Nearly 16,000 Iowans Told to Reapply for Health Care
Published at
ABC News(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Nearly 16,000 Iowans are being asked to reapply for health insurance after an issue with the HealthCare.gov website may have prevented the transfer of their applications to a state computer system meant to handle those Iowans potentially eligible for Medicaid.
The announcement was made on Friday afternoon, and Iowans possible affected by the glitch should receive emails and letters from the state of Iowa. Those Iowans who entered their information into HealthCare.gov and received a notice that they might qualify for Medicaid, officials say, should apply separately through the state Department of Human Services.
The federal government’s determination that an applicant qualifies for Medicaid is only preliminary, the Des Moines Register says, and the Iowa Department of Human Services must determine which of the 16,000 are actually eligible. Many of the files that the state has received from the federal government are missing information, such as Social Security numbers and income reports, causing the delay in coverage.
Amy Lorentzen McCoy, spokesperson for the Iowa DHS says that her department hopes to have the issue sorted out by Jan. 31. Many of those affected were supposed to have insurance beginning on Jan. 1.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio