Covered California Statement on Federal Task Force Removing Affordable Care Act Enrollees for Alleged Fraud

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman issued the following statement on today’s announcement from the federal administration:

“Today's announcement from the federal administration about fraud on the federal ACA marketplace does not affect any of the 1.785 million Californians who are connected to health insurance through Covered California. Families across our state can rest assured that their health coverage will not be impacted.

“Covered California takes fraud seriously and has not seen systemic fraud on our marketplace, because we have implemented common-sense steps that protect consumers and strengthen program integrity. We require affirmative, verifiable consent before an enrollment partner can access information or enroll a customer, utilize identification verification tools that detect nearly all fraudulent attempts, and we require all agents to accurately represent consumer information. Additionally, Covered California maintains a centralized fraud management team to coordinate monitoring, investigation and enforcement, which has reduced duplicate enrollments to below 1 percent. If the federal government is serious about addressing fraud, state-based marketplaces like Covered California have provided a blueprint for cracking down on improper enrollment — without placing unnecessary red tape on consumers.”

About Covered California

Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies. Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program.

Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the Legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.