HHS Expands Access to Tax Credits in States With Failed PPACA Exchanges

HHS has expanded access to tax credits and subsidies to help cover health insurance premiums for people in states where the online exchanges have encountered significant technical problems, according to a report from The Hill.

Consumers in Oregon, Maryland, Massachusetts and Hawaii are having difficulty enrolling through their state-based Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchanges because of technical issues even worse than those that plagued the federal exchange site, HealthCare.gov, following its launch this past fall, according to the report. HHS will now allow those who attempted and could not sign up for coverage through the glitch-ridden state exchanges to retroactively obtain subsidies they would have been eligible for, even if they have since signed up for healthcare outside of the exchange.

Last month, Republican lawmakers began investigating state-based exchanges that have been performing poorly, such as Cover Oregon, which has been unable to enroll anyone so far. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have asked the Government Accountability Office to review the use of taxpayer dollars that funded the site, which the state received $304 million in federal grants to build.

CMS issued a statement saying it is working with state officials to address the technical issues, according to the report.

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