The Obama administration is warning some 310,000 consumers to send in documentation showing that they are citizens or legal residents, or forfeit their PPACA coverage at the end of next month.
The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday said it's sending notices this week to consumers with inconsistencies in citizenship or immigration data who haven't responded to previous notifications — usually five to seven requests.
Those consumers must submit supporting documents by Sept. 5 or their coverage will end Sept. 30.
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"We want as many consumers as possible to remain enrolled in marketplace coverage, so we are giving these individuals a last chance to submit their documents before their coverage through the marketplace will end," Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said in a statement.
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HHS said data matching issue can happen when the information reported in a consumer's application, such as a Social Security or Permanent Resident Card number, is incomplete or different than the information the government has on file.
"A data inconsistency does not necessarily mean there is a problem with an individual's eligibility for enrollment; it means that additional information is needed to verify the information provided in an application," the agency said in a news release.
HHS said it had roughly 970,000 people with citizenship or immigration data-matching errors in May. Since then, they've closed about 450,000 of these cases and have an additional 210,000 cases in progress.
The agency said it would continue outreach attempts before Sept. 5, including in both English and Spanish.
"Since this is an urgent matter, we're activating our networks on the ground to reach people directly in the communities where they live," Tavenner said. "Whether it is online, via our call center, or with one of our local partners, consumers will have a number of ways to find the help they need to continue their coverage."
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