Why an Employee Doesn't See a Carrier or Plan They Expected
For agents: Quote results and employee Shop inventory are different systems. Most “why don’t they see Carrier X?” questions are availability/routing — not a StretchDollar bug.
What StretchDollar quote results are
The quoting tool models ICHRA cost using benchmark tiers (for example Cost Saver / Gold-style modeling). Those tiers support budget design. They are not a live list of every enrollable plan an employee will see later.
Where employees actually see carriers
After accepting benefits, employees use Benefits Portal → Shop, which opens an external marketplace/exchange (Healthcare.gov path, state exchange, HealthSherpa, etc.) based mainly on the employee’s state (and partner routing). Carrier/plan inventory lives on that external site and varies by:
- ZIP / county
- Household details
- On-exchange vs off-exchange path
- Plan year / open enrollment vs special enrollment
- What’s offered in that market right now
Agent triage checklist
- Confirm the employee is in Shop (not your quote PDF / quote link).
- Confirm employee address/ZIP/state is correct in StretchDollar.
- Confirm they’re on the expected on- vs off-exchange path for their state (see On-Exchange vs. Off-Exchange Plans: What's the Difference?).
- Remind them quote Bronze/Gold modeling ≠ a guarantee that a specific carrier appears in Shop.
- If routing looks wrong for the state/partner, escalate to support with employer + employee state — agents can’t restock carriers inside StretchDollar.