Unresolved citizenship, immigration status threaten health law coverage for 310,000 people

Aug 14 2014

The federal government has mailed notification to the people in three dozen states. These people have until Sept. 5 to present green cards, citizenship documents or other information to prove their eligibility for health insurance purchased through the online insurance marketplace. If this deadline is missed, the coverage will end as of Sept. 30.

The New York Times: Over 300,000 Must Prove Eligibility Or Lose Health Care
More than 300,000 people who bought subsidized health insurance under the Affordable Care Act could lose it next month if they do not provide proof that they are living in the United States legally, the Obama administration said Tuesday (Goodnough, 8/12).

The Washington Post: Administration Warns Some Could Lose Health-Care Coverage On Federal Exchange
Federal health officials are warning hundreds of thousands of people who have bought health plans through the federal insurance exchange that their coverage will be cut off unless they quickly provide proof that their citizenship or immigration status makes them eligible to be insured through the new marketplace. The warnings, in letters being mailed this week to 310,000 people in the three dozen states that rely on the exchange, give the recipients until Sept. 5 to send copies of green cards, citizenship documents or other information showing that they qualify for the coverage. If they miss the deadline, their coverage will end on Sept. 30 (Goldstein, 8/12).

The Associated Press: Deadline To Clear Up Health Law Eligibility Near
Of the 8 million people who signed up for private coverage through President Barack Obama's law, more than 2 million at one point had discrepancies of some sort that affected their eligibility. That number has been greatly reduced -; but the remaining cases are proving difficult to resolve. People living in the country illegally are not allowed to get coverage. Officials at the Health and Human Services Department said the letters will notify consumers with unresolved citizenship and immigration issues that they can upload their documents to the HealthCare.gov website, or mail them in (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/13).

The Wall Street Journal: Health Coverage To End Without Proof Of Citizenship Or Legal Residency
Immigration status has been one of the most politically charged aspects of the law. During congressional debate, supporters added a provision banning people living in the U.S. without authorization from using the exchanges to buy coverage and from receiving tax credits that many lower-income Americans and legal residents can get. Some immigration activists grudgingly accepted the restriction as necessary to maintain support for the legislation, but said it was spiteful to prohibit people from using the site entirely
(Radnofsky, 8/12).

Politico: Immigration Status May Cost People Obamacare Coverage
The individuals receiving those warning notices are a portion of the almost 1 million people with citizenship or immigration "data-matching" errors that CMS has been working to resolve since May, according to a release Tuesday (Norman, 8/12).

Bloomberg: About 300k To Lose Obamacare Unless Prove Residency
In May, the U.S. said about 1 million people who signed up for private health plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act lacked proof that they are citizens or legal residents. Since then, about 660,000 have documented their eligibility for the program or are doing so, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said today in a statement. About 8 million people signed up for plans using new health insurance exchanges by April, when the law's first enrollment period closed (Wayne, 8/12).

CQ Healthbeat: Federal Health Exchange Asks 310,000 Consumers For Citizenship Data
CMS said that it has made some progress in whittling down the number of applications that triggered questions about applicants' citizenship and immigration status. The agency said that it has closed about 450,000 of these cases, and another 210,000 are moving toward completion. The cases often stem from a glitch with an application, such as incomplete or inaccurate information about a Social Security number or permanent resident card. Such inconsistencies don't necessarily mean that an applicant doesn't qualify for aid, CMS said (Young, 8/12).

McClatchy: Thousands Might Lose Health Insurance Over Missing Documents
Some 310,000 people with inconsistencies in their citizenship and immigration materials might lose their federal marketplace health coverage Sept. 30 unless they provide proper supporting documents by Sept. 5, the Obama administration announced Tuesday. In May, the Department of Health and Human Services began contacting about 2 million people about discrepancies or errors in the personal information they'd provided in their insurance applications. The problems stem, in part, from an administration policy that allowed applicants to self-report information about their incomes, citizenship and household size, all of which contribute to determining their eligibility for tax credits to help pay for coverage (Pugh, 8/12).

The Hill: 300K Warned: Send In Documents Or Forfeit Obamacare Coverage
The last-ditch effort, announced Tuesday, is targeted at policyholders who have not responded to previous requests that they clarify their immigration status to HHS. "We want as many consumers as possible to remain enrolled in marketplace coverage, so we are giving these individuals a last chance to submit their documents before their coverage through the marketplace will end," said Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner in a statement (Viebeck, 8/12).

Miami Herald: Feds Warn 93,800 Floridians To Prove Immigration Status Or Lose Obamacare
Federal health officials are warning almost 94,000 people in Florida that they must prove they are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants in order to remain eligible for insurance under the Affordable Care Act (Madigan, 8/12).