Some Covered Calif. Navigators Still Not Certified To Help Residents
Two weeks after the launch of California's health insurance exchange, some of Covered California's navigators -- individuals tasked with educating residents about the state health insurance exchange -- still have not completed the certification process, NPR's "Shots" reports.
Details of Delays
According to "Shots," some of the navigators have not:
- Received state-issued licenses;
- Completed training;
- Undergone background checks; or
- Received computer log-in information.
Comments
However, Peter Lee -- executive director of Covered California -- said that the exchange never expected to certify all of its navigators this early in the enrollment process.
He said officials planned to spend October building consumer interest for the exchange.
However, he said that the exchange still has "20,000 county workers," the "vast majority" of whom "have been certified."
Despite delays in certifying navigators, Gerry Kominski -- director of the Center for Health Policy Research at UCLA -- said that Covered California officials still are on track to meet their goal of enrolling 600,000 residents in exchange plans by March 2014.
He said, "In the first week, they enrolled almost 30,000 people in five days," adding, "I think even with the glitches, they're already off to a more than adequate start" (Varney, "Shots," NPR, 10/11).
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