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发帖数: 29846 | 1 U.S. Overstates Health-Care Enrollees
Incorrect Inclusion of Dental Coverage Enrollees in Medical Insurance
Numbers
By
Louise Radnofsky
Updated Nov. 20, 2014 9:01 p.m. ET
The Obama administration said it recently overstated how many people had
paid-up health coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance
exchanges because of the incorrect inclusion of dental coverage sign-ups,
marking an embarrassing disclosure as the health-care markets open for their
second year of operation.
Some 6.7 million people had paid-up health coverage through the Affordable
Care Act’s insurance exchanges as of mid-October, about 400,000 less than
the government had reported last week, the Obama administration said
Thursday. The erroneous number included people who only bought dental
coverage through the exchanges.
The timing of the correction is particularly bad for the administration.
Federal officials have been able to point to a relatively smooth launch of
the exchanges for their second round of sign-ups under the law, with few of
the technical problems that marred their opening last year.
On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said that "
moving forward, only individuals with medical coverage will be included in
our effectuated enrollment numbers.” The inclusion of dental plans in
earlier sign-up numbers was first reported by Bloomberg News.
The administration previously had made a similar mistake. CMS Administrator
Marilyn Tavenner told a congressional hearing in September that 7.3 million
people had paid-up coverage as of mid-August. That figure also inaccurately
included dental plans, administration officials confirmed Thursday.
'The mistake we made is unacceptable,' said a tweet from the account of
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell. ENLARGE
'The mistake we made is unacceptable,' said a tweet from the account of
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell. European
Pressphoto Agency
“The mistake we made is unacceptable. I will be communicating that clearly
throughout the dept,” said a tweet Thursday from the account of Health and
Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.
The health-law remains a political hot button. A furor over comments by
administration consultant Jonathan Gruber that the law passed because of a
lack of transparency and the “stupidity of the American voter” have
prompted officials from President Barack Obama down to distance themselves
from the remarks.
Numbers for the use of the health law’s exchanges have long been the
subject of debate between supporters and opponents of the law.
Administration officials were criticized for releasing data infrequently
during the first sign-up period for coverage under the law, which started
last fall.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee had identified the
inclusion of dental plans after examining enrollment records supplied to the
government by insurers.
Critics had also said President Barack Obama’s announcement earlier this
year that eight million people had applied for plans through HealthCare.gov
and state exchanges in last year’s main sign-up period was less important
than a concrete count of how many had paid their premiums. Paying is the
final step necessary for people to enroll in coverage.
Republican lawmakers quickly criticized the new announcement.
“After touting eight million initial sign-ups for medical plans, four
months later they engaged in a concerted effort to obscure a heavy dropout
rate,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), the chairman of the House
oversight committee, in a statement. “This administration still appears to
be calling its Obamacare transparency plan from the Jonathan Gruber playbook
arrogance that helped them pass the bill in the first place.” |
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