RNC Research

Tens Of Thousands Of People Who Faced Issues Signing Up For Coverage On The ObamaCare Exchange Are Now Finding Their Appeals Stuck In Limbo. “Tens of thousands of people who discovered that HealthCare.gov made mistakes as they were signing up for a health plan are confronting a new roadblock: The government cannot yet fix the errors. Roughly 22,000 Americans have filed appeals with the government to try to get mistakes corrected, according to internal government data obtained by The Washington Post.” (Amy Goldstein, “HealthCare.gov Can’t Handle Appeals Of Enrollment Errors,” The Washington Post, 2/3/14)

• For Some Website Users, They Were Overcharged Or Denied Coverage. “They contend that the computer system for the new federal online marketplace charged them too much for health insurance, steered them into the wrong insurance program or denied them coverage entirely.” (Amy Goldstein, “HealthCare.gov Can’t Handle Appeals Of Enrollment Errors,” The Washington Post, 2/3/14)

The Appeals Have Yet To Be Addressed And Federal Workers Have Been Unable To Access The Records And Fix Errors. “For now, the appeals are sitting, untouched, inside a government computer. And an unknown number of consumers who are trying to get help through less formal means — by calling the health-care marketplace directly — are told that HealthCare.gov’s computer system is not yet allowing federal workers to go into enrollment records and change them, according to individuals inside and outside the government who are familiar with the situation.” (Amy Goldstein, “HealthCare.gov Can’t Handle Appeals Of Enrollment Errors,” The Washington Post, 2/3/14)

“The Obama Administration Has Not Made Public The Fact That The Appeals System For The Online Marketplace Is Not Working.” “The Obama administration has not made public the fact that the appeals system for the online marketplace is not working. In recent weeks, legal advocates have been pressing administration officials, pointing out that rules for the online marketplace, created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act, guarantee due-process rights to timely hearings for Americans who think they have been improperly denied insurance or subsidies.” (Amy Goldstein, “HealthCare.gov Can’t Handle Appeals Of Enrollment Errors,” The Washington Post, 2/3/14)

Individuals Privy To Internal Conversations Say That Addressing The Appeals Is Not A Top Priority For The Obama Administration. Three knowledgeable individuals, speaking on the condition of anonymity about internal discussions, said it is unclear when the appeals process will become available. So far, it is not among the top priorities for completing parts of the federal insurance exchange’s computer system that still do not work. Those include an electronic payment system for insurers, the computerized exchange of enrollment information with state Medicaid programs, and the ability to adjust people’s coverage to accommodate new babies and other major changes in life circumstance.” (Amy Goldstein, “HealthCare.gov Can’t Handle Appeals Of Enrollment Errors,” The Washington Post, 2/3/14)