Press Releases

BOTHELL – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene issued the following statement regarding the announcement by the Washington Health Benefit Exchange of an error they discovered in calculating tax credit amounts for residents who applied for health plans:

“Washington state’s health insurance exchange is a major component of helping hundreds of thousands of our state’s residents get access to affordable, quality health coverage. Too many have gone without health coverage for years.

“For us to succeed in this goal, it’s absolutely critical that the Healthplanfinder website functions as promised. Unfortunately, the rollout of the website has not been without its problems, and the recent disclosure by the Washington Health Benefit Exchange of incorrect tax credit calculations for 8,000 applicants is unacceptable.

“While no new system of this size and magnitude can be expected to be perfect right away, the public expects any problems to be identified and fixed quickly.

“I have been in contact with Richard Onizuka, the CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, to urge his agency to move swiftly to assist all customers who are affected by this error and ensure they find the best plan that fits their needs and budget.

“Additionally, I have urged the Exchange to move quickly to correct other concerns that I have heard about directly from my constituents and stakeholders—including long wait times to reach the Customer Support Center, error codes on the website during the application process and challenges for third party organizations that are assisting with outreach and enrollment. I have been encouraged by recent announcements by the Exchange to address these issues and am eager to learn more about the steps being taken to ensure the Healthplanfinder is successful going forward.

“Ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health coverage is critically important, and as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues, I am committed to making sure that we do everything possible to help Washington’s working families, children and seniors.”