HHS probes data discrepancies for 2 million enrollees

Jun 6 2014

Administration officials said that in most cases, those discrepancies will not affect consumers' coverage or the level of subsidies they received. Individuals are being asked to submit additional documentation to ensure they're getting the correct tax credits. About half of the discrepancies involved the incomes people projected for 2014 versus their past income documented in tax returns and the other half involved citizenship or immigration information.

The Associated Press: Now Application 'Inconsistencies' Vex Health Law
A huge new paperwork headache for the government could also be jeopardizing coverage for some of the millions of people who just got health insurance under President Barack Obama's law. A government document provided to The Associated Press indicates that at least 2 million people enrolled for taxpayer-subsidized private health insurance have data discrepancies in their applications that, if unresolved, could affect what they pay for coverage, or even their legal right to benefits (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/4).

Politico: 2 Million Obamacare Enrollees Asked For More Info
The officials emphasized that discrepancies in people's application data are unlikely to affect their coverage or the level of subsidies they received. Rather, they'll have to submit additional documentation to ensure that they're getting the correct level of tax credits (Cheney, 6/4).

McClatchy: HHS Works To Correct 2 Million Data Discrepancies In Marketplace Applications
The Obama administration is contacting millions of Americans who signed up for marketplace health insurance about apparent discrepancies in the personal information they provided in their coverage applications. As the inconsistencies involving some two million marketplace plan members are verified and resolved, some could end up losing their coverage or having to repay government subsidies that were overly generous if outright falsehoods are uncovered. "Two million consumers are not at risk of losing coverage --they simply need to work with us in good faith to provide additional information that supports their application for coverage and we are working through these cases expeditiously," said a statement from Julie Bataille, communications director at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Pugh, 6/4).

ABC News: Obamacare Sign-Up Errors Put Some of 2 Million Enrollees In Jeopardy
The Obamacare enrollment flap is far from over. Some of the more than 2 million Americans who signed up for insurance through HealthCare.gov could be at risk of losing their coverage or be forced to repay part of all of their premium subsidy because of discrepancies with their applications, according to a government document obtained by the Associated Press and confirmed to ABC News by an administration official. That's roughly one in four applicants overall (Dwyer and Portnoy, 6/4).

PBS NewsHour: Data Discrepancies Found In Roughly One In Four Applications For Obamacare
Roughly a quarter of Americans who signed up for private health insurance under President Obama's health care law has inconsistent data in their applications, which could lead to them potentially losing coverage, according to government officials. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a new report identifying the discrepancies, which were first reported by the Associated Press. It showed that roughly 1.2 million enrollees filed applications with questionable income data, while roughly another million had problems with either their citizenship or immigration information (Choe, 6/4).

Reuters: U.S. Says 2.2M ACA Enrollees Have Data Issues
About 2.2 million people, or more than one in every four Americans who signed up for private health coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, have inconsistent data in their applications that could lead to them losing coverage in isolated cases, officials said on Wednesday. Republicans, who have made the law known as Obamacare a top issue for November's midterm congressional elections, pounced on the disclosure as fresh evidence that it poses an unworkable burden for Americans (6/4).