Sorry, wrong number.
In a baffling explanation, the state Health Department says
the list of sites it put on the Web telling New Yorkers where to get help to enroll in Obamacare — which includes a cupcake bakery and an auto mechanic’s shop — was not a mistake.
The only error, says the agency, is that the phone numbers provided shouldn’t have been for the businesses but for the non-profits overseeing the program and supplying the helpers known as “navigators.”
“The phone number was supposed to be the number for the navigator,” said Health spokesman James O’Hare.
He said the 100s of sites listed were offered as potential public places where applicants and navigators could meet.
But business owners told The Post they were never told of the arrangement and some said they couldn’t accommodate hordes of unexpected visitors.
“The only problem is that my location is so tiny that I almost can’t give them the space,” said Carmen Rodriguez, owner of Brooklyn Cupcake in Williamsburg, who learned that her shop was listed after getting swamped by 150 calls from prospective ObamaCare applicants.
“I’ve only got one table that sits four people, if somebody comes in to sign up, there will be no room for my customers,” she said.
The Brooklyn Perinatal Network, an Obamacare contractor, provided the name and address of the cupcake shop to the Health Departmen — but never got around to informing Rodriguez.
“You’d think they should have called me first, right?” she said. ...
Rest of story at NY Post
