eHealth Inc.
WASHINGTON -- People interested in buying health insurance
under Obamacare could soon skip the HealthCare.gov website and apply for
coverage and financial assistance directly with private insurance
companies and online brokers, the Obama administration said Tuesday, in
its latest effort to work around the faulty website.
Health insurers and online brokers like eHealth have
always sought the ability to let consumers to apply for subsidies to cut their health insurance costs without using HealthCare.gov,
the online portal to health coverage in more than 30 states. But
technological snafus with the system linking insurers to the federal
government ruled out that option, even as HealthCare.gov itself has
remained problematic.
Now these insurance issuers and brokers are about to get what they
want. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is close to
providing insurers with the technological capability to also take
subsidy applications, as well as sell plans to customers, spokeswoman
Julie Bataille said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday.
"We've put in place a number of the most important fixes. This is
something that issuers are going to look at within the context of their
own systems, and I believe that, in the coming days, as they make their
own assessments, they will make determinations about what may be
appropriate," she said.
Activating the "direct enrollment" option would free health insurers
and online brokers to accept applications from people who are eligible
for subsidies, thus widening the potential universe of people who
wouldn't need to use HealthCare.gov to get health insurance. Although
going directly to a health insurance company or a private broker would
mean consumers couldn't comparison shop
for all available options, it would make it easier to obtain coverage
for next year in advance of the Dec. 15 deadline to choose a plan that
will be in place on New Year's Day. The full enrollment period runs
until March 31.
Health insurance consumers have been able to purchase coverage
directly from a carrier or an online broker all along, but these options
were limited to people who weren't eligible for financial assistance,
or decided to forego it.
At present, the health insurance exchanges, including those run by states and the federal government,
are the only way to obtain the tax credits that are available to people
earning between the poverty level and four times that amount, or about
$11,500 to $46,000 for a single person. Obamacare enrollment so far has
fallen below expectations, with just over 100,000 people signing up for health coverage during the first month of sign-ups, which started Oct. 1.
The Affordable Care Act already permitted direct enrollment for
consumers, but the technology hasn't yet been switched on. And the
feature likely won't be added to health insurance company websites right
away.
"For subsidy-eligible consumers, we will continue to direct them to
HealthCare.gov to get subsidy verification. We'll continue to engage in
discussions about this issue," Lauren Perlstein, a spokeswoman for
Health Care Service Corp., wrote in an email. Health Care Service Corp.
operates Blue Cross Blue Shield companies in Illinois, Montana, New
Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Other health insurance companies and trade
associations contacted by email Tuesday wouldn't comment on Bataille's
remarks or didn't respond.
Online brokers eHealth, Go Health and about 30 others also will soon
have this capability, Bataille said. "We believe that they are on track
to begin their transactions as soon as possible. This is something that,
obviously, they will make determinations about individually as they see
how their system is interacting with ours, and they make their own
assessments about the fixes necessary for them to begin their work."
eHealth and other brokers forged agreements this summer allowing them to enroll exchange consumers, but they have been stymied by federal technical problems since the exchanges opened.
eHealth spokesman Nate Purpura said enrollment of subsidy-eligible
consumers remains a work in progress. "eHealth Inc. has been working
closely with CMS to implement a technology solution that would allow us
to enroll qualified individuals into qualified health plans through
HealthCare.gov. We are still in the process of confirming that the fixes
have been made that will provide a stable and consumer-friendly user
experience," he wrote in an email.
The Obama administration has been looking for ways to facilitate
sign-ups beyond the troubled HealthCare.gov, including paper and
telephone applications for financial assistance. On Monday, White House
press secretary Jay Carney said direct enrollment with insurers would be one of those means. President Barack Obama met with health insurance industry executives on Friday, following his announcement that state regulators and insurers could opt to renew policies that are being canceled as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
Obama said again Tuesday that HealthCare.gov would be working more smoothly for most people by the end of the month.
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