Cover Oregon Backlog Catch-up

Dr. Bruce Goldberg, acting executive director of Cover Oregon, held a press conference Monday morning with an update on the progress of the troubled health insurance exchange.
 
The online marketplace is still not operational.   Goldberg said coverage is available through Cover Oregon using paper applications.  More staff was added over the weekend to deal with the backlog of applications submitted by December 4th.  Goldberg said those who submitted their applications by the deadline will soon receive a telephone call or email letting them know the status of the application. 

 “Those people who have had an application that came in complete by December 4th, and get us a completed enrollment form – they have until December 27th at 5pm to choose a health plan."


Those who missed the deadline or submitted an incomplete application will not be covered on January 1st with Cover Oregon, but Goldberg said exchange health plans are also available by shopping directly with insurance carriers.

 “When your application is completed we’ll process it for coverage at a later date, but if you want to be assured of coverage January one – extend your current coverage, or go out and buy coverage through the market.  As people are determined eligible they’re getting notified, being told – you can now choose a plan, some of those people are choosing plans.  Some are still shopping and waiting, and there’s still a group which we’re going to let know that we are in the process of working through processing their applications, that we’re going to do our best to get to them, but if people want to be guaranteed coverage – they do have options.”  

People signing up now could miss out on tax subsidies for the time being, but if the plan signed up for is the same as available on the exchange they will still be able to get the subsidy after the first month.
Goldberg said as of Monday, 110,000 Oregonians will have health coverage starting Jan. 1, 2014. Of that total, Cover Oregon has enrolled 20,874 Oregonians (13,374 in the Oregon Health Plan, 7,500 in private plans); the remainder were enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan through a fast track option.  More staff are being added to process applications. Individuals have until March to obtain coverage under the Affordable Care Act.