Hordes of ObamaCare Users Told Info Doesn't Check Out

Officials 'double- and triple-check' provided subsidy data
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 16, 2014 9:49 AM CDT
Hordes of ObamaCare Users Told Info Doesn't Check Out
President Barack Obama addresses the graduating class of the University of California, Irvine, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 14, 2014.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The White House intends to double-check the documents of hundreds of thousands of ObamaCare users to confirm they qualify for health subsidies, having notified them over the last two weeks that "the information in your application doesn’t match what we found in other records." In fact, government data on about a quarter of the 8 million people who obtained health coverage through exchanges doesn't match the information they provided themselves, officials tell the the New York Times; those people may need to offer additional documentation verifying things like their income and any employer-provided health coverage. More than 80% of those who secured a plan between October and mid-April were eligible for subsidies, notes the Times.

The notices warn that "if you don’t send the needed documents, you risk losing your marketplace coverage or help you may be receiving to pay for such coverage." "The law requires us to double- and triple-check this data," says a rep for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But some consumers are confused about it, having "already sent the documents," says an advocate. Next year's tax returns could be a source of further confusion, CNBC notes. ObamaCare subsidies are effectively "an advanced tax credit," and if enrollees make more than expected over 2014, they may owe some of that credit back, says the CEO of H&R block. (More health insurance stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X