Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz says the agency is asking health insurers to work with Marketplace brokers who record enrollment conversations. Oz described the request in an interview published Sunday, October 4, as the administration expands its response to unauthorized Affordable Care Act enrollments.
The recorded-call request is an administration proposal, not a new final regulation announced by CMS. It would give insurers and regulators a record showing that a consumer authorized an enrollment and that a broker explained the available coverage.
What CMS has already changed
CMS said it canceled about 315,000 enrollments covering more than 760,000 people on August 31 after agency and insurer reviews confirmed that the enrollments were unauthorized. The agency expects roughly $2.2 billion in advance premium tax-credit payments associated with those enrollments to be returned.
Those totals refer to enrollments, not 760,000 separate policies: one Marketplace enrollment can cover more than one person. The people affected by the August cancellations were identified through the agency’s existing unauthorized-enrollment review process, according to CMS.
CMS also said it has sent termination notices to more than 200 agents and brokers since January. This summer, it issued 569 notices of intent to terminate Exchange Agreements to brokers that submitted 2026 applications without identifying information such as Social Security numbers.
Recorded calls would add to electronic authorization
The agency has already announced several safeguards for the coming enrollment period. Existing agents and brokers must reverify their identities through Login.gov or ID.me. Broker-assisted applications must include verifiable Social Security numbers or immigration document numbers for non-newborn applicants. CMS also plans to require electronic consumer authorization before a broker can act on an application or enrollment.
Oz told Fox News Digital that insurers are now being asked to work with brokers who record their conversations with applicants. CMS’s September 22 fact sheet does not list recorded calls as a formal requirement, so consumers and brokers should not assume that the interview created a nationwide mandate by itself.
Registration pause and industry concern
CMS has temporarily paused 2027 registration for new agents and brokers who do not already have an active 2026 Exchange Agreement. The agency said newer brokers represented a small share of broker-assisted enrollments but a disproportionate share of applications with unresolved verification issues.
The National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals told Reuters that a blanket registration moratorium could penalize legitimate professionals and urged targeted safeguards. Analysts also warned that a broad pause could complicate enrollment for insurers that depend on brokers to reach customers.
What Marketplace consumers can do
- Review every Marketplace notice and sign in directly at HealthCare.gov to confirm the plan, household members and broker information on the account.
- Do not share an application ID, password or verification code with an unsolicited caller.
- Ask a broker how authorization will be documented and whether a call is being recorded before discussing personal information.
- Report an enrollment or plan change you did not authorize through the Marketplace call center or the CMS complaint process.
People comparing government health-plan options may also want to review AskNovus’s separate look at Medicare Advantage provider-network changes for 2027. Medicare Advantage and ACA Marketplace coverage are different programs, but both require consumers to verify plan details before enrolling.
Sources
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services anti-fraud fact sheet, September 22, 2026
- Fox News Digital interview with CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, October 4, 2026
- Reuters report on Marketplace enrollment cancellations and industry response, September 22, 2026
Illustrative photo: Marek Studzinski/Unsplash.