Obamacare Procedures Revoke Coverage for 400,000 Immigrants
The Affordable Care Act revolutionized how American citizens compare and purchase health insurance plans, and as 2015 comes to a close, more and more low-income families are getting covered. Health insurance is an essential part of any smart investor’s peace of mind, and now, those without health insurance will be facing a fine, and so if you’re still without coverage, now is the time to make a change.
Many American citizens across the country have enrolled in Obamacare health insurance, but a new government procedure unexpectedly stripped over 400,000 immigrants of their coverage. According to the Associated Press, this change in procedure shortened the timeframe during which immigrants can resolve issues with eligibility, often simply sending in documents or correcting a clerical error.
The current window of opportunity is 95 days long, giving immigrants a few months to correct any issues they might encounter during the enrollment process. This timeframe was not established in 2014, and nearly 110,000 people lost coverage because they didn’t have the opportunity to correct enrollment errors. While this new timeframe will make the process easier in the long run, it retroactively revoked the coverage of 423,000 people.
But who were these people? While this problem exclusively effected immigrants, many are curious if an immigrant’s legal status comes into play. Is this new timeframe an effective way of preventing undocumented or illegal immigrants from receiving Obamacare benefits? While not designed with this purpose in mind, it might just work.
The 95-day timeframe given was put in place to make it easier for the truly eligible to sort out any problems, but illegal immigrants are worried about alerting the authorities, so they’re far less likely to attempt to take advantage of Obamacare. Unfortunately, this has left over 400,000 legal, eligible applicants without insurance they thought they had.
But why does this problem exist at all? Why are there so many issues that a 95-day window needed to be created to address them? The source of the problem is a lack of information. Immigrants, both legal and undocumented, are often unable to find the information they’re looking for, and that can make Obamacare enrollment extremely difficult. Many Americans are unsure about what documents must be presented, what requirements must be met, and when certain deadlines are.
The best way to fight this problem is to make information about Obamacare more widely available, and independent insurance agencies across the country have teamed up with Obamacare to make that a reality. By simply spreading correct, useful information, anyone can make a difference, so familiarize yourself with the key facts of the 2015 Open Enrollment Period, purchase a health insurance plan of your own, and call or click today for more information on Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, and how you can meet the minimum healthcare requirements and avoid fees in 2015.
Open Enrollment begins on November 1st and extends until January 31st. Those experiencing a qualifying life event may be eligible for an extended enrollment period, and many young adults are exempt from the penalty, but don’t miss this chance.
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