Nearly 16,000 Iowans who tried to apply for coverage via the glitch-plagued federal health insurance website are being told to apply separately through the state Department of Human Services.
The Friday afternoon announcement stems from a kink in healthcare.gov, which is a key part of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
The issue affects Iowans who entered their information into healthcare.gov and received a notice that they might qualify for Medicaid, the public health insurance program for the poor. The federal computer system was supposed to transfer their applications to a state computer system, but the transfer has been complicated by technical problems. The timing is critical, because the new insurance coverage is supposed to take effect on New Year’s Day, which is Wednesday.
Continue reading Sixteen thousand Iowans won’t have health care because of @BruceBraley. #obamacare