In 2023, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department partnered with Texas A&M University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study barriers to accessing healthcare. The study found that only 13% of the provider listings had accurate contact information, and up to 44% of providers were unreachable because of incorrect information. The most common inaccuracies involved outdated contact information and incorrect specialty listings, which could mislead patients and lead to care delays and unexpected charges. The secret shopper survey of almost 7,000 providers listed in provider directories for Pennsylvania’s ACA Marketplace plans indicates that inaccuracies often persist for long periods of time and beyond the requirements set by recent federal law.
