Elizabeth Rich helps a man sign up for the Affordable Care Act at Swope Health Services on March 31, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo.(Photo: Charlie Riedel, AP)
If you were one of those left cooling your heels — or steaming — while trying to use the glitch-ridden and overloaded HealthCare.gov Monday night, federal officials say worry not. A good-faith effort is all you need to show to get back on the site to enroll.
Oh, so that's all?
What if you can't even prove you were trying? That's a challenge faced by many who either couldn't set up an account or couldn't even access the federal site Monday.
The Department of Health and Human Services' tweeted Monday night at 11:16 that HealthCare.gov "transitions overnight & opens early am so people trying to sign up can finish." The department sent guidance to insurance agents last night explaining that if a consumer was "in line and has tried to enroll" for 2014 through the website, the federal call center, or a state Medicaid or CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) agency by midnight, "we will help make sure they can complete the application process in order to get covered."
STORY: White House: 7.1 million have signed up under ACA
MORE: With insurance enrollment closed for most, what's next?
But even that was proving daunting Tuesday. Wayne Schellhaas, a New Orleans insurance agent who had 37 clients trying to finish enrolling Monday, spent much of Tuesday on hold or online with Healthcare.gov.
"No one knows how to get people enrolled at the marketplace who were unable to get on the website to enroll," he said.
Here, at least, is the official word on what to do if you were trying to enroll by the deadline:
• Log in to your online Marketplace application on HealthCare.gov and finish the enrollment process — you'll need to confirm online that you were still trying to enroll on March 31, says HHS. Or you can contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. The call center — if you can get through — can help you complete your enrollment over the phone. Be sure to tell the customer service representative that you've been trying to enroll.
• "Keep trying," is the advice from HHS to insurance agents, but the same would apply to anyone still hoping to have insurance for 2014.
• Document everything. Agent Angie Surra of St. Marys, Pa., took screen shots of the site messages when she couldn't get her clients signed up Monday. Those who didn't think ahead that far may still be able to prove they tried. HHS suggests keeping records of the errors experienced and contacting the call center.
If you never got around to trying:
• You can still buy insurance through any insurance agent that takes effect almost immediately after you pay your premium, but you won't be eligible for the tax credits or subsidies available through the exchanges.
• If you want to buy an exchange plan, you have to wait until the next open enrollment in November to buy a plan that takes effect Jan. 1.
• You'll owe a penalty at tax time next year. It's $95 per adult or 1% of annual income, whichever is greater. Enough, in fact, for some to jot down just what happened Monday when they tried to log in and/or set up an account.
Baton Rouge, La., agent Nikki McLaughlin was among those trying to figure out late Monday night whether she and her clients needed to be on hold or in line on Healthcare.gov when the clock struck midnight to be allowed to continue Tuesday. Her relief about being able to log back in was short-lived. She didn't have any more luck on the site and found many of the same issues logging in for her eight clients still trying to get coverage.
Schellhaas also feels like he's at wit's end: "The last week has been a nightmare."
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1h26SYi
0 comments:
Post a Comment