Consumers who froze credit following Equifax breach experience trouble enrolling in ACA

Some Americans who froze their credit following Equifax's massive data breach this summer are facing challenges when they try to purchase insurance on ACA marketplaces, according to ZD Net.

Enrolling in coverage for a marketplace plan online requires enrollees prove their identity through questions linked to their credit history. Consumers who blocked access to their credit reports, which Equifax advised some of its customers to do, are having trouble getting past the ID proofing part.

For those that have frozen their credit, an error message that reads, "Your identity wasn't verified," appears when they try to enroll in ACA marketplaces online. Users are advised to call Experian, a credit rating agency that Healthcare.gov uses to verify identities, to move forward with enrollment. If that doesn't work, applicants are encouraged to upload or mail in documents to verify an identity.

The ACA enrollment period, which has already been cut in half, ends Friday.

CMS officials told ZD Net consumers can enroll through the call center if they are concerned about proving their identity before the Dec.15 deadline. Those who submitted documents to prove their identity but didn't receive clearance in time for the deadline may still be eligible for a special enrollment, ZD Net adds.

 

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