SALT LAKE CITY: After months of delays, Utah officials are finally beginning to grind through about 24,000 Medicaid applications that have been hung up by the federal government’s online insurance marketplace.
Among other glitches, the website has had problems interfacing with Utah’s system, delaying the applications of those who could be eligible for coverage under a state-federal program for low-income people.
The online marketplace, a hallmark of President Barack Obama’s health care law, has been hamstrung by technical problems since its October launch. If someone shopping for coverage on the federal website appeared to be eligible for Medicaid, their application was supposed to be seamlessly transferred to Utah offices.
But the process has been gummed up for months, leaving thousands of applicants stuck in the pipeline and unable to get coverage by Jan. 1. Officials have finally developed a workaround, but it’s a temporary, time-consuming process.
Staff at Utah’s Department of Workforce Services, which administers Medicaid, can now view data the applications but still have to manually enter them into their systems.
“We’re now playing catch-up,” DWS spokesman Nic Dunn told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Because the federal health care law requires almost all citizens to have health coverage this year, Dunn said that Utah residents who think they may qualify for Medicaid should apply directly with DWS.
Kevin Burt, the associate director of eligibility at DWS, said his staff is working through about 12,500 Medicaid applications that came in during October and November. -AP
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
