Maryland officials are set to announce Tuesday that consumers who could not get through the state’s balky Obamacare website may apply for retroactive coverage, The Baltimore Sun reported.
All four carriers on the Maryland Health Connection agreed to a plan that lets consumers register by phone through the exchange call center and submit bills dating back to Jan. 1. They must sign up by Jan. 21 and pay their January and February premiums to qualify, The Sun said.
Maryland’s health exchange was supposed to be a glowing example of how early adopters of President Obama’s health care law could tailor their new markets to their residents and thrive under the reforms. Instead, the state-run website turned out to be worse than the federal portal, HealthCare.gov, and become the source of political in-fighting in Annapolis.
The Sun reports that Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, is scheduled to announce the new option Tuesday, the same day lawmakers convene for briefings on the exchange’s performance and discuss alternative ways to make sure thousands of people get covered.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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