Another ObamaCare Headache After Declaring Victory On ObamaCare, Enrollment Discrepancies Afflict Obamas Signature Achievement In April, Obama Declared Victory For ObamaCare. President Obama declared victory Tuesday in the governments aggressive push to enroll seven million people in private health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, even as his senior aides braced for an escalated political battle over the law ahead of the falls crucial midterm elections. (Michael D. Shear and Robert Pear, Obama Claims Victory In Push For Insurance, The New York Times, 4/2/14) MILLIONS ARE IN LIMBO DUE TO DISCREPANCIES IN DATA FOR OBAMACARE ENROLLEES According To The Health And Human Services Inspector General, The Obama Administration Has Struggled To Clear Up Data Inconsistencies For 2.6 Million ObamaCare Enrollees. The Obama administration has been struggling to clear up data discrepancies that could potentially jeopardize coverage for millions under the health overhaul, the governments health care fraud watchdog reported Tuesday. The Obama administration has been struggling to clear up data discrepancies that could potentially jeopardize coverage for millions under the health overhaul, the governments health care fraud watchdog reported Tuesday. The Health and Human Services inspector general said the administration was not able to resolve 2.6 million so-called inconsistencies out of a total of 2.9 million such problems in the federal insurance exchange from October through December 2013. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws, The Associated Press, 7/1/14) During The Inspector Generals (IG) Audit, The Obama Administration Was Only Able To Resolve 10,000 Or 1 Percent The Total Of Data Inconsistencies. Of the roughly 330,000 cases that could be straightened out, the administration had only actually resolved about 10,000 during the period of the inspector generals audit. That worked out to less than 1 percent of the total. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws, The Associated Press, 7/1/14) Once State Run Exchanges Are Taken Into Consideration, The Number Of Discrepancies Could Go Well Above 2 .9 Million. The final number affected could well be higher. According to the administration the 2 million figure reflects only consumers who signed up through the federally administered HealthCare.gov website and call centers. The government signed up about 5.4 million people, while state-run websites signed up another 2.6 million. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Now Application Inconsistencies Vex Health Care Law, The Associated Press, 6/4/14) The Issue Spells Another Health Law Headache For Obama. It marked the first independent look at a festering behind-the-scenes issue that could turn into another health law headache for the White House. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws, The Associated Press, 7/1/14) The IG Has Called Upon The Obama Administration To Publicly Explain What Steps Will Be Taken To Resolve The Issue. However, the watchdog office called on the administration to publicly explain how and by what date it will resolve the data problems in the 36 states where Washington is operating new insurance markets. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws, The Associated Press, 7/1/14) Most Of The Data Discrepancies In The Federal Market Had To Do With Citizenship And Immigration Status. Most of the data discrepancies in the federal market had to do with citizenship and immigration status. Only citizens and legal immigrants can receive coverage under the law. More than 40 percent of the problems involved citizenship and immigration information. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws, The Associated Press, 7/1/14) ObamaCare Discrepancies Could Create Even More Headaches For Families At Tax Time Income Issues Accounted For One-Third Of The Data Inconsistencies. Income was the next category, accounting for one-third of the problems. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws, The Associated Press, 7/1/14) An Individual Who Underestimated Their Income When Enrolling For Coverage Through The ObamaCare Exchange Could Owe The IRS At Tax Time. For example, someone who underestimated his income, and got too generous a subsidy as a result, could owe the Internal Revenue Service money next year. The seven-page slide presentation from the Health and Human Services Department was provided to AP as several congressional committees investigate the discrepancies. Most of the data conflicts involve important details on income, citizenship and immigration status - which affect eligibility and subsidies. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, New Application Inconsistencies Vex Health Care Law, The Associated Press, 6/4/14) ABC News Headline: ObamaCare Sign-Up Errors Could Force 2 Million To Pay Back Money. (Devin Dwyer, ObamaCare Sign-Up Errors Could Force 2 Million To Pay Back Money, ABC News, 6/4/14) A Family Of Four With An Annual Income Of $80,000 Could Be Required To Repay As Much As $2,500. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that subsidies this year will average $4,400 for each person who receives a subsidy. Federal law generally limits the amount that lower- and moderate-income people may be required to repay. A family of four with an annual income of $80,000 could be required to repay as much as $2,500. (Robert Pear, Thousands To Be Questioned On Eligibility For Health Insurance Subsidies, The New York Times , 6/15/14) The Income Discrepancies Could Also Result In Loss Of Coverage. About 1 in 4 people who signed up have discrepancies, creating a huge paperwork jam for the feds and exposing some consumers to repayment demands, or possibly even loss of coverage, if they got too generous a subsidy. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Data Discrepancies In Health Sign-Ups Jeopardizes Coverage, The Associated Press, 6/4/14) MEASURES TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES HAVE FALLEN FLAT The Federal Marketplace Was Generally Incapable Of Resolving Most Inconsistencies. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws, The Associated Press, 7/1/14) Many Of The Inconsistencies Remained Unresolved Because The System Functionality To Resolve Inconsistencies Had Not Been Fully Developed. Although the Federal marketplace received documentary evidence from applicants related to inconsistencies, it could not resolve the inconsistencies because the system functionality to resolve inconsistencies had not been fully developed. According to CMS officials, as of February 23, 2014, the Federal marketplace had resolved approximately 10,000 of the 2.9 million inconsistencies (less than 1 percent). (Daniel R. Levinson, Not All Internal Controls Implemented By The Federal, California, And Connecticut Marketplaces Were Effective In Ensuring That Individuals Were Enrolled In Qualified Health Plans According To Federal Requirements, Department Of Health And Human Services Office Of Inspector General, 6/2014) Inspector General: The Obama Administrations Inability To Solve Discrepancies Were Due To Computer Issues.President Barack Obama celebrated 8 million sign-ups as proof that technical problems which initially kept many consumers from enrolling had finally been overcome. It now turns out that some of those problems continued out of sight. The inspector general said the efforts of the administration and states to clear up the discrepancies were complicated by lingering computer issues. (Ricardo Also-Zaldivar, Report: Health Law Sign-Ups Dogged By Data Flaws,The Associated Press, 7/1/14)
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 03:02:36 +0000
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