viewers” button while the session is ongoing, and get them connected from their computer by sending an email or asking them to join in by typing your public link in their browser. You should only do this after they have completed signing the consent form and/or attestation form, because the forms can only be launched when there is only a single device connected to the session.

Can I start by sharing to a client’s computer and have the client switch to the phone to sign?

Yes. The client must enter through the text you sent and close the CrankWheel window on the computer. When there is one device connected that joined by text, you can start the form flow.