A Massachusetts health plan, citing widespread bewilderment over the Health Connector's latest attempts to sign up Obamacare recipients, said it will offer last-minute insurance to Bay Staters who missed key deadlines.
"The bottom line is many members have been very confused," said Thomas Policelli, the CEO of Minuteman Health. "So we thought this made sense to extend this for people who didn't realize they have a problem. ... We've gotten panicked phone calls from fully paid members."
Bay Staters looking for health insurance effective Jan. 1 have until Sunday to pay for plans that they already selected through the Connector. But those who missed a separate Dec. 23 deadline to pick a plan may end up uninsured on Jan. 1, said Policelli.
Adding to the confusion, many Bay Staters have reported not receiving payment confirmation and some paid enrollees won't receive insurance cards by Jan. 1.
Minuteman said it is allowing people who missed the deadlines and need insurance by Jan. 1 to buy plans right up until Dec. 31. The plans are non-subsidized because they're being purchased outside the Connector, but Policelli said the alternative is no coverage at all.
Eric Linzer, spokesman for the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, blamed the Connector's revamped Obamacare portal for not effectively providing payment confirmation to consumers.
"What this shows is a failure on the part of the Connector's website to offer some basic functionality that most consumers have come to expect with any kind of online shopping experience," said Linzer. "The subsequent workaround by the Connector has contributed to consumer confusion on this."
Connector officials, however, defended the enrollment process. They said they gave insurance companies information on everyone who signed up for their plans so they could collect payment. They also conducted a comprehensive outreach campaign, and they insist enrollees without ID cards are still covered.
Some 40,065 Bay Staters have paid for plans so far, while 34,138 people have selected plans but not paid.
Obamacare czar Maydad Cohen defended the functionality of the website and said the decision to extend the payment deadline has made a difference.
"I strongly believe the extension to pay has resolved any concerns consumers had about ensuring they could get access to ... coverage," said Cohen.
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