Identity Proofing (or ID Proofing) is one of the first steps of the process to apply for health coverage through the Health Connector website. ID proofing is a requirement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and must be completed in order for you to submit an application through the Health Connector website. ID proofing is used to verify your identity and is done by asking you questions based on your personal and financial history.
When you check credit report after ID Proofing, you may see an inquiry from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS uses credit reporting agencies like Experian to verify the information on your eligibility application. This is only an inquiry and does not affect your credit score. Your eligibility application and credit score will not be affected by the inquiries from Experian or CMS.
To protect your personal information, you have to take a few steps to verify your identity before you can complete an application. First, you will provide information when you create your profile. This information will be used for the first step of ID proofing. Once your information is verified, the ID proofing process will ask you questions that only you would be likely to know the answers to, based on your financial accounts and personal information on your credit report. This process is meant to prevent an unauthorized person from creating an account and applying for health coverage in your name without your knowledge.
You should be prepared to provide accurate answers to questions about your personal and financial history. You will not be asked about all of these issues, but having this information handy will be helpful:
- Addresses of current and past residences
- Names of counties resided in, past and present
- Auto ownership—Details of the car, the license plate, and any auto loans
- Names of current and previous employers
- Credit cards—Name of lenders, year and month the account was opened
- Mortgages—Name of the lenders, amount of mortgage, and the term (the number of months or years) of the loan
- Loans (including Auto, Student, and Home Equity Loans)—including the name of the lender, amount of loan, and term (the number of months or years) of the loan
About 90% of people that apply through the Health Connector pass ID proofing. You will have 3 chances to enter your information in order to pass. If you do not pass the first time, you can try adding a middle name, suffix, or Social Security number, if you have these, to improve your chances of passing the first step of ID proofing.
If you get a message on the Health Connector site that tells you that your identity couldn’t be verified, it simply means that we couldn’t match all of the information you provided with the information available in the electronic records we use for verification. It does not mean that we will not be able to verify your identity, but that we need to take some additional steps to do so.
Some reasons why you may not be able to pass ID proofing is if you have moved within the last year or you have a locked credit report. Sometimes, adding some additional information about yourself, like a middle name, suffix, or Social Security number may help you pass ID proofing.
If the Health Connector website informs you that your identity couldn’t be verified online, you’ll need to send proper documentation—such as a copy of your driver’s license; U.S. passport; or another identification card issued by the federal, state, or local government (for example a Massachusetts State ID card)—in order to continue your application. See the full list below under “ID Proofing Accepted Documents”.
- Driver’s license issued by state or territory
- School identification card
- Voter Identification card
- military draft card or draft record
- Identification card issued by the federal, state, or local government
- U.S. passport or U.S. passport card
- Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570) or Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)
- Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551)
- Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph (Form I-766)
- Military dependent’s identification card
- Native American Tribal document
- Coast Guard Merchant Mariner card
- Foreign passport, or identification card issued by a foreign embassy or consulate that contains a photograph
If you can’t provide a copy of one of the above documents, you can send us a copy of two of the following documents instead:
- Birth certificate
- Social Security card
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce decree
- Employer identification card
- High school or college diploma (including high school equivalency diplomas)
- Property deed or title
You can send us documents in the following ways:
Fax: 617-887-8745
Mail:
Health Connector
133 Portland Street, 1st floor
Boston, MA 02114-1707
In-person at a Walk-in Center:
Boston
133 Portland Street, 1st Floor
Boston, MA 02114-1707
Hours
Springfield
88 Industry Avenue
Springfield, MA 01104
Hours
Worcester
Massachusetts Health Connector
146 Main Street, Suite 201/202
Worcester, MA 01608
Hours
Please don’t send original documents. The document(s) you send must have either a photograph or other identifying information such as name, age, sex, race, height, weight, eye color, or address. We may ask you additional questions about your documentation in order to verify your identity.
After your documentation is received and processed, you will be able to proceed with our application. It will take up to 48 hours the Health Connector to process your documentation after it is received. You can log into your application and check back periodically after you send your document to see if you can continue your application. You will not be able to complete your application until your documentation is processed.
After your documentation is received and processed, you may receive a phone call, an email, or both to let you know that either your identity was verified or further information is still required.
Note—The Health Connector and MassHealth are required to abide by strict privacy and security standards to make sure your information is protected.
Please contact the Health Connector or MassHealth Customer Service Center to check for a status update:
- Health Connector: 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765), or TTY 1-877-623-7773 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled.
- MassHealth: 1-800-841-2900, or TTY 1-800-497-4648 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled.
If, after you submitted your verification documents and received confirmation that you can continue with your application, but continue to have issues verifying your identity you can:
- Call the Health Connector or MassHealth Customer Service Center to help you complete your application, or
- Mail in a paper application to Health Insurance Processing Center, P.O. Box 4405, Taunton, MA 02780 or fax to 617-887-8770.
Your eligibility determination will be maintained until you are able to select and enroll in a plan, as long as you do so before the end of your enrollment period. Please follow the steps above in order for the Health Connector to verify your identity.
You can also call Health Connector Customer Service for help with selecting and enrolling in a plan at 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765), or TTY 1-877-623-7773 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled.
Page content adapted from “FAQ on Remote Identity Proofing, Remote Identity Proofing Failures and Application Inconsistencies (Federally-facilitated Marketplace)”.