The "Bipartisan Healthcare Optimization, Protection, and Extension Act" aims to enhance access to affordable health coverage and strengthen fraud prevention in health insurance Exchanges. The bill extends the enhanced premium tax credits, originally set to expire, for two additional years, covering taxable years 2026 and 2027. This extension modifies the premium percentages, ensuring that individuals and families continue to pay lower percentages of their income towards health insurance premiums. Crucially, it also extends the eligibility for these credits to individuals with household incomes exceeding 400% of the poverty line, specifically up to 935% of the poverty line, for these two years. To combat fraud and protect consumers, the legislation significantly increases penalties for agents and brokers involved in Exchange enrollments. It establishes civil penalties ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 per individual for negligent provision of incorrect information and up to $200,000 per individual for knowingly providing false or fraudulent information. Additionally, agents or brokers who knowingly and willfully provide false or fraudulent information could face criminal penalties , including fines and imprisonment for up to 10 years. The bill mandates new consumer protections for agent- or broker-assisted enrollments in Secretary-operated Exchanges, requiring a verification process by January 1, 2029. This process includes obtaining individual consent, delaying commission payments until enrollment inconsistencies are resolved, and providing timely notifications to individuals about any changes to their coverage or agent of record. Individuals must also have accessible account information to monitor their enrollment details and cancel unauthorized activity. Furthermore, the legislation grants the Secretary authority to regulate field marketing organizations and third-party marketing organizations involved in the "chain of enrollment" by January 1, 2029. This regulation includes establishing criteria for States to ensure agents and brokers act in the best interests of the enrollee and that marketing practices are not confusing or misleading. The Secretary will also implement periodic audits of agents and brokers, based on complaints or suspected fraud, and share audit results with State insurance departments. To improve data integrity, the bill requires the Secretary to conduct quarterly checks of the Death Master File to identify and remove deceased individuals from Exchange plans, and mandates that, beginning January 1, 2027, Exchanges must clearly notify individuals of the exact amount of their premium tax credit before enrollment. Finally, the bill extends the annual open enrollment period for plan year 2026, allowing it to run from November 1, 2025, to May 15, 2026.