Reps. Esty and Miller Urge HHS to Help Ensure Smooth Transition for New Health Insurance Policyholders
WASHINGTON, DC —Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today requested that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) augment its consumer education efforts to ensure that policyholders with new coverage provided through the Health Insurance Marketplace have a smooth transition and know who to contact if they experience any difficulties.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Reps. Esty and Miller asked the Department to “widely disseminate a consumer-friendly FAQ through the media and all the Marketplace partners across the country,” that includes “clear and timely information to consumers on the most commonly encountered issues” and details “where to obtain additional help to resolve each issue."
Beginning just days from now, hundreds of thousands of new policyholders across the nation will finally have comprehensive, high-quality health coverage for them and their families, many for the first time in their lives. For a great majority of policyholders, the transition to new coverage is expected to be a smooth and positive experience. However, as with any new insurance coverage, there are likely to be some people who have questions or need assistance.
The letter encourages HHS to widely disseminate to the media and to Marketplace partners proper points of contact to help resolve any problems that policyholders have obtaining or using their new health coverage. HHS has already made a significant effort to directly contact many policyholders and enrollees in the past several weeks, and this effort is designed to further support any individuals in need of assistance.
Full text of the letter is available below.
December 19, 2013
The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 615-F
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Secretary Sebelius:
Beginning next month, millions of Americans will have new access to quality, affordable health care as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Many of these individuals and families will have health insurance for the first time in their lives. This is truly historic.
We are writing to discuss our shared goal of ensuring that policyholders have the very best experience possible with the new coverage that they purchase through the Health Insurance Marketplaces. As with any new health insurance, it is likely that some individuals will need assistance or have questions as they begin to use their coverage for the first time. For example, people may have questions about how best to confirm their health coverage in the Marketplace, provide evidence of coverage to health providers through an insurance card or other means, or identify authorized health providers in their plan. As we’re sure you know, few things are more frustrating to consumers than not knowing the proper point of contact, should they have questions or experience problems.
With this in mind, we request that the Administration, as part of a national consumer education effort, provide clear and timely information to consumers on the most commonly encountered issues for new participants in the health insurance market, including where to obtain additional help to resolve each issue. We urge you to widely disseminate a consumer-friendly FAQ through the media and all the Marketplace partners across the country in the next few days.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter and other efforts you have undertaken to keep consumers informed about their health care options. We look forward to working with you to continuously improve the consumer experience with the new health care Marketplace.
Sincerely,
Rep. Elizabeth H. Esty
Rep. George Miller
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