The latest Obamacare glitch makes it difficult for consumers to know what they’re getting.
Wisconsin insurance department officials are warning customers that HealthCare.gov is displaying incorrect prices for some exchange plans. Summaries for several Wisconsin insurance plans on HealthCare.gov indicate that the plan has no deductible, when customers will actually be on the hook for out-of-pocket costs.
Other plans’ detailed summaries of costs and services provided have been switched around, preventing Wisconsin customers from actually knowing what product they’re purchasing at what price.
The federal government is aware of the problem and working on a solution, according to Wisconsin insurance department spokesman J.P. Wieske, but “at least several thousand people” in Wisconsin have been affected by the errors.
Another signature glitch was uncovered in Maryland this week. HealthCare.gov’s search feature to find in-person assistance for picking out a coverage plan is sending consumers with a state-run exchange across state lines to HealthCare.gov for personal help.
The error, noticed by Republican gubernatorial candidate David Craig’s campaign staff, has been confirmed by state officials. Maryland exchange spokeswoman Dori Henry said the state is “aware of the problem” and has asked HHS “to get it fixed as expeditiously as possible.”
“If I can enter a zip code for a Radio Shack and have the nearest store listed, then the government should be able to direct people to the nearest ‘in-person’ assistance,” said Paul Ellington, Craig’s campaign manager, in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
And while simpler glitches are still keeping consumers from getting the right information from HealthCare.gov, the website is still having its own problems getting the correct data from customers to their insurers.
For Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) consumers, new errors are emerging. HealthCare.gov has sent incomplete files on 100,000 Americans that attempted to sign up for Medicaid or CHIP via the federal exchange, according to a recent report by the Washington Post.
The Obama administration confirmed software defects on the federal website had caused the misstep.
Federal officials are issuing robocalls to consumers in 21 states, directing them to reapply for coverage via state agencies. State officials are sending letters with specific directions to their affected residents.
Jeremiah Samples, assistant secretary for the West Virginia Health and Human Resources department, revealed that many West Virginians would have to reapply due to the federal exchange’s software glitch. (RELATED: STRIKE TWO: 18,000 left without coverage after new Medicaid glitch)
“For our consumers,” Samples said, “when the system doesn’t work for them, it just adds unease.”
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