As the March 31st deadline looms for signing up for individual insurance under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies tried to obtain personal information in order to contact potential customers who were previously covered by a state plan. But state officials would not release the information.
New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange officials say they will market Obamacare to the low-income group themselves, rather than provide personal information to the four big insurance companies.
Deborah Hammer is with the Health Insurance Exchange.
“We’re not allowed to share that information with carriers because we need to protect that personal information that those individuals had,” Hammer said.
Hammer added that she has postcards ready to go out to the 10,000 low-income people still without coverage. The exchange will follow-up with robo-calls that will put people in touch with navigators for one-on-one assistance in signing up.
People who haven’t enrolledin an insurance plan by March 31st face a penalty, and they won’t be able to apply again until next year.
