Essential Community Providers (ECPs) are health care facilities that serve predominantly low-income and medically underserved individuals. Eligible providers include Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program providers, Title X family planning providers, Indian health care providers, Critical Access Hospitals, and other providers that meet eligibility criteria established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Under federal Affordable Care Act Marketplace requirements, Qualified Health Plan (QHP) issuers must include a sufficient number and geographic distribution of ECPs in their provider networks. To support this requirement, CMS maintains the Essential Community Provider List, which issuers use to identify and contract with eligible providers.
Facilities that want to be included on the Final Plan Year 2028 ECP List should submit a new application or update an existing application by August 12, 2026. Existing ECPs are encouraged to complete the annual renewal process—even if no information has changed—to help ensure their information remains current and remain visible to Marketplace issuers seeking ECP network partners.