Wall Street Journal (09/23/15) Stephanie Armour

The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has concluded that some controls that New York state relied on to make sure people were eligible for health-insurance coverage and subsidies on the state-run exchange were deficient, potentially letting some consumers get benefits to which they were not entitled. The inspector general earlier found similar issues in its probe of the federal exchange, healthcare.gov. It has turned its focus to audits of some of the more than a dozen state exchanges, with New York’s findings the first to be released. Other exchanges being audited include those in Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Vermont, Washington state, and the District of Columbia.

New York officials have taken corrective steps, according to responses by state officials included in the inspector general’s report. “We would like to clarify that system functions or modifications to address each of the identified issues were already implemented or developed prior to the audit,” the New York State Department of Health wrote in its response. The exchange’s controls weren’t always effective in verifying household income, resolving inconsistencies in eligibility data, and making sure programs were approved only for consumers who don’t have employer-provided insurance, according to the inspector general’s report.

Wall Street Journal (09/23/15) Louise Radnofsky

Top Obama administration officials announced yesterday that they are anticipating the toughest sign-up season for insurance coverage under the health law so far. Officials are looking at approximately 10.5 million people who could buy coverage through healthcare.gov or state sites, but who have yet to do so since the law rolled out. “This open enrollment is going to be tougher than last year,” said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, noting that people who are still uninsured are “a bigger challenge.” As such, federal officials plan to focus on the uninsured in densely populated areas, and target younger, lower income, and black and Hispanic Americans who are more likely to still lack coverage. According to Burwell, officials are also going to be trying to draw attention to the availability of a call center and in-person enrollment assistance. The HealthCare.gov website is also being evaluated and revised to make it easier to use.