Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that some individuals who had their health plans cancelled will be automatically eligible for a hardship exemption that allows them to purchase a catastrophic plan on the health insurance marketplace.
In addition, Secretary Sebelius today announced that the Obama administration has established a dedicated hotline for consumers with canceled plans at 1-866-837-0677:
The news was met with approval by a group of senators including Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who had raised the issue in a joint letter to Secretary Sebelius on Dec. 19.
“We are pleased that the administration appears to have responded to the concerns we’ve raised,” the group of senators said in a statement Thursday. As a result, this clarifies an option that will help those consumers who have had their plans cancelled this year transition more smoothly into the marketplace. We will closely monitor how the Administration implements this option, and we remain committed to proposing responsible solutions.”
The senators’ letter to Secretary Sebelius is available here. Secretary Sebelius’s response is available here.
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