Washington health insurance exchange battles severe issues

Health Insurance exchange marketplaces

More than 6,000 people are reporting significant problems with the state’s insurance exchange

Health Insurance exchange marketplacesWashington’s health insurance exchange continues to suffer from problems that are making it difficult for consumers to use their coverage. Some 6,000 people have reported issues in using their insurance coverage due to glitches in the exchange’s new program. This program was introduced in order to overcome some of the problems the exchange had experienced during its initial few months of operation, but the program has created new problems that may be difficult to solve.

Insurance Commissioner may need to take action on the exchange if issues remain unresolved

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has announced that he will be taking action on the insurance exchange if the issue is not resolved by August 1. If the exchange’s problems have not been fixed, the Commissioner will be advising state residents to purchase their insurance coverage from elsewhere. An open enrollment period may be opened after August 1 that will allow people to purchase the policies associated with the state’s exchange directly from insurance providers.

Billing problems make it hard for consumers to pay for their coverage

The state’s exchange is currently working to overcome significant billing issues that have made it difficult, if not impossible, for people to pay for this coverage. Such a technical difficulty can have a major impact on the way people use their insurance coverage. For those experiencing billing issues, their coverage may have lapsed, placing them in a precarious financial situation.

Problems with exchange’s design and the way people fill out their exchange applications may be part of the issue

Officials suggest that the exchanges problems are largely due to the way it was designed. The exchange complies with the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but the state opted to introduce some new features as a response to some of these provisions. Other issues are being caused by the way people fill out their exchange applications. Some people are providing false information, which is compounding the billing issues that the exchange is experience. These issues are especially apparent among those that are receiving subsidies for their coverage from the federal government.

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