310,000 individuals that have signed up for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act are in danger of losing it. By September 5^th, these individuals must provide proof of citizenship or the will be cut from insurance.

Lack of Information Leads to the Coverage Drop

Starting September 30^th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will instruct insurers to drop those that have not responded to requests for additional information. Any applicants lacking the appropriate information on their paperwork have been sent letters, emails, and phone calls in attempts to correct or fill in information. The contact attempts have been sent in both English and Spanish to avoid any confusion. Between five and seven notices have already been sent out. The next step will be to cut them off if no further information is given.

Due to disparities between application information and government data, nearly 1 million people were questioned over their immigration and citizenship status. 450,000 of those individuals have had their issues resolved, with 210,000 still in the process of resolving the inconsistent information. In efforts to make the process more efficient, community organizations have been asked to help officials document benefit eligibility. A majority of those affected live in Florida, Texas, and Georgia.

Affordable Care Act Criticisms

Criticism over the September cuts have been raised by several groups. They feel not enough time was given for the government to sort out paperwork or data glitches and that they should have spent more time on this internally before coming after citizens. Many American citizens are upset with the fact that they were asked to provide further proof of citizenship.

Immigration status is one of the most controversial aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Those that cannot provide proof of citizenship are unable to receive tax credits for healthcare premiums or shop the online exchanges to buy coverage. Those that may lose healthcare due to their immigration status are encouraged to call an immigration lawyer as soon as possible.