Hundreds of state workers are having trouble signing up for health insurance, forcing North Carolina officials to extend the enrollment period for the State Health Plan. The situation is drawing comparisons to the problems plaguing the roll out of the federal health care law, as complaints mount about premium increases and glitches with websites and clogged phone lines run by private contractors.
And now the State Employees Association of North Carolina is wondering why there aren’t legislative hearings here – like in Washington. Rep. Jeff Collins, the Republican chairman of the House Insurance Committee, said he hadn’t heard about the problems.
The enrollment period for the plan – which is managed by Democratic State Treasurer Janet Cowell – was scheduled to end Oct. 31. But on Wednesday, state officials extended the deadline to Nov. 15 because more than half of the 660,000 state workers and retirees in the system had not yet selected insurance coverage.
***More on the emerging problems at the treasurer’s office and North Carolina’s new dubious title – all below in the Dome Morning Memo.***
COWELL’S OFFICE DOWNPLAYS TROUBLES: Schorr Johnson, a spokesman for the state
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