The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has signed a web-broker entity agreement with eHealth, as Mountain View, Calif.-based company that providesprivateonline health insurance exchanges. The agreement will allow eHealth to enroll tax-subsidy-eligible residents of 36 states in qualified health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

As a "web-broker entity" (WBE), eHealth will have access the Federal electronic data hub. This will help the company determine tax subsidy eligibility and the amount of a subsidy. It also provides consumer- and privacy-protective requirements and standards beyond those spelled out in regulations. eHealth will still need to sign an agreement encompassing the federal requirements for agents and brokers.

"The agreement announced today is an important step in eHealth's efforts to help deliver on the goals of the Affordable Care Act by giving many Americans the ability to utilize their subsidies when they enroll in quality health insurance at eHealth.com," Gary Lauer, CEO and Chairman of eHealth, Inc., said in statement. "We applaud CMS for embracing public-private partnerships with marketplaces like eHealth to establish a framework for secure, streamlined and cost-free enrollment of tax-subsidy-eligible people.”