Thousands of Michiganders stand to lose their health
coverage at the end of the month unless they provide the proper documentation
by Friday showing that they are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants.
Letters were sent to about 9,800 Michigan residents
for whom the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace, or state exchange, is
missing information or shows “inconsistencies” in their applications for
insurance, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
While about 450,000 such cases were resolved
nationally, about 210,000 cases remain in limbo without the proper
documentation. Information, such as Social Security numbers or a permanent
resident card number, may be incomplete or different than the information the
government has on file.
The difficulty in reaching some consumers is more
than just a language barrier. It’s also about a lack of resources and a limited
number of outreach staff workers, said Ryan Sullivan, policy director at
Michigan Consumers for Healthcare.
The group assists Michiganders who are trying to
navigate the state insurance exchange that was established under federal health
care reform. Coverage on the exchange was effective for the first time Jan. 1.
People who are new to the state or country may not
be connected with community services or specially trained navigators to help
them sort through complex insurance or document issues.
“We’re of course unhappy to see this kind of snag in
the system,” Sullivan said, adding that consumers and advocates are “still on a
steep learning curve.”
According to a written statement by Marilyn
Tavenner, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, the government has tried at least five times to reach each consumer
whose application contains inadequate information about their immigration
status or citizenship.
Those who received this letter should log in to
their HealthCare.gov account and select their current application to upload
their documents or call 800-318-2596.
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