Pa. issues warning over Medicaid file problems

Pennsylvanians who applied for health insurance through the federally run website HealthCare.gov and were found to be eligible or potentially eligible for Medicaid were cautioned Thursday by Gov. Tom Corbett's office that they may not have coverage yet.

An administration spokesman said the federal government continues to have trouble transferring the electronic files of more than 25,000 applications to the state's Department of Public Welfare.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure these individuals receive the coverage they've applied for as quickly as possible," department spokesman Eric Kiehl said.

The more than 25,000 applications in question were submitted to Healthcare.gov between Oct. 1 and Dec. 24, Kiehl said. Once the applicants are enrolled in Medicaid, coverage will be retroactive to Jan. 1, Kiehl said.

Corbett's office said people who applied through Healthcare.gov and were found eligible or potentially eligible for Medicaid can expect to receive a call from the federal Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center advising them to re-apply directly by calling the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.

Federal officials last month began trying to send electronic Medicaid applications to various states, including Pennsylvania, so they could enroll people. The applications had not been forwarded as promised to the states, which put the enrollment process in limbo for those who are eligible to get health care coverage through Medicaid.

Once states start getting the applicants' data from the federal government, they can determine whether it is reliable and correct, throw out duplicate applications and begin to enroll people in Medicaid.

Healthcare.gov is a gateway to help people buy private insurance plans or enroll in Medicaid under President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

If low-income insurance shoppers qualified for Medicaid, the federal website was supposed to send their applications to the Medicaid agency in their state. But that had yet to happen in Pennsylvania and the other 35 states relying on the federal site.