Thousands of customers who signed up for health insurance through Maryland’s health exchange are still waiting for their insurance to kick in, WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates has learned.Coverage was supposed to start on Jan. 1 and the Maryland Health Connection confirms the problem is impacting about 4,000 customers who signed up for CareFirst insurance.Officials with the health exchange said they’re working with CareFirst to resolve the cases. They said impacted customers who need immediate help and might need their requests escalated can call 855-642-8572.”Maryland Health Connection understands how important it is for consumers to have timely access to their health coverage and recognizes that some individuals enrolled in CareFirst plans are experiencing delays in accessing their benefits. At this time, this situation appears to be affecting a limited number of consumers. Maryland Health Connection is working collaboratively with CareFirst to review and resolve these cases as quickly as possible,” a representative said in a statement to WBAL-TV 11 News.In a statement t0 WBAL-TV 11 News, CareFirst said:”CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) is aware of a data synchronization issue affecting certain consumers enrolled through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE). The issue stemmed from an isolated incident in which enrollment data did not properly align between systems, creating confusion around coverage status for some individuals. Approximately 4,000 consumers were mistakenly notified they were auto-renewed for 2026 CareFirst coverage despite not being eligible for auto-renewal. These individuals did not receive a bill and did not pay a premium. We understand some consumers have attempted to obtain and pay a bill, and CareFirst is working collaboratively with the MHBE to review and resolve these cases as quickly as possible. CareFirst remains committed to our mission of providing access to affordable, high-quality healthcare.”
Thousands of customers who signed up for health insurance through Maryland’s health exchange are still waiting for their insurance to kick in, WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates has learned.
Coverage was supposed to start on Jan. 1 and the Maryland Health Connection confirms the problem is impacting about 4,000 customers who signed up for CareFirst insurance.
Officials with the health exchange said they’re working with CareFirst to resolve the cases. They said impacted customers who need immediate help and might need their requests escalated can call 855-642-8572.
“Maryland Health Connection understands how important it is for consumers to have timely access to their health coverage and recognizes that some individuals enrolled in CareFirst plans are experiencing delays in accessing their benefits. At this time, this situation appears to be affecting a limited number of consumers. Maryland Health Connection is working collaboratively with CareFirst to review and resolve these cases as quickly as possible,” a representative said in a statement to WBAL-TV 11 News.
In a statement t0 WBAL-TV 11 News, CareFirst said:
“CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) is aware of a data synchronization issue affecting certain consumers enrolled through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE). The issue stemmed from an isolated incident in which enrollment data did not properly align between systems, creating confusion around coverage status for some individuals. Approximately 4,000 consumers were mistakenly notified they were auto-renewed for 2026 CareFirst coverage despite not being eligible for auto-renewal. These individuals did not receive a bill and did not pay a premium. We understand some consumers have attempted to obtain and pay a bill, and CareFirst is working collaboratively with the MHBE to review and resolve these cases as quickly as possible. CareFirst remains committed to our mission of providing access to affordable, high-quality healthcare.”
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