Pa. Gets Potential Medicaid Cases From U.S. Agency

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians who might be eligible for Medicaid are supposed to be contacted by a state caseworker after their applications were held up by computer glitches.

A Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman said Tuesday that the agency has received information on 43,000 applicants whose electronic applications were stuck on servers at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for months.

The people had applied for health insurance through Healthcare.gov, a primary gateway to coverage under the 2010 federal health care law. The gateway opened Oct. 1.

The Department of Insurance is handling 6,000 of the applicants because that agency administers the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Medicaid in Pennsylvania is typically off-limits to working-age adults, unless they are low-income parents or are temporarily disabled.