1.7 million consumers still awaiting Medicaid decision nationally

Officials from 15 large states, including Ohio, are reporting that more than 1.7 million people who applied for Medicaid through the federal healthcare.gov website are still waiting for their application to be processed (Source: “More Than 1.7 Million Consumers Still Wait For Medicaid Decisions,” Kaiser Health News/Washington Post, June 9, 2014).

Ohio Medicaid officials have said that there are more than 65,000 cases pending. Of the 245,000 Ohioans who applied through healthcare.gov, 93,000 were found ineligible and another 66,000 had already enrolled or are in process of enrolling directly through the state Medicaid program.

“It’s a serious problem that people are waiting a long time and the process of getting covered is more cumbersome than it should be,” said Stan Dorn, senior fellow with the nonpartisan Urban Institute.

Federal and state officials say the delays should not hamper people’s ability to get health care because Medicaid coverage can be extended retroactively for three months and people can seek emergency care at hospitals.