The Obama administration has begun discouraging insurance brokers, enrollment counselors and health insurance exchange navigators from using paper applications to enroll people, according to an Associated Press report.
Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Insurance, told AP federal officials informed his agency paper applications should only be used if other means of enrollment aren't available. During a conference call with navigators and counselors, federal health officials reportedly said not to use paper applications because they won't be processed in time. In order to have coverage starting next month, consumers must sign up for health insurance by Dec. 23, according to the report.
CMS spokesman Aaron Albright declined to comment directly on the issue but said his agency encourages consumers to use HealthCare.gov, since it's the fastest method, although paper applications remain an option. CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille told reporters on a national media call last week there are no issues with the paper applications, according to the report.
Because of the technical issues with HealthCare.gov, earlier this year, President Barack Obama promoted the paper applications as an alternative to the federal exchange website. Federal officials have made "substantial progress" during the last five weeks in repairing HealthCare.gov, which can now support 50,000 users at a time, according to an HHS progress report.
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