OLYMPIA, Wash. <\/p>\n
About 8,000 people who applied for subsidized health care through the Washington health benefit exchange during October were quoted the wrong premiums. <\/p>\n
The website is one of 16 sites run by states that set up their own health care exchange as part of the Affordable Health Care Act. People in the remaining states can log onto the federal website. <\/p>\n
Due to the system error on the Washington site, people needed to pay on average $100 more per month in premiums than originally quoted. <\/p>\n
However, no payments have been accepted yet. Many will pay their first bill in December. <\/p>\n
Michael Marchand, the director of communications for the state health care exchange, said that the state was filing certain information as monthly, when the federal system was reading it as annually. <\/p>\n
We had two different file formats talking, between what we do here at the state and what was done at the federal government level, Marchand said. <\/p>\n
The error was more likely to affect middle-income applicants who qualify for some subsidies. Those who make less than $33,000 for a family of four would qualify for free, expanded Medicaid and would not have encountered this problem. <\/p>\n
It could have happened for a variety of reasons. Were not really sure about that. What I think was impressive on our end was that we identified it, Marchand said. <\/p>\n
The ability to identify and resolve the issue within 24 hours is in part due to the fact that Washington has been successful in enrolling more people than most states. Only California and New York have enrolled more people through their health care exchanges. <\/p>\n
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