This article explains how HealthSherpa handles plan year renewals for both on-exchange and off-exchange enrollments, and what carriers can expect from the 2027 renewal cycle. It is intended for all carrier admin users.
đ PY2027 Open Enrollment Period (OEP): November 1, 2026 â January 15, 2027. The deadline for January 1, 2027 coverage is December 15, 2026. |
Renewal Types: Active vs. Passive
HealthSherpa supports two types of renewals for on-exchange enrollments. Understanding the difference helps your team set the right expectations for agents and members heading into Open Enrollment.
Renewal Type | What It Is | Who Initiates It |
Active Renewal | The consumer (with or without agent assistance) updates their application and selects a plan during OEP | Agent or consumer, via HealthSherpa for Agents or the consumer dashboard |
Passive Renewal | CMS automatically re-enrolls the consumer into the same or a crosswalk-equivalent plan when no action is taken by end of OEP | CMS (via BAR â Batch Auto Re-enrollment), running OctoberâDecember |
Active renewals are strongly preferred. They ensure accurate subsidy determinations, give members the chance to shop, and reduce downstream coverage mismatches for your team. |
On-Exchange Renewals
How Active Renewals Work
During OEP, agents can initiate active renewals for their clients through four pathways in HealthSherpa for Agents:
Renewal Email: Send a bulk or individual renewal email from the Clients dashboard. Includes a "Renew your plan online now" link that takes the consumer directly into the renewal flow.
Search Marketplace: Retrieve a consumer's existing Marketplace application and update it. The crosswalk renewal plan is shown by default; agents may override to a different plan.
Client Profile / Renew Button: From the Clients list, click a client's name â click "Renew." Choose to start with the application (subsidy review first) or go directly to plan shopping.
Renewals Tab: A dedicated task view in the Clients page that surfaces at-risk clients by renewal status â including BAR opt-outs, subsidy risk, crosswalk changes, and carrier changes â with one-click "Renew now" actions.
Consumers can also renew independently via their Consumer Dashboard, their agent's Marketing Link, or by responding to a bulk renewal email.
Renewal Pathways
HealthSherpa has streamlined the active renewal flow, designed to reduce the number of steps required to complete a renewal. It pre-populates known application data and guides agents or consumers through a shortened 1â3 screen experience allowing them to make edits where necessary.
To learn more about available renewal pathways, visit our Renewal Pathways article here. |
How Passive Renewals Work
If a consumer does not take action by the end of OEP, CMS may passively re-enroll them via BAR. For a passive renewal to occur, the consumer must:
Have an active policy
Not have opted out of BAR
Have granted CMS access to their tax return (for subsidy re-determination)
Have a plan still available in their area (or a valid crosswalk plan)
Not have already actively renewed
Visibility note for carriers: Passive renewals are not always immediately visible in an agent's dashboard. Agents may need to use "Search Marketplace" after approximately December 15 to retrieve the new FFM application ID tied to a passive renewal. |
Crosswalk and BAR
Crosswalk is the process by which CMS maps a consumer into a comparable plan when their current plan is being discontinued or their carrier is exiting their area. Carriers file a Plan ID Crosswalk with CMS prior to each plan year to support this process. If a consumer has opted out of BAR, they will not be crosswalked and will not passively renew.
BAR (Batch Auto Re-enrollment) runs October through December each year. Consumers can opt out at any time via the "Do not auto-renew this plan for [upcoming plan year]" button on their client detail page. This button appears just before OEP and remains available through December 31.
Off-Exchange Renewals
Off-exchange renewals on HealthSherpa are active only. Passive renewals are not currently supported for off-exchange enrollments. Agents or consumers must log in and actively submit a renewal during OEP.
To renew an off-exchange member, agents access the client's detail page in HealthSherpa for Agents and click Renew. Consumers can also initiate this directly from their Consumer Dashboard.
Because there is no passive renewal fallback for off-exchange members, proactive outreach during OEP is especially important. Agents should use the Renewals tab and renewal email tools to engage off-exchange clients early in the OEP window.
If you are interested in exploring passive renewal functionality for your off-exchange membership please contact your Account Manager.
What Carriers Provide for Off-Exchange Renewals
Updated SERFFs: New-plan-year plan data (requested by HealthSherpa each late summer/early fall)
Application changes: Any updates to application questions or SEP logic for the new plan year
Payment redirect confirmation: Ensure your SAML-configured payment URL remains valid for the new plan year
Carrier Policy Status Feed (optional): Carriers that participate in the daily policy status feed give HealthSherpa visibility into effectuation status, payment issues, and member-initiated changes â helping agents and ICHRA platforms act before coverage issues escalate. If you're interested in enabling this, contact your Account Manager. |
Key Dates: PY2027 Renewal Cycle
Milestone | Timing | Notes |
SERFF / plan data submission to HealthSherpa | Late summer / early fall 2026 | Required for both on- and off-exchange |
BAR runs (passive renewals, on-exchange only) | October â December 2026 | CMS-driven; no carrier action required |
OEP begins | November 1, 2026 | Active renewals and new enrollments open |
Deadline for January 1 coverage | December 15, 2026 |
|
OEP ends | January 15, 2027 | February 1 coverage deadline |
Passive renewal visibility in agent dashboard | Window Shopping |
|
Need Help?
If you have questions about your carrier's renewal configuration, SERFF submission timelines, or member sync setup, reach out to your Technical Account Manager (TAM). For self-service documentation, visit the Carrier Help Center at carrierhelp.healthsherpa.com.