Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Thursday on what steps have been taken to fix issues with a form used by insurance companies to enroll people in health plans.
Reed questioned the extent to which 834 transmission forms, which contain background information on health plan enrollees, have been incorrectly reported, and what has been done to correct the errors.
“We’re now facing a more serious Obamacare problem: what happens when families actually go to use the care they purchased under Obamacare and it doesn’t work?” Reed said. “There are serious issues with the practical application of the law that need to be addressed immediately. Families deserve to know the extent of the problems and whether or not they will actually be able to use the health insurance they’ve purchased.”
Some transmission forms contained incorrect information or were illegible, which could leave individuals who thought they purchased a health plan uncovered, according to insurance companies.
“The worst case scenario – and one that the administration must remedy – is someone goes to use their healthcare insurance and either a family member isn’t covered or they aren’t enrolled in the right plan,” Reed said. “If people are going to go through the process of enrolling and provide their personal information, they need to have the peace of mind that they will be able to use their correct health insurance.”