Republicans Raise Questions Over Cancelled Health Insurance Policies Why Are Subsidies Not Paid?

HARTFORD – Republican lawmakers today said constituents are claiming their healthcare policies have been cancelled because the state’s health exchange, Access Health CT, may have failed to make subsidy payments to insurance providers.

House Republican Leader Larry Cafero and Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore Leonard Fasano, in a letter (attached) to Access Health CT Chief Executive Officer Kevin Counihan, questioned how many have been affected, what caused this situation and how will the problems be fixed.

“Based on your own agency’s reporting and news accounts, thousands of Connecticut residents had their policies cancelled in the last year and were forced into the state’s exchange. Our fear is that, potentially, more Connecticut residents face further disruption in their healthcare coverage,’’ Cafero and Fasano wrote.

They added, “One can only imagine the stress and discomfort when a patient learns in a scheduled visit to the doctor’s office that health insurance has been cancelled.’’

Republican leaders noted that Connecticut’s exchange has been held up as a model for other states to adopt the Affordable Care Act.

“I hope that Access Health CT officials and insurance providers will work swiftly to resolve this issue,” said Sen. Fasano. “Disruptions in coverage can be extremely dangerous for the individuals and families who rely on the protections and security offered by insurance through the exchange. We all want to make sure people have access to needed medical care, and the security of reliable insurance.”

More than eight out of 10 people who selected plans nationally through the state exchanges between October and April of this year qualified for subsidies, according to the New York Times.

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