Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Time Running Out For Jan. 1 Coverage, Some Get Deadline Break
WBUR: Health Connector Extends Payment Deadline
Massachusetts residents signing up for health insurance through the state have a few more days to make their first payment, but must still enroll before midnight tonight to guarantee their coverage begins Jan. 1. (Nickish, 12/23)
The Oregonian: Cover Oregon, Feds Won't Say If Some Have Extended Deadline For Jan. 1 Coverage
For months, Cover Oregon was telling the public to apply for health insurance tax credits on Healthcare.gov by Dec. 15 to ensure uninterrupted coverage in January. For weeks, TV ads repeated the message. But now it appears the state exchange may have been giving out the wrong deadline -- and Cover Oregon enrollees have more time.... the real deadline for those consumers who enrolled through Cover Oregon [appears to be ] Dec. 31. (Budnick, 12/23)
The Charlotte Observer: Feds Offer Break To Health Insurance Shoppers Hung Up On Hold
Half a million health insurance shoppers who faced delays reaching a federal help line earlier this month are getting a little extra time to start their new year with coverage. Dec. 15 was the deadline for choosing policies on the Affordable Care Act marketplace that take effect Jan. 1. ... “Since the large volume of calls prior to December 15 led to longer wait times in Week 5, the call center collected the contact information for nearly half a million consumers,” the report released Tuesday says. “We began contacting these consumers on December 16 and, if they select a plan, their coverage can still begin on January 1.” (Helms, 12/23)
Raleigh News & Observer: Triangle United Way Commits $1M To Buy Health Insurance For Durham County's Neediest
The United Way of the Greater Triangle is offering $1 million in financial assistance to help low-income residents obtain health insurance at no monthly cost. The unusual approach, funded by an anonymous donor, will pay monthly insurance dues that are not covered by federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. For many low-income households, that could be about $50 to $100 a month - amounts that have proved too expensive for some financially struggling families in the first year of the Affordable Care Act. (Murawski, 12/23)
Watchdog.org/Fox News: Troubled Obamacare Vendor Awarded New Hawaii Contract
Montreal-based CGI Group Inc., the company that received a $74 million contract to develop and maintain the Hawaii Health Connector web portal, will be awarded another year-long state maintenance contract despite the ongoing problems with the site. (Zimmerman, 12/23)
NJ.com: N. J. Medicaid Fiasco: Thousands Stranded Without Coverage, No Fix In Sight
The meltdown of the federal government’s website tied to the Affordable Care Act has been well documented. But in New Jersey, something far worse was happening as the state expanded Medicaid access under Obamacare, an NJ Advance Media investigation has found. ... an estimated 11,000 people are still trapped in a tangle of digital red tape and a bureaucratic maze. These families are unable to enroll in the state’s Medicaid program, ... New Jersey has yet to announce any permanent solution. (O'Brien, 12/23)
