Obamacare’s rocky implementation has already weathered paralyzing glitches and a public outcry over insurance policy cancellations for millions of people in the health plan market for individuals.
“CMS is working to fully implement an automated appeals system. Until we have that functionality, we are putting in place a manual review process wherever possible and expect hearings to begin soon,” said the agency.
“In the meantime, CMS is reaching out to these consumers to provide assistance so they can successfully complete their application without the need to complete the appeals process.”
CMS did not confirm the number of appeals reported by the Post but said those filed are “largely related to earlier technology problems that have since been fixed.”
A CMS spokesman declined to say how soon hearings might start. But analysts said a system would have to be in place before March 31, the end of the Obamacare open enrollment period for obtaining health coverage this year.