Maryland insurance plans offer retroactive coverage
Maryland is trying to find a fix for the thousands of state residents who were unable to enroll for the Affordable Care Act because of the technical difficulties with the state’s website.
Gov. Martin O’Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown announced Monday state officials have been working closely with the private insurance carriers in Maryland, and urging them to offer retroactive coverage back to Jan. 1 for individuals who had difficulties signing up through the website late last year.
On Monday, all four insurance carriers participating in the state-based exchange — CareFirst, Evergreen Co-op, Kaiser Permanente and United — agreed to make retroactive coverage available.
“We encouraged the carriers to make this program available because we want as many Marylanders as possible to enroll in health coverage, and because we want to provide whatever assistance we can to individuals and families who had difficulty using the web site,” O’Malley said.
Starting this week, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange will reach out to consumers with known issues in their applications prior to Jan. 1, and offer them an opportunity to register with the program.
Other Marylanders who experienced significant website problems that prevented enrollment and are interested in coverage back to Jan. 1, should call the Consumer Support Center to be considered for the program.
“We are 100 percent focused on making health care available to more Marylanders,” Brown said. “By working with the carriers to establish retroactive coverage and passing MHIP legislation to provide a bridge for those who need care the most, we’re making a positive difference in the lives of Marylanders across our state.”
