We round up the schedule changes in effect on this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Plus: two more problems for MD’s troubled health insurance exchange – mis-mailed Medicaid packets and an incorrect contact number. And an update on fundraising in the Anne Arundel County Executive’s race.
MLK Day Schedule Changes: Lots of schedule changes in store for Maryland on this holiday honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. Federal, state, and local government offices are closed. Public schools closed today, as are courts and banks. Most public libraries are closed as well. There's no regular mail delivery from the post office today. There's no regular trash or recycling pickup in Baltimore City - but trash removal service goes on as usual Baltimore County and several other jurisdictions. Penn Line MARC trains are on a Sunday schedule today. There are no MARC trains on the Camden and Brunswick lines. Most commuter buses aren’t running either – the exception, Route 201, where buses are operating on a holiday schedule. But the Metro Subway and the Light Rail are running, and on regular weekday schedules. And local MTA buses are operating on regular schedules as well -- but there are some diversions due to Baltimore’s annual Martin Luther King Junior parade (which kicks off atnoon, at the corner of MLK Boulevard and Eutaw Street, and travels down MLK until it ends at Baltimore St). There aremultiple street closures planned for around the parade route; the areaisn’t expected to be completely back to normal until 5 o’clock tonight. Plan your travel accordingly. And if you’re headed out to see the parade, bring your change – as Baltimore’s parking meters still need to be fed today. That’s not the case in all Maryland jurisdictions, though – parking meters are taking the day off in the City of Frederick.
Mis-Mailed Medicaid Packets: Maryland health officials say they've taken immediate action to fix a programming error that sent state Medicaid enrollment packages to incorrect addresses. Officials say the information in the packets do not contain such sensitive personal details as Social Security numbers or financial or medical information. The packets DO contain people’s names, birth dates and Medicaid ID numbers. The Baltimore Sun reports that the packets for more than 1,000 people may have gone to the wrong addresses. State officials attribute the mistaken mailings to a programming error made by Noridian Healthcare Solutions, the primary contractor for Maryland’s health insurance exchange. The state entered into a $71-million contract with the North Dakota-based company in 2012, under which Noridian was tasked with developing the exchange.
Incorrect Help Number On Health Exchange Website: The incorrect Medicaid mailings were one of two issues with the state’s online exchange that have been revealed over the past couple days. Late last week, the Baltimore Sun discoveredthat the helpline number listed on the website was wrong – hundreds of people seeking information about insurance reportedly ended up calling a Seattle-based pottery business, because that’s the number that was listed on state’s online exchange.
2014 Watch: Anne Arundel Fundraising WYPR's Fraser Smith and Rema Rahman of the Annapolis Capital talk about the campaign money raised by incumbent Laura Neuman and Del. Steve Schuh, rivals for the GOP nomination for Anne Arundel County Executive. It’s this morning’s edition of Inside Maryland Politics.
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