Health coverage in jeopardy for 6,000 Ohioans
8/16/2014COLUMBUS — Some 6,000 Ohioans who signed up for the new health care law risk losing their taxpayer-subsidized insurance unless they act soon to resolve questions about their citizenship or immigration status, according to the federal government.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department said recently that those with outstanding documents are being warned that they have until Sept. 5 to show that they’re eligible. Otherwise, their coverage will end Sept. 30.
People living in the country illegally are not allowed to get coverage.
Nationwide, more than 310,000 people whose citizenship or immigration details don’t match what the government has on file have been notified that they must submit their information.
The health agency said many haven’t responded to repeated outreach efforts by mail, email and phone.
The letters, which are being sent in English and Spanish, notify enrollees with unresolved issues that they still need to upload their documents to the HealthCare.gov website, or mail them.
“A data inconsistency does not necessarily mean there is a problem with an individual’s eligibility for enrollment; it means that additional information is needed to verify the information provided in an application,” federal officials said in a news release.
Florida and Texas topped the list of states with unresolved cases, with 93,800 and 52,700 respectively.
Pennsylvania has 12,600 cases, while West Virginia has 400.