Health law tricky for parents of Medicaid kids

Parents shopping for health insurance through the new federal marketplace are running into trouble when their children might be eligible for Medicaid but they are not.

Some have been surprised to learn that children who are eligible for Medicaid, the safety-net program for the poor and disabled, can't be included on subsidized family plans purchased through the federal marketplace.

A California man says he was incorrectly assured that his children could be covered by his new family plan, and a Florida father says his daughter is going without coverage while he waits for answers. In New Hampshire, some parents who bought private plans for themselves later learned that their children aren't eligible for Medicaid after all, leaving the kids with no options.

Government officials say they're working on the problem.