http://mediatrackers.org/ohio/2014/01/09/healthcare-gov-drops-tens-thousands-ohio-medicaid-applicantsHealthCare.gov Drops Tens of Thousands of Ohio Medicaid Applicants
By: Jason Hart | January 09, 2014
An estimated 60,000 Ohioans who have applied for Medicaid through HealthCare.gov must re-apply through the State of Ohio’s benefits website, according to leftist lobbying group Advocates for Ohio’s Future.
“Because the Federal health care enrollment website is not currently communicating with the state system, Ohioans who have already applied for Medicaid through the Federal website must re-apply through the state website,” Will Petrik and Gail Clendenin of Advocates for Ohio’s Future wrote (emphasized as shown here) in a January 9 email.
HealthCare.gov, the Obamacare exchange website, launched to fanfare — followed immediately by failure — on October 1, 2013 after years of development.
“It is estimated that more than 60,000 Ohioans have applied for Medicaid through the Federal website who will need to re-apply through the state website,” Advocates for Ohio’s Future informed its mailing list on January 9.
Advocates for Ohio’s Future is a coalition of more than 400 entitlement lobbying groups including Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) Ohio, ProgressOhio, and Policy Matters Ohio, as well as numerous labor unions and Planned Parenthood affiliates.
The coalition was a driving force behind 2013′s ultimately failed efforts to pressure the Ohio General Assembly into embracing the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, and celebrated Governor John Kasich’s end-run around the legislature to enact the expansion unilaterally.
Despite the continued disaster that is HealthCare.gov, able-bodied childless adults eligible for Medicaid thanks to Gov. Kasich have been signing up with the state since December 9.
On the first day of Medicaid registration through Ohio’s new website, enrollment exceeded the first month of Ohio sign-ups for Obamacare-approved policies at HealthCare.gov.
