The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to develop a health insurance assistance database to keep track of consumer questions about the health reform law.
Over time, the system will help the agency uncover suspicious patterns where insurance plans may not meet provisions of the law.
A computerized system to collect, track and store consumer information will assist the agency to manage consumer inquiries and to meet coverage needs called for in the Affordable Care Act. The agency has received 906 consumer inquiries as of Feb. 15.
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The system also will generate reports, which will help it identify where there may be concerns about compliance by health insurance plans, according to a March 24 notice in the preview section of the Federal Register.
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The reports will not contain personally identifiable information or personal health information of consumers, CMS said in the notice.
The Department of Health and Human Services may share the program data reports with the Labor and Treasury departments and with state regulators.
The program data can demonstrate one indicator of the effectiveness of state enforcement, and whether state regulators need technical assistance or, in extreme cases, it will trigger federal enforcement, the announcement said.