Missing paperwork puts coverage at risk for tens of thousands of people

Sep 17 2014

According to the Obama administration, as many as 115,000 people could lose the new insurance they obtained under the health law because they did not prove they were legal immigrants or U.S. citizens who were eligible for that coverage. Another 363,000 people must submit documentation to verify their incomes by Sept. 30 or lose their subsidies. These two numbers combined represent about 10 percent of the people who signed up through the online insurance marketplaces.

The New York Times: U.S. To End Coverage Under Health Care Law For Tens Of Thousands
The Obama administration said on Monday that it planned to terminate health insurance for 115,000 people on Oct. 1 because they had failed to prove that they were United States citizens or legal immigrants eligible for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. It also told 363,000 people that they could lose financial aid because their incomes could not be verified (Pear, 9/15).

Los Angeles Times: Many May Lose Obamacare Coverage Because Of Missing Paperwork
Some 115,000 people are poised to be cut from insurance rolls at the end of the month because they haven't verified their citizenship or immigration status. Another 363,000 people haven't sent in the necessary forms proving their income, a key requirement for calculating the size of government subsidies some consumers are eligible to receive under the law. Together, that represents about 10% of those who signed up for coverage on new federal marketplaces created by the law (Levey, 9/15).

The Wall Street Journal: Tens Of Thousands Likely To Lose Health Insurance At End Of September
The government is now set to inform insurers to terminate at the end of the month the coverage those people bought through HealthCare.gov. A provision in the Affordable Care Act bars people living in the U.S. without authorization from obtaining coverage through the site. Federal officials also said they would send notices to about 279,000 people whose income can't be verified, giving them until Sept. 30 to submit further documentation. Those people won't lose their coverage if they don't respond, but the tax credits that offset the cost of their premiums could be suspended (Radnofsky, 9/15).

The Washington Post: 115,000 Immigrants To Lose Health Coverage By Sept. 30 Because Of Lack Of Status Data
Those individuals can still send in the needed information to the federal exchange and if they are found eligible, they will be able to regain coverage, officials said. They will be considered under a special category reserved for people who have experienced a major life change, such as having a baby or getting divorced or losing a job with health insurance. Separately, about 363,000 consumers who have coverage could lose financial subsidies for their insurance premiums unless they clear up information about their incomes that differs from that on federal tax records. If those individuals don't provide updated income information by Sept. 30, federal health officials will adjust their premiums to "reflect what we have in our records," said Andy Slavitt, principal deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which manages HealthCare.gov, the federal exchange (Sun, 9/15).

Reuters: U.S. Says 115,000 Could Lose Obamacare Insurance Over Immigration
The Obama administration on Monday said 115,000 people in 36 states could lose their private health insurance under Obamacare after Sept. 30, because of unresolved data problems involving their citizenship or immigration status. Another 363,000 people could see their insurance costs change, due to problems involving income data that is used to determine whether enrollees qualify for federal subsidies to help pay premiums on health plans obtained through the federal insurance marketplace, according to the administration. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which operates the federal marketplace for consumers in 36 states, said the number of people with data problems is down from June when 966,000 had citizenship or immigration discrepancies and 1.6 million people had problem data involving income (9/15).

USA Today: Feds Give Immigrants More Time On Health Care
About 115,000 of 966,000 people who bought plans on HealthCare.gov and owed more information about their immigration status have unresolved issues, Andy Slavitt, principal deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said. These people were given a deadline of Sept. 5 to submit information -; they now have until Sept. 30 to provide proof of their citizenship, or they will lose coverage. After that date, those people can reapply if they can prove citizenship even though the open enrollment period is closed. The other 851,000 people either have had their cases resolved, or the cases are in the process of being resolved. Slavitt would not comment on how the resolved cases were decided. "The good news is they have been able to resolve one way or another most of the problem applications where federal databases could not verify income or legal status," says health care consultant Kip Piper, a former state and federal Medicare official (O'Donnell, 9/15).

McClatchy: Feds Offer Lifeline To 115,000 Facing Loss Of Health Coverage
After failing to respond to multiple outreach attempts, more than 100,000 people could lose their federal marketplace health coverage on Sept. 30, while more than three times that many could see their premiums increase, if they fail to verify their income, U.S. residency or immigration status as required by the Obama administration. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the deadline on Monday when it began sending out cancellation warnings to 115,000 people in 36 states who haven't yet provided the proper citizenship and immigration documents with their applications for coverage (Pugh, 9/15).

The Fiscal Times: Thousands Of Obamacare Enrollees To Lose Coverage
Some 115,000 people who signed up for health insurance through the federal marketplace this year will lose their coverage at the end of the month for failing to provide the government with proof of citizenship or immigration status. Officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said they sent out notices to 300,000 enrollees last month, asking them to verify their citizenship, which is required to receive health coverage under Obamacare (Ehley, 9/15).