Obamacare to be canceled for more than 10,000 Californians who failed to prove citizenship

More than 10,000 California residents who received coverage under federal health reform are having their insurance canceled for failing to prove citizenship or legal residency in the U.S., Chad Terhune reports for the Los Angeles Times.

"Covered California, the state-run insurance exchange, enrolled more than 1.2 million people during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act this year," Terhune writes. "For most consumers, the exchange said, it could verify citizenship or immigration status instantly with a federal data hub. But more than 148,000 enrollees were lacking proof of eligibility and needed to submit documentation. People living in the U.S. illegally aren't eligible for health law coverage." Overall, 10,474 people have failed to provide documentation, while another 7,629 documents are still being reviewed.

Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, said people whose insurance has been canceled still have time to provide proof of residency, Terhune writes. Lee told him, "We are hopeful that anyone receiving these notices will respond by providing appropriate documents so we can work with them to ensure their ongoing eligibility for health coverage. Our goal is to continue coverage for anyone who is lawfully present." (Read more)