Problems with the federal health insurance website have prevented tens of thousands of low-income people from signing up for Medicaid even though they are eligible, federal and state officials say, undermining one of the chief goals of the 2010 health care law.
The website, HealthCare.gov, is primarily seen as a place to buy private insurance with federal subsidies, but it is also a gateway to Medicaid, which generally provides more benefits at less cost to consumers.
That door has been closed for the last six weeks, with the federal government unable to transfer its files to state Medicaid programs as it is supposed to do.
Under rules issued last year by Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, an exchange must transfer information to Medicaid “promptly and without undue delay,” using a “secure electronic interface.”
The administration is not meeting its own standards.
The White House has not released enrollment data, but some states running their own exchanges, like Kentucky, Minnesota and Washington, say more people have signed up for Medicaid than for private insurance.
“We have not seen much progress on the flow of data from the federal marketplace to the state,” said Monica Coury, assistant director of the Medicaid program in Arizona. “After a person is assessed as potentially eligible for Medicaid, the application just sits there in the federal marketplace. If you need insurance because you have a serious medical condition, that delay could be harmful.”
People going to an exchange do not necessarily know if they are eligible for Medicaid or for tax credits to subsidize the purchase of private insurance on the exchange.
Sebelius has said repeatedly that “the marketplace will provide consumers and small businesses one-stop shopping for health insurance.”
In fact, many consumers will need to make more than one stop. If the exchange finds them potentially eligible for Medicaid, it may be faster for them to file separate applications with a state Medicaid office than to wait for the federal government to transfer their files to the state.
Matt D. Salo, the executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, which represents state officials, said, “You go to HealthCare.gov and spend 45 minutes or more to set up an account, then you’re told that you’re eligible for Medicaid but can’t get it. You have to start all over again with the state Medicaid agency.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/us/problems-with-federal-health-portal-also-stymie-medicaid-enrollment.html?_r=0