Have you signed up for coverage on Healthcare.gov in the past few months?
If you have, chances are you may not be covered — at least according to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.
The exact number of those affected in Pennsylvania could be in the thousands, and even more nationwide.
The Department of Public Welfare put out a notice on New Year’s Eve, warning people that even though they signed up for health care, they may not be covered.
The department says the federal government was supposed to transfer the 25,000 approved files between October 1st and December 24th, electronically to the state.
“The way that this account transfer was set up was so that there would be seamless transfer of the information, a one stop shop, you go to healthcare.gov, you sign up, and it comes to your state directly,” says Kait Gills, with the Department of Public Welfare.
But it didn’t go as planned.
“It’s a technical glitch in the website that they’re working on and we’re working with them to ensure that this doesn’t happen for much longer,” says Gills.
Exactly how long it will take to fix is unknown.
Kait Gills says the department added extra staff to answer the 1,000 calls they’ve already received in the past week.
And, the main concern?
People ask, “am I covered for a doctor’s visit if the website already told me I’m eligible”?
“If you receive a bill and you thought you were covered, it will be retroactively covered,” says Gills.
Gills says the best way to check if you’ve been approved is by calling the Department of Public Welfare at 866-550-4355.