The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is trying to get the "in-person assisters" who help consumers sign up for exchange plans publicize the Summary of Benefits and Coverage program.

Consumers "have a right to receive an SBC from their insurance company or group health plan upon request at any time," CMS says in a new SBC guide for assisters.

Drafters of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act created the SBC program in an effort to help consumers and employers compare PPACA-compliant major medical plans on an apples-to-apples basis.

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Allison Bell

Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor's insurance editor, previously was LifeHealthPro's health insurance editor. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Think_Allison.