Federal Exchange Won't Transfer Medicaid Applications Until November

Americans submitting their applications for Medicaid through the federal government's online insurance marketplace in 36 states may want to contact their state Medicaid agencies for faster results.

The CMS said Tuesday the online marketplace, HealthCare.gov, will not begin transferring applications to state Medicaid programs until Nov. 1.

Technical issues have been cited for the federal delay, which reportedly has occurred in the 36 states that opted to have the federal government fully or partly run their insurance exchange.

Millions of Americans will newly qualify for Medicaid coverage in January in the 26 states plus the District of Columbia that have approved the healthcare reform law's expansion of Medicaid eligibility to adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level. In addition, lots of people who currently are eligible for Medicaid but have not signed up are expected to do so now. But the CMS said the problem will not affect their ability to enroll in Medicaid coverage effective Jan. 1.

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Source: Modern Healthcare