Oops. Washington Health Exchange Miscalculates Subsidies For Thousands

Washingtonians who have signed up for health plans through the health exchange and qualified for tax credits may have received wrong information.

The state this week discovered an error that could mean some people would be paying more in premiums. The error came to light earlier this week during a data audit and could mean that 8,000 people were told incorrect tax credit amounts.

“We are super disappointed to have discovered this and frankly find this situation unacceptable," said Michael Marchand, spokesman for the state’s health exchange. He said the problem on the Website has been fixed.

Marchand said the problem was internal. The state and federal systems were using different measures to calculate household income, he said. As a result, some applicants didn’t get the right tax credit information related to their premiums.

The agency is working on solutions for customers whose applications have been affected and will be contacting them soon. Marchand said consumers don’t have to take any action for now.

The error does not affect the 40,000 Medicaid applicants, or customers who enrolled without using tax credits.