GOVERNOR O’MALLEY AND LT. GOVERNOR BROWN ANNOUNCE NEW EFFORTS TO ASSIST MARYLANDERS WHO HAD TROUBLE ENROLLING THROUGH WEBSITE

Administration also announces decision to stay the course with Maryland Health Connection site  

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 14, 2014) – Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown today announced that an estimated several thousand Marylanders who experienced technical challenges on the health reform website will be able enroll in the private plan of their choice with coverage retroactive to January 1.

Maryland officials have been doing everything they can to (a) get as many Marylanders as possible enrolled in health coverage, and (b) help Marylanders adversely affected by the technological problems the Maryland Health Connection web site has experienced. State officials have been working closely with the private insurance carriers in Maryland, and urging them to offer retroactive coverage back to January 1 for individuals who had difficulties signing up through the website late last year. On Monday, all four insurance carriers participating in the state-based exchange -- CareFirst, Evergreen Co-op, Kaiser Permanente, and United -- agreed to make retroactive coverage available.

“We encouraged the carriers to make this program available because we want as many Marylanders as possible to enroll in health coverage, and because we want to provide whatever assistance we can to individuals and families who had difficulty using the web site,” Gov. O’Malley said.

“We are 100% focused on making health care available to more Marylanders,” said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown. “By working with the carriers to establish retroactive coverage and passing MHIP legislation to provide a bridge for those who need care the most, we’re making a positive difference in the lives of Marylanders across our State.”

Starting today, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange will reach out to consumers with known issues in their applications prior to January 1, and offer them an opportunity to register with the program.  Other Marylanders who experienced significant website problems that prevented enrollment and are interested in coverage back to January 1, should call the Consumer Support Center to be considered for the program.  

The carriers set a deadline of 5 pm on January 21, 2014 to enroll in the program. Therefore, anyone wishing to enroll in the program must do so before that deadline.  Anyone with questions about enrolling, or who wishes to enroll, should call the Consumer Support Center at 1-855-642-8572.  Staff from the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange will reach out to program participants to confirm eligibility and record plan selection. Coverage will be effective once consumers pay their January and February premiums -- the deadline for paying is February 15, 2014. Consumers will then be able to submit bills for medical services received back to January 1 for reimbursement under the terms of their policy.

“We share the State’s interest in getting as many Marylanders as possible enrolled in health coverage for 2014,” said CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield President and CEO Chet Burrell.  “It’s part of our mission to support programs that increase access to health care and this step certainly does just that.”

The new option is expected to significantly reduce the number of Maryland residents who might need to take advantage of the proposed option of joining the Maryland Health Insurance Program.  Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown remain committed to their legislative proposal, so that MHIP can continue to serve as a safety net of last resort.

Summary:

Deadline to REGISTER for the program: January 21

Deadline to PAY January and February premiums: February 15

To ask questions or to enroll: Call the Consumer Support Center at 1-855-642-8572

In addition, after evaluating the feasibility of using certain back-end functions of the federal marketplace, the Governor and Lt. Governor have decided that during the remaining months of open enrollment, the risks associated with a transition to the federal site would outweigh the benefits. The IT team and the vendors working on the project will continue the ongoing efforts to fix the remaining technical issues so that more Marylanders can enroll in coverage during the open enrollment period that ends March 31, 2014.