The health law’s online insurance exchanges were supposed to be a one-stop shop where consumers browsing for coverage could enroll in a private health plan or in Medicaid if they qualified.
But that won’t happen with the federal exchange being relied upon by consumers in 36 states, at least not initially. The federal website won’t be able to communicate with state Medicaid agencies until at least Nov. 1 due to technical issues, federal officials said.
This means if people are found to be eligible for Medicaid today (under current eligibility rules) after entering their personal data on the federal web site, they will be directed to their local Medicaid eligibility office where they will have to repeat the process of providing detailed information about their income, residency status and other data.
But people who become eligible for the health law’s expanded Medicaid in January –when 26 states expand coverage for everyone under 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or up to $15,800 a year for an individual — won’t have to resubmit their data or face a delay in coverage, administration officials said. . .